IU freezes Liberty University

IU picked up an important pair of non-conference victories over the holiday weekend, sweeping undefeated South East No. 4 Liberty University.\nIU got started nine minutes into the first period Friday. Sophomore forward David Ravensberg sent a pass between the skates of a Liberty defenseman and on the stick of junior forward Rhys Anderson. Anderson cut in front of the net and slammed home the first IU goal of the weekend.\nFreshman forward Pete Johnson added another halfway through the second when freshman forward Michael Kearns found Johnson wide open in front of Liberty goalie sophomore Kevin Rainey.\nIU scored five times in the third, getting two from Ravensberg, and one each from junior forward David Dassel, sophomore forward Adam Trussel and junior forward Zach Vietrei.\nSenior goaltender Charlie Pulley earned his first shutout of the season, recording 19 saves.\nSaturday was a different story. Liberty scored 25 seconds into the game when forward sophomore Jordan Davies sent a pass from behind the net to forward junior Jim Bellew who one-timed the puck past junior goalie Brandon Tucker.\nDassel responded later in the first off a rebound from a shot by graduate forward Tom Orr. One minute later, Ravensberg came off a line change, poke-checked a Liberty defenseman and took the puck in for the score. Johnson put the Hoosiers ahead 3-1 before the end of the first, but IU gave up two in the second, including a shorthanded goal with 20 left in the period.\nTrussel scored the game-winner at the 10:13 mark of the third. Liberty put on a long rush at the end of the third that finally ended when junior forward Frank Harrison knocked the puck out of the IU zone and took a tough hit immediately afterward to end the Liberty rush.\nThe wins will help IU maintain their SE No. 1 ranking. Regional rankings determine which teams play in the American Collegiate Hockey Association national tournament.