One thing is for sure as the Flames go into the ACHA National Tournament this weekend in Cleveland, Ohio: this Liberty team will not struggle with knowing their opponent. The 11th seeded Liberty hockey team will start their playoff run this Saturday at 10am against the 6th seeded Ohio Bobcats. The Flames faced off against the Bobcats twice this season, with both games at home. Ohio took both contests, by scores of 7-4 and 3-2. Despite dropping two games against their first round opponent, Liberty Head Coach Kirk Handy is confident. When asked about the match up, he simply replied, “I like it.”
Coach Handy’s team starts their quest for a national title against the 6 seed Ohio Bobcats
The two losses came soon after the team’s winter break, a time that Liberty has traditionally struggled, and this season was no exception. During that stretch in January, the Flames only won 2 out of 6 games. However, since those contests against the Bobcats, LU finished the season winning 7 of 8, including a current 4 game winning streak. Clearly, the 2015 Flames have momentum going into the National Tournament.
Looking ahead, should Liberty advance to the Quarterfinals, they will face the winner of 14th seeded Davenport and 3rd seeded Minot State. Davenport, a longtime rival of the Flames, defeated Villanova in the first round of the tournament yesterday by a score of 11-2. Davenport took the season series against Liberty 2-1, all of which were competitive games. Minot State, one of the top programs in the nation, split the season series with the Flames 2-2, with the home team winning every game. Liberty made the trip to Minot, North Dakota in October, dropping both contests there. However, Coach Handy’s team exacted some measure of revenge to close out the regular season at Lahaye Ice Center, taking both contests against the Beavers.
Senior Forward Lindsay LeBlanc will lead the Flames at the ACHA National Tournament this weekend in Cleveland.
Should the Flames make their way to the ACHA’s “Frozen Four”, the remaining teams will be re-seeded. This means Liberty would likely face the top remaining seed. The tournament’s #1 seed is defending National Champion Arizona State, a team Liberty lost to 6-4 in Tempe early this season. The Sun Devils recently announced a move to NCAA Division I ice hockey, joining former ACHA National Champions Penn State among recent programs making the transition.
Stay with LibertyFlamesNation.com and our Twitter handle, @Flames_Nation for updates on Liberty Hockey’s progress in the single-elimination tournament. Looking to watch the games live? Head to fasthockey.com for live coverage of the entire ACHA National Tournament.
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