The Lindenwood Lady Lions ice hockey team represents
Lindenwood University
Lindenwood University is a private university in St. Charles, Missouri. Founded in 1827 by George Champlin Sibley and Mary Easton Sibley as The Lindenwood School for Girls, it is the second-oldest higher-education institution west of the Mis ...
located in
St. Charles, Missouri. The Lady Lions currently participate in the
NCAA Division I
NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...
competition as a member of
College Hockey America
College Hockey America (CHA) is a college ice hockey conference in the United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. The conference is made up of five women’s teams, with two in Pennsylvania; two in New ...
(CHA). The team played with no conference affiliation as an
Independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
program for its first season of NCAA competition.
During the 2011–12 season, Lindenwood was accepted into
College Hockey America
College Hockey America (CHA) is a college ice hockey conference in the United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. The conference is made up of five women’s teams, with two in Pennsylvania; two in New ...
(CHA) beginning in the 2012–2013 season. Prior to 2011 the university was a member of the
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its st ...
(NAIA), because the organization does not sponsor women's ice hockey, the program competed in the
American Collegiate Hockey Association at the ACHA DI level.
The university completed the process of transitioning to the
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...
Division II for most athletics except for men's volleyball and women's ice hockey, which compete at the
NCAA Division I
NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...
level.
As part of the Lindenwood University athletic program's transition to the NCAA, the team was not eligible for NCAA post season play until becoming a full member in 2014.
History
Early history
![LUladylionscele10](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/LUladylionscele10.jpg)
Ice hockey at Lindenwood began in 2003, when men's and women's ice hockey were added as part of the ongoing university and athletic department expansion. The
NAIA national ice hockey championship
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) held a men's national ice hockey championship from 1968 to 1984 when ice hockey was dropped as an NAIA sport.
Early history
The NAIA Men's Ice Hockey Championship held a single eliminati ...
for men's hockey was discontinued in 1984, women's was never an NAIA sport Lindenwood fields teams in the
American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) along with a handful of other
NAIA institutions and various club programs of NCAA institutions.
The Lady Lions began competition in the ACHA for the 2003–04 season, the team went 17–3–3 in 23 games that season. Freshman Kathrine Hannah led the team with 25 goals and 36 assists for 61 points.
The team qualified for the ACHA Women's Division I National Championship tournament. LU lost 3–6 against the
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
but recovered in the second pool play game beating
Northern Michigan
Northern Michigan, also known as Northern Lower Michigan (known colloquially to residents of more southerly parts of the state and summer residents from cities such as Detroit as " Up North"), is a region of the U.S. state of Michigan. A popul ...
3–2. The Lady Lions recovered with an overtime 5–4 win in the consolation round against
West Los Angeles College
West Los Angeles College (West L.A. College or WLAC) is a public community college in Ladera Heights, Los Angeles County, California. It is part of the California Community Colleges System and the Los Angeles Community College District. It is ac ...
and finished 5th in the nation.
The 2004–2005 the team improved on the previous season's statistics with a record of 24–3–0. In addition the Lady Lions qualified for the 2005 ACHA Women's Division National Tournament. The team finished the season ranked 2nd in the nation and 1st in the West Region.
LU swept through the first rounds with a 2–1 win over the
University of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, ...
and 10- win over the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
before losing to the
University of Colorado
The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University o ...
3–4.
The Lady Lions finished the 2005–06 season 29–3–0, the team swept through the Championship Tournament, hosted for the first time at Lindenwood that season.
LU picked up first round wins against
Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the training of teachers ...
(8–1) and
North Dakota State University
North Dakota State University (NDSU, formally North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences) is a public land-grant research university in Fargo, North Dakota. It was founded as North Dakota Agricultural College in 1890 as t ...
(6–0). The team then faced off against the
University of Colorado
The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University o ...
, in a rematch of the 2005 tournament. This time the Lady Lions came out on top winning 5–0 and picked up a 4–1 win in the semi-final round vs.
Michigan State University. In front of a home crowd LU won their first ice hockey championship, 3–2 over
Robert Morris University (Illinois)
Robert Morris University Illinois, formerly Robert Morris College, was a private university with its main campus in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded in 1965 but its oldest ancestor was the Moser School founded in 1913. It changed its name to ...
.
Despite having the highest number of losses in the history of the program during the 2006–07 season, a record of 27–6–1. The team played strong during the regular season, even during a rebuilding year, highlights of the season included a tough 6–10 loss to
NCAA Division I
NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...
Sacred Heart.
The team once again qualified for the ACHA Women's Division I National Championship and advanced to the Championship game again against Robert Morris University. This time the Lady Lions came up short to the Eagles with a 1–4 loss.
