LYNCHBURG, Va. – Threatened, the Minot State men's hockey team rose to the occasion.
In a rematch of last year's ACHA National semifinal, the second-ranked Beavers prevailed with a strong third period, besting host and third-ranked Liberty 5-3 on Friday night.
The two teams play again Saturday night in Virginia.
Trailing 1-0 after an early goal by the host Flames, Minot State (25-2-0 overall) started the comeback when
Reece Henry scored with 2 minutes, 32 seconds left in the first off a
Jared Hamm assist.
Jordan Robertson then broke the tie late in the second, scoring off a
Justin Metcalf assist with 5:33 left until the intermission, then
Jay Buchholz pushed the lead to 3-1 just 2:23 later, finishing off assists from
Davis Sheldon and
Josh Pederson.
That lead didn't last long, though, as Liberty (17-7-0) came charging out of the locker room to start the third period and put two in the net in the first 1:17 of the session, setting the stage for a dramatic finish.
A finish that went Minot State's way as
Reid Arnold broke the tie midway through the third, scoring off a
Landyn Cochrane assist, then the Beavers finished off the win when
Eric Soar scored an empty-net goal.
Jake Anthony made the late Minot State surge hold up as he stopped 21 shots for the Beavers, who outshot Liberty 39-24 on the night.
The win is the third in three tires this winter for Minot State against Liberty as the Beavers bested the Flames, 6-4 and 5-2, back in October in North Dakota.
