Liberty Men’s D1 Hockey Secures Weekend Sweep With 5-3 Final Score During Retro Night Jan. 25

Liberty University’s Men’s Division 1 Hockey team stepped back onto the home ice after a Midnight Mayhem 2-1 overtime win against Niagara University’s Purple Eagles to secure the weekend sweep with a 5-3 final score Jan. 25.  

Despite having played into the early hours of the morning, both teams entered the Liberty barn later to face off during the Flames’ retro themed night.  

After having suffered the overtime loss less than 24 hours earlier, the Purple Eagles were set to put the Flames out early.  

Niagara won the faceoff to start the game, which put Liberty on the defense early. The Purple Eagles had steady control and took a shot on goal but sophomore goalie Konrad Kausch made the save.  

Freshman center Hayden Demars found an opening of his own and netted his first goal of the game off an assist from sophomore forward Ryan Finch and freshman center Tucker Shields.  

“The past couple of weeks my line, we’ve just been really connecting, so it’s really all them. …  They’ve put me in a position so I can bury those goals,” Demars said. “They’re both skilled players that are play makers at the end of the day, so they make it really easy.” 

Quickly following the goal from Demars, Shields picked up the first penalty of the game for hitting a Niagara player from behind. The Flames saw a second opportunity to score, but the shot was saved by goalie Jacob Dubinsky.  

The Purple Eagles got themselves on the board with a goal from center Adam Sojka assisted by forward Peter Spameni and defenseman Cullen McCormick. With the game tied at 1-1, freshman left wing Liam Cox-Smith set off to gain Liberty the advantage, but his shot was saved by Dubinsky.  

Both teams were exhibiting more physicality compared to the night before with freshman defenseman Michael Adamek taking his first trip to the sin bin for tripping. Niagara tried to capitalize on its power play advantage but failed.  

Demars managed to sneak one past Dubinsky to net his second goal of the game assisted by freshman forward Michael Debrito and sophomore defenseman Nick Pomerleau. The second goal from Demars put the Flames into the lead 2-1 to end the first period.  

“I think Demars could’ve had a few more. He was dynamic tonight,” Head Coach Kirk Handy said. 

The Purple Eagles came out hot in the second period eager to even out the score. Niagara’s left wing Tristan Taillefer had to serve the two-minute penalty for having too many men on the ice. Liberty had the chance to extend its lead on the power play, but Niagara kept them at bay by completing the penalty kill.  

Niagara’s left wing Charlie Belanger managed to bury one in the net off an assist from Taillefer to bring the score to 2-2. The Purple Eagles saw the chance to net back-to-back goals, but Kausch stood his ground between the pipes to block their shots.  

After netting the overtime winner less than 24 hours earlier, Shields scored his first goal of the game from an assist by graduate student forward Jackson Vercellono and senior defenseman Nathan Cox.  

“It means a lot honestly. It was one of my personal playing goals this year to just hit 100. So I couldn’t do it without the guys around me. …  It was an honor,” Vercellono said. 

This assist from Vercellono marked his 100th career point with the Flames.  

“He’s a leader, and he cares about the guys from a hockey standpoint but cares about them from a spiritual standpoint too,” Handy said.  

Liberty ended the second period with a one goal advantage of 3-2. Niagara collected a penalty early in the third period, resulting in another Liberty power play.   

Penalties were handed out left and right for each team until Cox-Smith put one in between the pipes with an assist from Shields. Following his goal, Cox-Smith picked up a penalty, putting Niagara on the power play.  

The Purple Eagles, with their man advantage, brought the score to 4-3 with a power-play goal from captain and left wing Austin Robinson who was assisted by Belanger and right wing Jakob Kalin. With Niagra being down one goal, the Purple Eagles decided to pull Dubinsky for an extra man on the ice.  

The Purple Eagles were working to even the score, but the Flames managed to clear the puck out of their defensive zone, giving graduate student forward Truett Olson the chance to score on an empty net. Olson was assisted by Vercellono to raise the score to 5-3 for a Liberty sweep over Niagara.  

“We definitely want to refine our D-zone coverage, that’s a big one, and I think we definitely want to continue to work on our special teams too,” Handy said.  

The Flames will face off against the Adrian College Bulldogs Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. and Feb. 1 at 1 p.m. in the LaHaye Ice Center.  

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