Liberty University Club Sports Athletics
Saturday, September 19
Lynchburg, VA
7:30 PM
Liberty University Club Sports
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vs
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Florida Gulf Coast University
Junior forward and alternate captain Anthony Emme (7), who had a goal and an assist in Sunday's second game against Florida Gulf Coast University at the LaHaye Ice Center, attempts to net the equalizer early in the third period as Cooper Fredericks (26) had late in the second. (Photos by Ted Allen)
DII Flames start season with bittersweet split against reigning national champions
9/22/2026 1:10:00 PM | Men's D2 Hockey
Liberty shut out Florida Gulf Coast University in Saturday’s debut before outshooting the Eagles by a 2-to-1 ratio only to be outscored 8-4 in Sunday’s rematch.
A day after opening its season with an electrifying 1-0 win over reigning national champion Florida Gulf Coast University, Liberty University's ACHA Division II men's hockey team allowed the Eagles (1-2) to salvage a split by scoring four unanswered goals in an 8-4 setback, Sunday afternoon at the LaHaye Ice Center.
"We know Florida (Gulf Coast) will be one of the top teams in the league again this year, and with the young group we have, as we continue to grow and build, to get a split was massive for our mentality," Flames second-year Head Coach Christian Garland said.
FGCU opened its season with a 6-4 loss to Liberty's DI team on Friday night — when it allowed the Flames to score the final four goals to erase a 4-2 deficit after the second period.
Against Liberty's DII squad, the Eagles were outshot by a 95-57 margin in the two-game series, including by a 59-29 count in Sunday's rematch. But after allowing the Flames to seize a 2-1 first-period lead, FGCU netted three straight goals to start the second and shut down Liberty's attack after it re-tied the contest with back-to-back power play goals later in the period. Â
"They're definitely very opportunistic, and they seemed to be getting bounces we weren't getting," Garland said. "That was one of those games where we played great but didn't win. They were experienced and poised, and if you give them any time and space, they're going to score. We had a few lapses, and every single one they got in the net. We couldn't bury our chances."
Sophomore forward and alternate captain Cooper Fredericks, last season's leading scorer, netted the first and last goals for the Flames. He got the first goal off an assist from freshman forward Jake Hanna just 37 seconds after the opening puck drop before converting the equalizer with 5:11 to play in the second period off a power-play pass from junior forward and alternate captain Anthony Emme.
Liberty's last three goals came with a man advantage, sparked by Emme's score that put the Flames up 2-1 with 6:47 to play in the first period off assists from Fredericks and freshman defenseman John Danks. Then in the second stanza, Hanna pulled Liberty back within 4-3 off a feed from sophomore forward Seth Huygen at the 5:52 mark.
Liberty held a 36-28 shot advantage in Saturday's series and season opener, with sophomore forward Glen Farmer netting the game's only goal on a breakaway opportunity early in the third period and senior goalie Christian Sehlke posting the shutout.
"It was awesome," Garland said. "We played really, really well and (Sehlke) had an awesome game in net, highlighted by a breakaway save midway through the third period. Â It was a really solid team effort. They competed really hard. (The Eagles) have a high-octane offense, and they're a more experienced team with a championship pedigree, so we were pretty happy to shut them out."
Overall, Garland said the Flames exceled on special teams, though it didn't show in the final score.
"Even though we lost Sunday, we were carrying the run of play and played a phenomenal game," he said. "Our power play and penalty kill units did well for the first series of the season. Our PK was successful about 80 percent of the time for the weekend against the reigning national champions, so I'm happy about that."
He said the loss leaves plenty for Liberty to work on in practices this week as it prepares to face Virginia Tech in a home-and-home series. The Flames will host the Hokies on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the LaHaye Ice Center before traveling to Vinton, Va., for a rematch Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in the Lancerlot Sports Complex, where Liberty used to play its home games before the construction of the LIC in 2006.