The 2007–08 season marked the end of LU as an independent team in the ACHA, the Lady Lions joined the
Central Collegiate Women's Hockey Association
The Central Collegiate Women's Hockey Association (CCWHA) is a non-profit ice hockey league for college club teams based at Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States schools. It was formed in October 1996. There are currently 14 teams par ...
(CCWHA). Lindenwood won the CCWHA Regular season title that season going 10–0 in conference games. The team finished the season with a record of 36–3–0, the best in the program history to date. During the 08–07 season they went 6–1 against
NCAA Division III
NCAA Division III (D-III) is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that choose not to offer athletic scholarships to their st ...
opponents.
The only loss against NCAA teams 1–2 at
St. Mary's University.
LU advanced through the CCWHA and won the CCWHA Playoff Championship in their first season in the conference with a 4–0 shutout of Michigan.
The team advanced through the ACHA tournament to the championship game for the third straight season, and once again against Robert Morris. LU came out on top 2–1 over RMU and won the school's second ACHA Women's DI National Championship.
Senior Kat Hannah won the ''Zoey M. Harris Award'' given to the ACHA national player of the year. she recorded a team-high 87 points with 37 goals and 50 assists and had a +/- rating of +72.
LU continued their winning tradition in the 2008–09 season, with a record of 32–3–3, 10–0–3 in the CCWHA and 2–2 vs NCAA Division III opponents. LU became the CCWHA regular season champions for the second straight season and won their second straight CCWHA playoff championship with an overtime win over Michigan State. The Lady Lions advance to the ACHA National Championship games with a 2-overtime win over University of Massachusetts and a 3-overtime win over University of Minnesota
and won the team's third ACHA Women's DI National Championship and second straight against Robert Morris. Following the season head coach
Vince O'Mara
Vince is a given name, it is the anglicisation and shortened form of the name Vincent, as well as a surname.
It may refer to:
Given name People
* Vince Agnew (born 1987), American football player
* Vince Cable (born 1943), British politicia ...
was named the ''2009 ACHA Division I Women's Coach of the Year''.
![LUWHkygoalie2010](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/LUWHkygoalie2010.jpg)
LU finished the 2009–10 season with the best record in program history, over previous record set the 2007–08 season. Lindenwood finished with an overall record of 43 wins, 2 losses, and 2 ties, including a loss and a tie against NCAA DIII teams. The Lady Lions went 12–0 in the CCWHA and stormed through the CCWHA playoffs, only allowing 2 goals in four playoff games.
The team won the fourth ACHA Women's Division I National Championship and third straight with a 2–0 shutout win over Michigan State University.
In addition to the third straight national championship for the Lady Lions, the men's program also won its second straight ACHA Men's Division I National Championship, marking the first time a school has repeated as back-to-back hockey champions in men's and women's at any collegiate level.
The university showcased its hockey tradition also winning the 2010 NCRHA Division I Collegiate Roller Hockey National Championships.
Move to NCAA
Lindenwood announced in July 2010 it would become a member of the
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
, women's ice hockey as one of the sports included in the list moving to the NCAA. Because the NCAA does not sponsor ice hockey at the Division II level, it was announced the team would compete as a member of Division I.
The Lindenwood Lady Lions hockey team is the first and only NCAA women's hockey program in Missouri.
The 2010–11 season would be the Lady Lions last as members of the
CCWHA and the
ACHA DI as part of the team's transition to the NCAA. The Lady Lions concluded the 2010–11 regular season with a 29–2–2 record and .909 winning percentage. The season included a 12-game win streak from November 6, 2010 until January 22, 2011 and a 3–4 loss to
UMass Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, it ...
, the team's only regulation loss during the regular season.
Portion of the 12-game win streak include a 6-game shutout streak during which the Lady Lions outscored opponents 54–0.
The Lady Lions set a program record on January 29, 2011 when the team put up 30 goals against
Northern Michigan
Northern Michigan, also known as Northern Lower Michigan (known colloquially to residents of more southerly parts of the state and summer residents from cities such as Detroit as " Up North"), is a region of the U.S. state of Michigan. A popul ...
, surpassing a previous record of 16 goals against
Penn State on March 8, 2007 and 17 goals against
Western Michigan
West Michigan and Western Michigan are terms for an arbitrary region in the U.S. state of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Most narrowly it refers to the Grand Rapids- Muskegon-Holland area, and more broadly to most of the region along the Lower Pen ...
set earlier the same season on December 5, 2011.
The Lady Lions concluded the 2010–11 regular season with a 29–2–2 record and overall record of 33–3–2. The team won a fourth consecutive CCWHA title in a 3–0 win over
Grand Valley State, The Lady Lions advanced through pool play before falling 1–3 to rival Michigan State in the semifinal round, taking third place.
