Women’s Hockey Prepares For New Season

Liberty University Women’s Hockey is preparing to spark some flames and turn up the heat with both the Division I and Division II teams starting their seasons over the next few weeks. The Division I Lady Flames recently opened their season against Washington Pride with a 6-0 victory, while the Division II team began its season with two dominant wins over the Queen City Royals 19UAA squad and the Armstrong Arrows 19U team. They will face their first ACHA opponent Oct. 4, when they host the Delaware Lady Blue Hens.

“There are a lot (of issues), but that’s normal,” Head Coach Chris Lowes said. “The plan as a team is, you play your worst hockey day one, and every day gets better.” 

The Division I team has eight freshmen, including forwards Hayley Lee, Chloe Lownsbury, Patricia Misiak, Brooke Olson and Presley Ellis, defensemen Isabelle Pelletier and Jules Lefaive, and goaltender Brooklyn Adams. The Flames also have two new transfers on this year’s roster, sophomore forward Tristan Craig from Arizona State University and sophomore forward Victoria Khou from Nichols College.

The team is relying heavily on its veteran players to guide the new recruits in their style of play and to teach them how to best practice this season. 

“Our veterans this year set the standard,” Lowes said. “That’s a saying we have around here for how we practice, prepare and play the sport of hockey.”   

The Division I Lady Flames will face their biggest competitor, the Adrian Lady Bulldogs, on the road at Adrian. The Lady Bulldogs are the defending champions, and the Lady Flames are excited to challenge them this year.

The Division II Lady Flames, however, believe they will start out with minimal problems. Head Coach Rena Leone said she doesn’t see many major issues in practice that will affect their gameplay. Their surplus of incoming freshmen will also bring them to a new level of speed that the veteran players might need to get adjusted to. 

“Usually, we see that the girls haven’t skated a lot over the summer, but everyone came in this year looking really good,” Leone said. “These freshmen came in with a lot of speed, and they’re going to really push us to a new level.” 

Coming in with this new speed and talent are six new freshman skaters, including defensemen Monica Knapp and Emma Pieri, as well as forwards Brooklyn Voortman, Calissa Klein, Ella Moerman and Abigail Rogers. 

“Klein, Voortman and Rogers actually want to play on a line together,” Leone said. “So they’ve been playing a little extra harder in practice when they play together to prove themselves.” 

Leone said that while watching captain and senior Madison Gaddy in practice, she’s seen that Gaddy has an extra spark in her this year, which is going to be great to watch in games. The Lady Flames’ goalies, sophomore Abigail Manzewitsch and junior Abigail Hodsden, are said to also be looking very strong in practice this year. 

Some of the Lady Flames’ most competitive games will take place when they play the Lady Hens of the University of Delaware. However, their toughest opponent will be the Villanova Wildcats. These matches will be more of a mental competition, as Villanova has beaten Liberty multiple times in the past. “Seeing the girls grow on and off the ice together as a team, the better cohesion they have on and off the ice just leads to a smoother season,” Leone said. 

The team’s bond goes further than the ice, as its members commonly spend time in fellowship and reading the Word. Many of the players meet regularly for a Bible study, and five players were baptized last year.   

“Just having that spiritual side too, and the more they’re willing to open up in Bible study and get to know each other not just as teammates but as people, the stronger they’re going to be on the ice,” Leone said. “At the end of the day, we’re not going to remember the final score, but they’re going to remember the friendships and the memories they had here, and that’s real winning.”

Schlosser is a sports reporter for the Liberty Champion.