No.1 Middle Tennessee State University club hockey (16-4, 15-0 ACHA) lost its first series since Sept. 6 2025, getting swept in a series with AAU hockey’s No.1 ranked Liberty University (13-2, 11-1 AAU) in the Lahaye Ice Center. 

The two-game sweep marks the second series loss of the 2025-2026 season, snapping a 16–game win streak. The battle of the No.1 ranked teams in ACHA Division III and AAU Division III came down to the final minutes as MTSU dropped leads in the closing minutes of both games.

“We’ve got to find another gear when you think you’ve got nothing left and learn how to close out games, especially against top teams,”  MTSU head coach JJ Murray said. 

Game one

Middle Tennessee struck early as a shot from the blue line rebounded by MTSU forward Brendan Ogle gave the Blue Raiders a 1-0 lead two minutes into the period. Liberty responded with two goals in under a minute to take the lead four minutes into the first period. 

A Flames turnover put the puck on the stick of MTSU forward Andrew Myers, who beat Liberty goaltender Trey Thompkins with a wrist shot from the faceoff dot for Myers first goal as a Blue Raider. The first period came to a close with both teams tied at 2-2.

The Flames dominated the second period as Liberty put four goals past Middle Tennessee goaltender Ayden Kopec. Following the sixth goal, MTSU made a change at goaltender, putting Grant Williams between the pipes. 

“It’s always tough being the cold goalie,” Williams said. “After the fifth goal, JJ [Murray] was like, just be ready. So I just kind of was mentally preparing myself just in case.”

The lone goal in the period for the Blue Raiders was scored by defenseman Yuli Lima, who fired a slap shot from the blue line and deflected the puck off Thompkins to cut into the lead. 

MTSU started the third off cutting into the Liberty advantage as forward Donovan Yesnach deflected a puck in front of the net to cut the Flame lead to 6-4. The Blue Raiders struck again less than a minute later as forward Anthony Paponetti finished a barrage of shots in front of the net, bringing MTSU within one goal. 

With momentum swinging in favor of Middle Tennessee, captain Linden Palmer slid a puck cross crease to forward Ethan DeMumbrum for an easy tap in tying the game at 6-6. The offensive swing continued for MTSU as forward Tommy Chunchukov wrapped around the net beating Thompkins to the post to give MTSU its first lead since the first.

In the final four minutes of the third period, the Flames scored three times securing a game one win.

Game two

The second game of the weekend started off fast paced with both teams struggling to complete long range passes into the offensive zone. The Flames tallied the first goal of the game off a MTSU turnover leading to LU forward Jace Nakamura giving Liberty a 1-0 lead halfway through the first. 

The Blue Raiders responded late in the period as DeMumbrum snuck a rebound past the pad of Thompkins to equalize the game at 1-1 heading into the first intermission. 

Both squads slowed down the pace of play in the second, focusing on anchoring the defensive side of the puck. With under 10 seconds remaining in the second, Matthew Siciliano nailed a wrist shot past the glove of Tompkins, giving MTSU the go-ahead goal at the end of the period.

The third period started off quickly for the Flames as Liberty forward Zachary Lemons fired a wrist shot from the blue line past Williams to equalize the game at 2-2.   

A few minutes later Liberty forward Josiah Martinez got sent to the penalty box for tripping, giving MTSU a power play opportunity. A deflection in front by Middle Tennessee forward Brendan Ogle gave the Blue Raiders a 3-2 advantage midway through the third.  

Liberty responded on the ensuing faceoff as forward Roman Lamoureux fired a wrist shot from the slot over the shoulder of Williams tying the game at 3-3. The Flames struck again on the power play as forward Aidan Dickson slotted home a rebound giving Liberty a 4-3 lead with two minutes remaining 

An empty-netter in the final seconds sealed a series sweep over the Blue Raiders. 

“Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise to humble us and prove that we can’t be satisfied with where we’re at because come playoffs and nationals, you’re going to have top teams back to back to back nights,” Murray said.  

MTSU will return to the Ford Ice Center in Antioch, Tennessee on Jan. 23-24 to take on Austin Peay State University (1-15, 0-10 ACHA) in a College Hockey South conference matchup. 

After the homestand the Blue Raiders will travel to Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee on Jan. 25 to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores (3-13, 0-6 ACHA) in the third matchup of the ‘Battle of Nashville’ this season.

Around 80% of the MTSU roster is from Tennessee and naturally diehard Preds fans. The team is super excited at the chance to play on the Nashville Predators home rink, Murray said. 

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