LYNCHBURG, VA.- The Calvin ACHA D1 hockey team completed the weekend sweep on the road of the No. 3 ranked Liberty University Flames. Calvin is currently ranked 10th in the nation. Both games were won in OT, with the 1st ending 4-3 in favor of the Knights and the 2nd ending 7-6 in a high-flying shootout. The contest was played in front of an enthusiastic sellout crowd of 4,000 fans at the LaHaye Ice Center. Calvin is now 19-3-0 on the year.
Liberty took an early lead in the 1st period with a power play goal from Truett Olson in the 7th minute. Olson was assisted by Luke Anderson and Jackson Vercellono.
Hayden Zimmerman equalized for the Knights in the 14th minute from
Daniel Siso and
Holden Pratt. Calvin Goalie
Adam Yost saved 7 of 8 shots on goal while Liberty Goalie Nick Bernstein saved 6 of 7 shots on goal.
Things picked up in the 2nd period with Liberty scoring three and Calvin scoring a pair of its own. Kal Essenmacher scored the 1
st goal of the period for Liberty in the 2nd minute and was followed by a Calvin goal from
Krzyzstof Petryla on the power play. Liberty scored back-to-back goals from Liam Cox-Smith in the 6th minute and Luke Anderson in the 9th minute. Calvin's
Tony Eaton scored the final goal of the period in the 12th minute to make the game 4-3 in Favor of Liberty. Calvin had 17 shots on goal in the period while Liberty had 8.
Joel Fonovic scored just over a minute into the 3rd period on a power play from
Steven Ickes to bring the game level.
Steven Ickes scored a goal of his own also on a power play four minutes later, to put the Knights in front 5-4 from
Krzyzstof Petryla and
Nick Justice. Truett Olson scored his 2nd of the game for the Flames while down a man in the 10th minute of the period to tie the game up yet again. With under a-minute-and-a-half to play,
Tony Eaton scored his 2nd goal of the game to put Calvin back in front while on a power play. He was assisted by
Nick Justice and
Steven Ickes. Truett Olson with under a minute to play scored his 3rd goal of the game to tie the game back up for the 5th time to complete his hat trick and send the game to overtime.
With a 3-on-3 situation,
Tony Eaton came up big for the Knights with the OT winner from
Nick Justice 2:07 into overtime. Eaton broke free on a rush through the center, slipping a shot under the goalie's pads for the winner. Eaton's hat trick propelled Calvin to an impressive weekend sweep of the No. 3 team in the country on the road.
Coaches Comment: Interim head coach
Josh Petrusma, "This weekend was a big test for our team. Playing two games on the road against the #3 team is obviously a great measuring stick. We certainly weren't perfect over these two games, but showed a level of grit and resilience that we believe defines Calvin Hockey. We were down by two goals each night and were able to claw our way back and come out on top. I'm very proud of the team and its commitment to playing for each other."
NEXT UP: Calvin's next game will be at home against No. 4 Adrian College on Saturday January 25th at 6:30pm. The Game will be at Eagles Ice Center in Grand Rapids.
