Men’s D1 Hockey Sweeps Ohio Bobcats Over Weekend On Home Rink

The Liberty Flames Division I men’s ice hockey team swept season rival Ohio University Feb. 26 and 27 at LaHaye Ice Center, marking its first wins at home in over a month. The Flames last victory was against the Long Island Sharks Jan. 22.

Special teams played an important part in the Flame’s 4-1 opening game victory. The Flames, currently ranked No. 3 in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA), benefited from power play domination, finishing three-for-seven with the man advantage. 

Head Coach Kirk Handy said the team’s execution on the power play made the difference in the opening game against Ohio.

“You get three goals in the power play and that’s big for us,” Handy said. “We need the power play to be executing at that level come end of the year.”

Senior forward Quinn Ryan spearheaded the dominant Flames performance. Ryan touched the puck on all four of Liberty’s goals, finishing with two goals and two assists. 

“Quinn’s an elite player in this league,” Handy said. “We’re very fortunate to have him on our team.”

The first period opened with a back-and-forth contest until Liberty capitalized on its first power play of the night at the 7:24 mark. Ryan fired a shot into the upper netting of the goal from an assist by fellow senior forward Brock Thompson, giving the Flames a 1-0 lead.

Ohio quickly answered. With Thompson in the penalty box for the Flames, Ohio defenseman Sam Turner fired a shot that was deflected in the goal by senior forward Kyle Craddick, tying the game 1-1 with three minutes left in the first period.  

However, the Flames struck again before the first intermission on their second power play of the night. Ryan maneuvered up the ice between two Ohio defenders before assisting Thompson, who fired the puck into the net to give Liberty a 2-1 lead.

Both teams were quiet on offense in the second period. Liberty’s defense held up strong, however, shutting down several promising Ohio attacks. 

“We were a little inconsistent in the first two periods,” Handy said. “Because of COVID, we’ve been off for a bit, and (when) we come back, you’re going to have a little rust on the machine there.”

Handy and his coaching staff decided to change the lines for the third period, and their plan worked as Ryan recorded his second goal of the night in the first five minutes of the period, scoring off the third power play of the game and giving Liberty the 3-1 lead. 

The Flames were able to extend their lead to 4-1 when junior defenseman Dmytro Kobylyanskyi scored off a rebound shot with 10:58 remaining in the game. 

After shutting down two Ohio power plays, the Liberty Flames took home the victory 4-1.

Liberty continued its dominance in the second game of the series, defeating the Bobcats 9-1 Feb. 27. 

The Flames are now 6-3 on the season and 4-2 in the ACHA. The victory marks the Flames seventh consecutive win over Ohio after dropping 12 straight losses to the Bobcats.

The Flames will be back on the ice March 5 for an away matchup against Ohio University.

Sarah Tate is a Sports Reporter. Follow her on Instagram at @state2151.