From Liberty Club Sports
By Ted Allen
A new era for Liberty University’s ACHA Division I men’s hockey team begins on Sept. 13, when the Flames, who are celebrating the 40th anniversary of the start of the program and the debuts of 10 new recruits, host the University of North Carolina at the LaHaye Ice Center over Homecoming Weekend.
“Opening Night is so exciting for our guys,” said Liberty junior forward and head captain Sam Feamster, whose younger brother, defenseman Joe Feamster, is a member of the freshman class. “With 10 freshmen playing their first games here in front of the student section and this crowd, I look forward to that every year, because we train so hard for so long and that is our first opportunity to put it all together.”
He said the Flames will sport special commemorative “Hockey 40” branded jerseys to pay tribute to the program’s milestone year.
“We always play for our alumni in the first place, but 40 years just makes it even more special knowing how far Liberty Hockey has come as a program,” Feamster said. “I get to reap the blessings of that now, playing in this rink in front of these fans, and it’s really cool.”
Head Coach Kirk Handy, entering his 25th year behind the bench at Liberty — where he played from 1996-99 before taking the helm the following season and celebrating his 500th coaching win on Sept. 23, 2022 — said the transition has proceeded according to plan for the newcomers and returning players, who have adjusted to the new systems his staff has implemented.
“It’s going well,” said Handy, who now sports a 540-220-33 record. “The guys are picking up on the new concepts. (Assistant) Coach (Jonathan) Chung has done a good job of being clear on what we’re doing on the systems side of things. Our compete level’s been high in practice, and our execution’s been higher than I expected, for sure. I really like our team’s speed, which is definitely one of our strengths this year. We have a team that can play an up-tempo style of hockey.”
Chung will be managing the team’s video sessions this season, with Associate Head Coach Jeff Boettger working with the defensemen and the penalty kill, Assistant Coach Dan Berthiaume running the power play and forwards, and Handy overseeing everything.
Feamster said he and senior forwards and alternate captains Jacob Kalandyk and Truett Olson are building on a solid foundation set by previous captaincy corps, setting the standard for their teammates as they undertake a challenging quest.
“This group is bringing in a new energy, and it’s a new wave coming in this season, and we are not guys that are ready to be done,” he said after the Flames (22-10-1, No. 7 in the final ACHA Division I rankings) narrowly missed making their third Final Four appearance in four seasons with a 4-2 quarterfinal loss to eventual national champion Adrian College near St. Louis. “All three of us in the captaincy are still hungry and still love the game and still are here to win a national championship, and I feel more of a focus this year than it’s been any other year in the past.”
Liberty will face the ACHA DI champion Bulldogs four times and Ohio, which eliminated defending national champion Minot State, six times this season. The Flames will play 22 of 33 regular-season games at the LIC, with season and single-game tickets available online.
Feamster and the Flames’ other upperclassmen have made a concerted effort to take the freshmen under their wings and to empower them to embody Liberty’s mission on and off the ice.
“We’ve got a great young group this year, and so far every single one of them have bought in,” he said. “Our practices have been so much fun this year, with a really high focus level, a really high compete level. They’re just great guys off the ice, too, so it’s been fun getting to know those guys and we’re already so tight two weeks in.”
The balance of veterans and newcomers makes for an interesting combination as the Flames have meshed as one tightly-knit team.
“I like the dynamic of our team this year because we have about 12 returning guys, so our leadership is strong this year, and I’m not even just talking about the captains,” Feamster said. “All of our returning guys are solid guys who have been here before and are guys who are going to lead the way and show our freshmen how to do it. At the same time, the freshmen are going to be pushing our vets because of their hunger and their desire to want to get in the lineup. It’s a great dynamic to have both of those pushing each other, iron sharpening iron. It’s really cool to see that living out right now.”
Focus, intensity, and compete level are the three areas the Flames are concentrating on strengthening this year.
“We feel if that’s our standard, if every guy brings those three things to each practice, workout, and game, we’re going to be a tough team to beat because of the skill and the speed and the type of guys that we do have,” Feamster said.
He said many of the players live together in dorms or off-campus, and they have avoided forming cliques. Instead they are developing strong team bonds through unifying devotions and activities.
“We want all of our guys to be, not necessarily best friends, but we want to be tight as a team and we want to trust each other and love on each other,” Feamster said. “It’s really going to be that atmosphere this year that we are one team; it’s not a bunch of different groups of guys.”
“We’re already working really well as a team, and we’re pushing each other in practice to make each other better more than I’ve seen in my two years here, and it’s really encouraging,” he added. “Our guys are … determined to be effective every time they’re out on the ice.”
Before the season opener against UNC and another against Florida Gulf Coast University — which will both move up to the ACHA DI ranks in 2025 — the following Friday night, Liberty will entertain the National Collegiate Development Conference’s West Chester (Pa.) Wolves’ under-20 Juniors program in exhibition games next Thursday and Friday. The Flames and Wolves will travel with Liberty’s coaching staff and FCA Hockey representatives for a retreat to Stone Ridge in Appomattox County on Saturday afternoon.
“That’s always a good team-building time for our guys to just get away from the rink and to hang out, just get to have fun together,” Feamster said.
“(Next) week will be a big factor for us, with three practices plus the two kind of controlled scrimmages that will give us a couple opportunities to see what our team looks like in game situations and a really good idea of where we are at,” Handy added.
(Originally published at https://libertyclubsports.com/news/2024/8/30/mens-d1-hockey-di-men-starting-new-chapter-of-a-storied-history-of-liberty-hockey)
