Punches flew in the early hours of the morning at the LaHaye Ice Center – and as much as Liberty fought, there was no way to undo a two-goal loss.
No. 4 UNLV took down No. 3 Liberty 3-1 Jan. 29 to split the weekend series against the Flames. Liberty won the Friday match 7-4.
The two teams faced off once earlier in the season, with UNLV defeating Liberty 2-1 in the ACHA Chicago Classic final.
This was one of Liberty’s three “Midnight Mayhem” games this season, and around 2,900 fans showed up to watch the game.
From the 11:59 p.m. puck drop, both teams brought physicality, resulting in multiple penalties. Liberty was able to capitalize on its second power play with forward Jacob Kalandyk tipping a shot into the top right corner of the cage to put the Flames up 1-0.
Unfortunately for the Flames, too many sloppy penalties kept UNLV in the game. On the Rebels’ power play, UNLV’s Alec Johnson fired a slapshot, which glanced off Liberty defenseman Cam Kuhl into the net to tie the game. Liberty Head Coach Kirk Handy was not happy with the team’s discipline.
“It was a nice power play goal,” Handy said. “But when we got a five-minute penalty (in the second period), we took a penalty, and that negated part of it and our power play went silent. Our PK was unbelievable, but it can only do so much. It came down to a lack of discipline. We took too many penalties.”
Johnson was able to double his goal tally on the night later in the period when he took a rebound and pushed it past Liberty goaltender Hunter Virostek.
It looked like UNLV increased its lead midway through the third period, but video review showed Bradley Golant’s shot actually glanced off the crossbar, then the post, without going into the net.
Later on, the Flames found themselves in a three on five play, with UNLV’s Paxton Malone breaking away toward Liberty’s goal. Liberty’s Jackson Vercellono chose to hook Malone, resulting in a penalty shot.
Malone drifted left on the penalty shot, trying to weave past Virostek, but Liberty’s goalie squirmed to his right, blocking Malone’s effort to keep it a one-goal game.
Virostek was excellent on the night, making 40 saves on 42 shots. With 3:20 on the night, Liberty decided to pull him to get an extra skater on the ice.
With just over a minute to go in the game, UNLV blocked Liberty transfer defenseman Cam Kuhl’s shot. Bradley Manning quickly took the puck for the Rebels and fired it from center ice into an empty net.
Then, with just six seconds to play, a brawl broke out on UNLV’s side of the ice with Liberty’s Albers brothers fighting against Golant and Max Johnson. The officials were unable to separate the players for over a minute, and after ejections, they wound the clock, ending the game to ensure no more chaos could ensue.
Handy admitted that his team fed into the crowd’s emotions, negatively impacting them on the night.
“We all love the crowd,” Handy said to the team’s website. “The environment is unlike any other place (in the ACHA) in my opinion. But we let the crowd be a negative instead of a positive, and we got away from who we want to be tonight. We have a young team, but that’s something we’ve got to learn and to figure out.”
Both teams scored nine goals over the three games they played against each other this season, and UNLV won two out of three contests. With both teams likely to head to nationals, the rivalry shows potential for further growth.
UNLV’s next match is in Tempe, Arizona, against No. 24 Arizona State while the Flames host No. 2 Minot State Feb. 4 and 5. Minot State eliminated Liberty in the Frozen Four last postseason, and the Flames will be looking to avenge their season-ending loss.
Also over the weekend, Chaydan Lauber set a new program record with his 159th and 160th appearances, the most for a Flames player at the Division I level.
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