DI Flames to honor ‘American Heroes’ in Friday night’s opener against UNC

Friday, September 11

7:00 PM

Liberty University Club Sports

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Michael Fischer Liberty men's hockey vs. UNC

Junior defenseman Michael Fischer leads a breakout against the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in last season's 6-1 triumph at the LaHaye Ice Center on Sept. 20, 2025. (Photos by Simon Barbre)

DI Flames to honor ‘American Heroes’ in Friday night’s opener against UNC

9/10/2026 5:07:00 PM | Men's D1 Hockey

Liberty’s No. 7-ranked men’s hockey team begins its six-month journey back to the ACHA National Championships by hosting the Tar Heels in the LIC.

DI men's hockey vs. UNC promo — Junior forward Mac Ratzlaff is one of five Flames captains in 2026-27.

Staying in the moment is a primary objective for Liberty University's ACHA Division I men's hockey team as it opens a 2026-27 season full of expectation and potential, Friday at 7 p.m. in the LaHaye Ice Center against the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

"There's always the excitement for the opener," Flames 27th-year Head Coach Kirk Handy said. "It's been a long summer, and we want to get into it. We want to get the LIC cranked up again, and we want to 'Rock the Rink' and make sure there's great energy in the rink."

Handy has an optimistic outlook on the season and likes the work ethic and resolve this year's squad has shown on and off the ice so far.

"We're heading down a great path," he said. "It's a long journey, and you want to keep your focus. 'How do we try and approach each game like it's the only game important to us for this year? How do we keep our focus where it needs to be, not looking ahead but on the here and now?' We've got a great group of guys, and we've seen a focus and an understanding of what it's going to take to compete at the highest level, so we are super excited."

Intensity and compete levels in practice have impressed Handy and his coaching staff.

"Practices are exciting," he said. "We're energized (as coaches) and they're energized (as players), so we feel good. They've executed our systems well in practice and obviously want to do that in a game situation, too, so we are really looking forward to Friday night."

He said engaging in the immediacy and finding a sense of urgency on the ice are important factors if the Flames are going to be contenders at the March 11-16 ACHA DI National Championships at the Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, Mo., near St. Louis.

"For us, it's going to be, 'Are we committed to the process?'" Handy said. "'Are we going to work and keep our focus on today and winning the day instead of looking too far in advance?' We want to be the best we can be today and continue to refine that process as the season progresses."

Senior defenseman and alternate captain Nick Pomerleau said the Flames are eager for the opportunity to get out to a fast start and to stay on right track throughout their 34-game regular-season schedule.

"We're looking forward to having our first game as a new team this year together, to see what we're able to do right out of the gate," he said. "It should be a good game."

Scouting Preview, Game 1: UNC Chapel Hill (2-0, 7-15-1 in 2025-26) at No. 7 Liberty (20-11-2 in 2025-26), Friday at 7 p.m. at the LaHaye Ice Center. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+. It is American Heroes Night, sponsored by Impact First Responders, with the dual purpose of commemorating the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks by honoring all firefighters, police officers, EMTs, and paramedics as well as celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States' founding and Team USA's men's and women's hockey teams' gold-medal performances at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy. The Flames will sport patriotic red, white, and navy blue sweaters — matching the university's colors — to be auctioned off after the game, with money raised supporting future men's hockey mission trips.

All-time series: Liberty leads 2-0 after winning 7-1 on Sept. 13, 2024 and 6-1 last Sept. 19.

Liberty Scouting Report: With 13 of their top 14 scorers back from last season and three new forwards in the mix, the Flames should feature a volatile attack, sparked by senior forwards Ryan Finch (15 goals, 14 assists in 2025-26) and Luke Munroe (14G, 15A). Finch, a Raleigh, N.C., native who grew up playing for the 16U Junior Hurricanes and the North Carolina Golden Bears, is also one of five Disciple Makers on the team while Munroe is one of three new alternates on the Flames' five-man captaincy corps headed by graduate forward Sam Feamster. Pomerleau (3G, 22A) and senior forwards Michael DeBrito (9G, 20A) and Kal Essenmacher (12G, 4 game-winning goals, 8A) round out the top five scorers from last season.

Pomerleau captains a defensive corps that returns seniors Michael Adamek, Luke Anderson, and Mason Smith, a converted forward; junior Joe Feamster; and sophomores Shane Burns, Michael Fischer, and Jentzen Kaebel.

Between the pipes, Liberty will likely platoon freshman goalie Austin Caley and junior Jozef "Joe" Kuchaslo, a transfer from No. 9-ranked Drury (Mo.) University.

UNC Chapel Hill Scouting Report: The Tar Heels, in their second season at the ACHA Division I level, compete in the Southeast Collegiate Hockey League along with North Carolina State, the team the Flames will play a home-and-home series against next weekend, and Kentucky, which will visit the LIC on Feb. 12-13, starting with the third and final Midnight Mayhem match of the season.

UNC Chapel Hill is coming off a 6-0 and 4-0 sweep of ACHA Division II UNC Charlotte last weekend on its home ice — the Orange County SportsPlex in Hillsborough, N.C., which is projected to be replaced by a 3,000-seat, $25 million on-campus arena by the start of the 2028-29 season.

The Tar Heels had 14 players record points against the 49ers, with both game-winning goals coming off the stick of freshman forward Jake Gelman. He is tied with sophomore forward Owen Kenny (2G, 1A) for the team scoring lead along with senior forward Cam Glonek (1G, 2A), who only played in last Friday's opener.

In goal, UNC Chapel Hill features junior Ander Andreev and sophomores Joseph Ambrosio and Giordan Gulati, who each played a period in back-to-back games as the Tar Heels shut out UNC Charlotte twice.

Coaches: Handy, one of the Flames' all-time-leading scorers as a player from 1996-2000, has a career record of 581-240-39 since taking the helm in 2001. He has led Liberty to four Final Four appearances since the program was promoted to the ACHA Division I level in 2006-07 and is 10 wins away from tying former Lady Flames NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Head Coach Carey Green (591-240) as Liberty's all-time winningest coach at any level. Steve Rice, a native of Kitchener, Ontario, who formerly played eight seasons as a right wing in the NHL after captaining Team Canada to a gold medal at the 1991 World Junior Hockey Championships, is in his third season as head coach of the Tar Heels, sporting a 22-28-3 mark. He was drafted by the New York Rangers before playing three seasons with the Edmonton Oilers and Hartford Whalers, which became the Carolina Hurricanes in 1997-98, his final season in the league.

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer

Gallery: (9-10-2026) Liberty DI mens hockey vs. UNC Sept.2025