Liberty hockey opened the 2019-20 season with a dominant performance over Duquesne, winning 11-1.
The Flames would get tested early, as they had to defend a minute and a half 5-on-3 Duquesne power play with penalties to Garrett Nelson and Chaydan Lauber. The Flames killed off both penalties and scored the year’s first goal, shorthanded, off the stick of freshman Matt Bartel.
Once the Flames found their rhythm, they piled on the goals. They scored three in the first, five in the second, and another three in the final frame. The top line of Quinn Ryan, Josh Fricks, and Arturas Laukaitis racked up a combined 4 goals and 7 assists to lead the way for Liberty.
Defensively, the Flames played well, only allowing 27 Duquesne shots on net with freshman net minder Cedric Le Sieur stopping 26. (Le Sieur also won the hearts of the fans for his rendition of “What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction.)
The Flames will have a short week as they prepare for IUP on Thursday the 26th and Friday the 27th (Midnight Mayhem game).