"We need to continue developing our special teams and D zone structure," Garland said. "Obviously, when you let up eight goals, you need to work on that. Primarily because we're so young, with 12 sophomores and 10 freshmen (on a 27-man roster), we need to be instilling habits in playing style that will make us successful for the rest of the season."
He is looking forward to the two home-and-home series this semester against Virginia Tech after winning three of four meetings last season.
"It's nice to have an opponent an hour away that can push us and we can get better from playing each other in home and home series," Garland said.
By Ted Allen/Staff WriterGallery: (9-22-2026) DII men's hockey vs. FGCU
"We know Florida (Gulf Coast) will be one of the top teams in the league again this year, and with the young group we have, as we continue to grow and build, to get a split was massive for our mentality," Flames second-year Head Coach Christian Garland said.
FGCU opened its season with a 6-4 loss to Liberty's DI team on Friday night — when it allowed the Flames to score the final four goals to erase a 4-2 deficit after the second period.
Against Liberty's DII squad, the Eagles were outshot by a 95-57 margin in the two-game series, including by a 59-29 count in Sunday's rematch. But after allowing the Flames to seize a 2-1 first-period lead, FGCU netted three straight goals to start the second and shut down Liberty's attack after it re-tied the contest with back-to-back power play goals later in the period. Â
"They're definitely very opportunistic, and they seemed to be getting bounces we weren't getting," Garland said. "That was one of those games where we played great but didn't win. They were experienced and poised, and if you give them any time and space, they're going to score. We had a few lapses, and every single one they got in the net. We couldn't bury our chances."
Sophomore forward and alternate captain Cooper Fredericks, last season's leading scorer, netted the first and last goals for the Flames. He got the first goal off an assist from freshman forward Jake Hanna just 37 seconds after the opening puck drop before converting the equalizer with 5:11 to play in the second period off a power-play pass from junior forward and alternate captain Anthony Emme.
Liberty's last three goals came with a man advantage, sparked by Emme's score that put the Flames up 2-1 with 6:47 to play in the first period off assists from Fredericks and freshman defenseman John Danks. Then in the second stanza, Hanna pulled Liberty back within 4-3 off a feed from sophomore forward Seth Huygen at the 5:52 mark.
Liberty held a 36-28 shot advantage in Saturday's series and season opener, with sophomore forward Glen Farmer netting the game's only goal on a breakaway opportunity early in the third period and senior goalie Christian Sehlke posting the shutout.
"It was awesome," Garland said. "We played really, really well and (Sehlke) had an awesome game in net, highlighted by a breakaway save midway through the third period. Â It was a really solid team effort. They competed really hard. (The Eagles) have a high-octane offense, and they're a more experienced team with a championship pedigree, so we were pretty happy to shut them out."
Overall, Garland said the Flames exceled on special teams, though it didn't show in the final score.
"Even though we lost Sunday, we were carrying the run of play and played a phenomenal game," he said. "Our power play and penalty kill units did well for the first series of the season. Our PK was successful about 80 percent of the time for the weekend against the reigning national champions, so I'm happy about that."
He said the loss leaves plenty for Liberty to work on in practices this week as it prepares to face Virginia Tech in a home-and-home series. The Flames will host the Hokies on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the LaHaye Ice Center before traveling to Vinton, Va., for a rematch Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in the Lancerlot Sports Complex, where Liberty used to play its home games before the construction of the LIC in 2006.
"We need to continue developing our special teams and D zone structure," Garland said. "Obviously, when you let up eight goals, you need to work on that. Primarily because we're so young, with 12 sophomores and 10 freshmen (on a 27-man roster), we need to be instilling habits in playing style that will make us successful for the rest of the season."
He is looking forward to the two home-and-home series this semester against Virginia Tech after winning three of four meetings last season.
"It's nice to have an opponent an hour away that can push us and we can get better from playing each other in home and home series," Garland said.
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
Players Mentioned
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