DI men’s hockey blessed with size, speed, depth of leadership
9/8/2026 6:27:00 PM | Men's D1 Hockey
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Liberty will debut its 2026-27 squad ranked No. 7 in the preseason coaches’ poll this Friday night at the LaHaye Ice Center.
A revamped offense, new goaltending duo, and abundance of captains and spiritual leaders are areas of strength for this season's Liberty University Division I men's hockey team, which debuts as the No. 7 team in the nation in the ACHA's preseason rankings.
"It's great having (three new alternate captains) helping to lead the team," said senior defenseman Nick Pomerleau, who was the only alternate to graduate forward and third-year head captain Sam Feamster last season. "The support's great with the five captains that we have right now, and also with the five Disciple Makers (senior defenseman Luke Anderson, sophomore defenseman Michael Fischer, graduate forward Ryan Finch, and junior forwards Brad Barker and Kal Essenmacher). So there's five captains and five Disciple Makers. I feel really good about our leadership group and just the group that we have as a whole. We're really looking forward to the first game."
Liberty will open a promising 2026-27 season with patriotic flair sporting red, white, and blue star-spangled jerseys on American Heroes Night, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States while also commemorating the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks by honoring all first responders when it hosts the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Friday at 7 p.m. in the LaHaye Ice Center. The Flames' five newcomers: goalies Joe Kuchaslo (left), Austin Calley (right), and forwards David Utkin, Zach Nicolas, and Stone Rolston
Zach Nicolas, one of just five new players on the Flames' 25-man roster, is a 6-foot, 4-inch, 220-pound forward from Alberta, Canada, and a transfer from NCAA Division I Stonehill (Mass.) University. He is one of three new forwards who can give Liberty's attack a boost in energy and execution, complemented by Stone Rolston — the 6-foot-4, 198-pound son of former NHL Stanley Cup champion forward Brian Rolston — and David Utkin, a native of Russia who was the final addition to the team.
"There's high-level hockey here," Nicholas said, comparing the Flames favorably to that of his former team. "The culture here is completely different in a good way. It's very easy to get along with the guys. Like a lot of guys, I want to be an impact player, not just in points."
He believes Liberty's size up front could factor in its favor, if it can also showcase its speed.
"We're a big team and if we can capitalize and use that, it will be a big advantage to us," Nicholas said. "We've got some big guys coming in, and they will be very impactful. I expect (the ACHA game) to be a little more physical. The game of hockey's pretty much all speed nowadays so it's very important, and we've got a lot of that, too. We're in good shape, we've just got to keep working on it (conditioning). We've got a great team here, and I think we can make it all of the way and raise that (Murdoch) Cup at the end (of the National Championships near St. Louis)."
Brett Berthiaume, director of operations for the LaHaye Ice Center and recruitment for Club Sports, said Utkin was a key pickup after forward Alex Hall, Liberty's first recruit of the 2026-27 class, opted out of his commitment to become a youth pastor in Minnesota.
"David (Utkin) is a very talented player, and he's bringing a lot of flash, a lot of skill, and excitement for the fans. He's a guy who can be dangerous for us (on attack)," he said.
"This year, we saw a lot of fruit come from our prospect camps," Berthiaume said. "We're blessed to be able to have these two (goalies) come in and compete and ultimately, hopefully, give us a great chance every night to win."
"They've got great attitudes and a great dynamic back there between the two of them already," Pomerleau added. "It's good to see them meshing well with the team off the ice and just competing well on the ice. It's exciting."
Berthiaume noted that the Flames didn't recruit any new defensemen, but switched Mason Smith from forward to defense to fill the roster spot left by Connor Diem.
"We're excited to see what he can do on the back end for us," Berthiaume said. "We've got our great corps of defensemen."
The Flames will be battle-tested throughout the regular season, with four games each against reigning national champion Ohio University, runner-up Adrian (Mich.) College, and No. 3-ranked Niagara (N.Y.) University, which won all four meetings with Liberty last season.
"Every year we're blessed with the schedule that we have," Berthiaume said. "(Head Coach) Kirk (Handy) does a really good job of putting together a really competitive schedule for the guys to do as well as we possibly can and be ready (for nationals)."
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer; Video edited by Patrick Strawn/Club Sports Director of Video & Media
