Reunited with postseason ice: Carly Glover’s path from injury to a long-awaited return at the ACHA National Tournament

On March 20, 2023, the Lady Flames set in motion an unforgettable come-from-behind win in the ACHA Semifinal round, recovering from a 4-1 deficit to take the game 5-4 and move on to the national title game.  

In the process, however, the team lost one of its leaders. Senior Carly Glover suffered an ACL tear midway through the game, causing her team to fixate on battling for the win in honor of its forward. They pulled off the miracle in the semifinal and ended up wheeling Glover on the ice one day later to hoist the trophy with the group after a national championship win, but a long recovery still awaited.  

“It was really tough because all that happened. I got surgery in April, and then my rehab was not going well,” Glover said. “Over the summer, I was very immobile, and I was talking with a surgeon and another surgeon in Alaska, and it was so stiff, I had no range of motion.” 

Glover eventually found out that her initial surgery was done incorrectly, and another operation would be needed. After surgery number two, she could finally focus on working her way back to health. After months of intense recovery, the 21-year-old took the ice with her team again Dec. 1 against Midland. Now, nearly one year removed from her injury, Glover is in the midst of another championship run with the Lady Flames. 

The fire and compete level the senior has brought in her time with Liberty goes without saying. The Lady Flames, however, were far from the original plan Glover had coming out of high school. The Kodiak, Alaska native laced up the skates for the NCAA Division I Merrimack Warriors her freshman year, excited for the college hockey experience, but ultimately not getting what she wanted out of it.  

Before she committed to go to the Warriors, Flames Head Coach Chris Lowes had reached out to recruit Glover. She initially said no, but was now reconsidering.  

“I hated it (at Merrimack) so much that I was like, I kind of want to go to Liberty,” Glover said. “My dad was talking about (Liberty) over the summer, and he got mad at me because I guess I didn’t tell him that they tried to recruit me.” 

Glover gave Lowes a call and, four days later, was in Lynchburg.  

It’s been three successful seasons for the forward with Liberty, but the national titles the team has accumulated since Glover joined the Lady Flames have simply been a byproduct of the culture that she’s seen built firsthand.  

“The focus isn’t just hockey. Lowes and (Assistant Coach Josh Graham), they try to just develop us as young women,” Glover said. “And in doing that, we’re able to grow in hockey. At the NCAA level, they’re just trying to build robots pretty much. They just want the wins. But here it’s about producing girls that are going to go out into the workforce and do something meaningful.” 

For Glover, the meaningful work she’s aiming to accomplish in the workforce is in her hometown of Kodiak. She hopes to one day start her own fishing and guiding business on Kodiak Island, sharing her passion for the outdoors with those around her.  

But until then, Glover’s focus remains on the ice, where she has had the chance to not only find a program that has stretched her as a player but as a leader from day one.  

“Right away I came in and I wanted to make a difference on the team,” Glover said. “And talking with Lowes over the last couple years, he’s kind of pushed me to step into a leadership role … And that’s just saying something when it needs to be said or even handshakes — I do handshakes with all the girls before every period, so I think it’s just like the little things that I’ve just started to do more.” 

The senior is now in her third ACHA National Tournament with the Lady Flames, holding aspirations of helping the team achieve its sixth consecutive national title. After a heart-racing quarterfinal overtime win over the Arizona State Sun Devils, she’s set to return to the semifinal round, more inspired than ever to ensure that she’s on the ice celebrating another championship with her team.  

“I think now I just want to go out with a bang,” Glover said. “We’re competitors. It hasn’t been an easy year. We had Midland sweep us in December. We lost Brityn (Fussy). Amanda (Storey) got hurt. A lot of things haven’t gone our direction, but we’ve been able to bounce back from it. And I think with how (the conference championship) went, everything put a fire underneath us. … There’s a bond that all of us have, and it’s hard not to fight for the girl beside you on the bench.”

Cory is the sports editor for the Liberty Champion. Follow her on X