In the July 2011, Lindenwood announced the
2011–12 schedule, the first of NCAA competition in program history. The schedule included 22 games against
NCAA Division I
NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...
competition, including an inaugural NCAA two-game series against the defending NCAA National Champion
Wisconsin Badgers
The Wisconsin Badgers are the athletic teams representing the University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin). They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level ( Football Bowl Subdivis ...
;
seven games against
NCAA Division III
NCAA Division III (D-III) is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that choose not to offer athletic scholarships to their st ...
; and five games against former
ACHA Division I rivals
Robert Morris (IL) and
Grand Valley State In September 2011, it was announced that Lindenwood officially submitted an application to join
College Hockey America
College Hockey America (CHA) is a college ice hockey conference in the United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. The conference is made up of five women’s teams, with two in Pennsylvania; two in New ...
(CHA) for the 2012–2013 season.
Lindenwood was admitted into the conference on November 11, 2011 and will begin conference play starting in the 2012–13 season along with Penn State, bringing the CHA's membership to six members.
The team finished the 2011–12 season with a record of 8–21–0, not including 3–0–0 record in exhibition play. Although the team was winless in their four regulation games at home, the team finished the season on a six-game win streak that included the program's first win against an NCAA Division I opponent and first shutout of an NCAA Division I opponent with a 4–0 win over
Sacred Heart on January 20, 2012.
Lindenwood earned its first series sweep in program history over an NCAA Division I opponent on January 21, 2012 with a 5–2 win against Sacred Heart.
The Lady Lions ended the game scoring a season-high nine goals and outshooting Saint Michael's 53–12 in the 9–1 win. Lindenwood finished the season on a season high six game win streak and won eight NCAA games overall. In addition Lindenwood swept its exhibition series against rival Robert Morris Illinois.
Lindenwood's exhibition series against
Grand Valley State scheduled for February 17 and 18 was cancelled.
The team finished the season tied for first in the NCAA in shorthanded goals but also recorded the second most penalties. Special teams proved difficult in the program's first season in the NCAA, the Lady Lions were ranked 20th in power play percentage, converting on 21 of 140 power play opportunities. The team finished last, 35th, in penalty killing percentage, having 10 of 163 attempts. Freshman forward, Alison Wickenheiser lead the team with 19 goals, 17 assists for 36 points in 29 games.
Wickenheiser lead the team in all three categories: goals, assists and points and finished the 30th ranked offensive player in the NCAA.
In goal, freshman Taylor Fairchild recorded a 5–18–0 record, playing 1,400 minutes in goal and stopping 984 shots.
Season by season results
''* Note: From 2012–2014 LU not eligible for NCAA post season due to transition process from NAIA to NCAA.''
Coaches
From the program's inception to the end of the 2013–2014 season,
Vince O'Mara
Vince is a given name, it is the anglicisation and shortened form of the name Vincent, as well as a surname.
It may refer to:
Given name People
* Vince Agnew (born 1987), American football player
* Vince Cable (born 1943), British politicia ...
was the head coach of the Lady Lions women's ice hockey program. Prior to joining the NCAA, O'Mara was a 2-time ACHA Coach of the Year (2005–06,
2009–10
). He has compiled a record of 241–26–11 over 8 seasons behind the bench of the Lady Lions and is currently 0–1–0 against
NCAA Division I
NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...
opponents, 9–4–1 against
NCAA Division III
NCAA Division III (D-III) is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that choose not to offer athletic scholarships to their st ...
opponents, and 231–21–10 against
ACHA opponents. In 2010 O'Mara was named assistant coach on the 2011 United States University Women’s Select Team that competed at the 2011
Winter World University Games
Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Different cultures ...
in
Erzurum, Turkey.
Following the 2013–2014 season, O'Mara's contract was not renewed owing largely to their 20–73–6 record in Division 1. Scott Spencer was hired to replace O'Mara. Spencer spent 2012–2014 with the Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy in Kelowna, BC after spending 2006–2011 as an assistant coach for Robert Morris and 2005 as an assistant coach at Ohio State.
After the conclusion of the 2018-19 season, the program announced head coach Scott Spencer had been relieved of his duties and was beginning a search for a new head coach. Spencer compiled a 42-112-13 record in his five seasons at Lindenwood, including a 26-64-10 mark inside conference play. A few months later former Olympic gold medalist
Shelley Looney was hired to replace Spencer.
Players
Current roster
As of August 30, 2022.
Awards and honors
* Amanda Blanc, 2010 ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American third-team for the women’s at-large category.
* Becca Bernet, 2010 Zoey M. Harris Award for ACHA national player of the year.
* Kat Hannah, 2008 Zoey M. Harris Award for ACHA national player of the year.
* Kat Hannah, 2006 ACHA Women's DI Most Valuable Player Award.
*
Nicole Hensley, 2016 Set NCAA all-time saves record finishing the season with 4094 saves in her career.
