Courtesy of Midland Athletics
ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Midland University is the champion of ACHA Women’s Division 1 hockey. The second-seeded Warriors captured their first national title in thrilling fashion Sunday night, defeating top-seeded Liberty University, 4-3, in triple overtime. After 117 minutes of play, Taylor Bell scored on a rebound to end the marathon battle against the Flames.
Liberty struck first, scoring with just over two minutes remaining in the opening period. Midland answered early in the second when Darbi Poole netted a power-play goal off an assist from Ashlyn Kuffler three minutes into the frame.
With time winding down before intermission, Victoria Campbell gave Midland its first lead. She scored unassisted with 1:16 remaining in the period to send the Warriors into the locker room ahead 2-1.
Just minutes into the third period, Makenna Larson extended the advantage, finishing a feed from Campbell to make it 3-1. Liberty — a six-time national champion — responded with a goal just before the midway point of the period to cut the deficit to one. Then, with less than five minutes remaining, the Flames converted on a power play to force overtime.
Liberty carried momentum into the first overtime, outshooting Midland 19-9. The disparity came in part due to a pair of Warrior penalties. Goaltender Meghan Stewart stood tall, turning aside every attempt to keep the game scoreless and send it to a second extra session.
Midland held a slight edge in the second overtime, recording 10 shots on goal compared to Liberty’s eight. Both netminders continued to shine as the tense battle stretched into a third overtime.
Fatigue began to show in the third extra period as both offenses generated increased chances, combining for two dozen shots. With under three minutes remaining, Bell skated down the left side and fired a shot on goal. The attempt pulled the Liberty goaltender out of position, and Bell followed her own rebound, lifting the puck over the glove for the championship-winning goal. Callie Maguire and Katie McNair assisted on the biggest goal in program history, securing Midland’s first national hockey title.
Meghan Stewart, who was named the tournament’s most valuable player, had 78 saves on the game with just over 117 minutes played. The Flames outshot the Warriors, 81 to 67, in the game.
Midland capped its historic season with a 31-5-3 record, winning each of its final three national tournament games in overtime. The championship is the first in program history, which dates back to the program’s inaugural 2014-15 season. This was the Warriors’ second trip to the title game, finishing as runners-up in 2022 to the Flames.