College Hockey America
*
Nicole Hensley: Lindenwood, 2014–15 All-CHA First Team
*Shara Jasper: Lindenwood, 2014–15 All-CHA First Team
International play
In February 2016,
Nicole Hensley was named one of three goaltenders to compete for the
United States women's national ice hockey team
The United States women's national ice hockey team is controlled by USA Hockey. The U.S. has been one of the most successful women's ice hockey teams in international play, having medaled in every major tournament.
In 1998, the women's Olympic ...
at the
2016 IIHF Women's World Championship
The 2016 IIHF Women's World Championship was the 17th such event hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation. It was contested in Kamloops, Canada from 28 March to 4 April 2016. Venues included the Sandman Centre, and the McArthur Island S ...
in Kamloops, BC.
Championships
* 4-time
Women's Division I ACHA National Champions (2006, 2008, 2009, 2010)
* 4-time
CCWHA Regular Season Champions (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011)
* 4-time
CCWHA Playoff Season Champions (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011)
School records
The following are the Lindenwood school records. Statistics are accurate as of the 2009–10 season.
Note: ''Italics'' indicate a player is still an active Lady Lion.
Individual records
Career
* Most goals in a career: Kathrine Hannah, 153 (2003–2007)
* Most assists in a career: Kathrine Hannah, 254 (2003–2007)
* Most points in a career: Kathrine Hannah, 407 (2003–2007)
* Most power-play goals in a career: Mandy Dion 37, (2006–2009)
* Most short handed goals in a career: Mandy Dion 13, (2006–2009)
* Most penalty minutes in a career: Mandy Dion 107, (2006–2009)
* Most wins in a career: Becca Bernet 94, (2006–2010)
* Highest save percentage in a career: Jennifer Twillman, .948, (2003–2004)
* Best goals against average in a career: Lori Barton, 0.69 (2007–08)
Season
* Most goals in a season: Mandy Dion 61, (2009–2010)
* Most assists in a season: Kathrine Hannah, 67 (2004–2005)
* Most points in a season: Kathrine Hannah, 97 (2004–2005)
* Most power-play goals in a season: Mandy Dion, 18 (2009–2010)
* Most short handed goals in a season: Mandy Dion, 6 (2008–2009)
* Most penalty minutes in a season: Mandy Dion, 80 (2008–2009)
* Most wins in a season: Becca Bernet, 39 (2009–10)
* Highest save percentage in a season: Kayetoinette Stock, .958 (2009–10)
* Best goals against average in a season: Kayetoinette Stock, .33 (2009–10)
Game
* Most goals in a game: Amy Dlugos, 6 (10/23/03 vs.
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
)
* Most assists in a game: Kathrine Hannah, 10 (11/19/04 vs.
Notre Dame)
* Most points in a game: Kathrine Hannah, 10 (On two occasions)
* Most power-play goals in a game: Mandy Dion, 3 (3/12/10 vs.
Michigan State
Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...
)
* Most short-handed goals in a game: Mandy Dion, 3 (3/8/07 vs.
Penn State)
* Most penalty minutes in a game:19, Mandy Dion, 19 (12/5/09 vs.
Robert Morris)
* Most saves in a game: Taylor Fairchild, 67 (10/28/11 vs.
Mercyhurst)
Team records
Season
* Most wins in a season: 43 (2009–10)
* Fewest wins in a season: 8 (2011–12)
* Most goals in a season: 276 (2007–2008)
* Fewest goals allowed in a season: 30 (2005–06)
Game
* Most goals in a game: 30 (1/29/11 vs.
Northern Michigan
Northern Michigan, also known as Northern Lower Michigan (known colloquially to residents of more southerly parts of the state and summer residents from cities such as Detroit as " Up North"), is a region of the U.S. state of Michigan. A popul ...
)
* Most power-play goals in a game : 7 (11/18/08 vs.
Western Michigan
West Michigan and Western Michigan are terms for an arbitrary region in the U.S. state of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Most narrowly it refers to the Grand Rapids- Muskegon-Holland area, and more broadly to most of the region along the Lower Pen ...
)
* Most short-handed goals in a game: 6 (3/8/07 vs.
Penn State)
* Most saves in a game: 67 (10/28/11 vs.
Mercyhurst)
Lions in professional hockey
See also
*
Lindenwood Lions
The Lindenwood Lions and Lady Lions are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Lindenwood University, located in St. Charles, Missouri, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks, primarily competing in t ...
*
Lindenwood Lions men's ice hockey
The Lindenwood Lions men's ice hockey team represents the Lindenwood University in NCAA Division I ice hockey. The program had won four club National Championships prior to its promotion to varsity status.
History
Lindenwood founded its men's p ...
References
External links
LU Women's Ice Hockey
{{College Hockey America
Amateur ice hockey teams in Missouri
College Hockey America teams
Ice hockey clubs established in 2003
2003 establishments in Missouri