12/10/2009 10:33:12 PM
Complete game notes in PDF format
This Week:
The Lions finish off play in the first semester with 7th ranked Oklahoma at Lindenwood Ice Arena for a pair.
Scouting the Lions:
The Lions suffered the first losses of the season as they were swept at home by #3 ranked Ohio University. The Lions remained ranked #1 in the country after the fourth ranking period…. Lindenwood is averaging 6.5 goals per game offensively, while only surrendering 1.9 goals per game…. Sophomore Chad Boeckman continues to lead the team in points with 43. He has 18 goals and 25 assists on the season…. Junior Cory Spradling continues his torrid scoring streak and his 24 goals leads the team…. Sophomore Colin Long continues to lead the team with his 28 assists…. Junior Jake Ebner leads the team with his 7 power play goals…. Spradling leads the team with his 5 short handed goals…. Boeckman leads the team in game winning goals with 4…. Long leads the team with a +/- rating of +42…. Junior Robi Cavallari continues to lead all goaltenders with his 12 wins, a 1.72 GAA, .936 SV% and 2 shutouts…. The Lions have converted on 50 of 143 (35.0%) of power play chances and have killed of 129 of 147 (87.8%) of power play chances against this season…. Lindenwood centers have won 944 of 1503 (62.8%) of face-offs this season.
Scouting the Sooners:
Freshman Brad McCabe leads the team in points with 35 on 11 goals and 24 assists…. Junior Jarrod Yost’s 15 goals leads the team…. Junior Austin Miller leads all d-men in scoring with 21 points…. Sophomore goaltender Matt Pombo leads the team with a 2.26 GAA, .900 SV% and 1 shutout.
Lindenwood and Oklahoma Series:
Lindenwood leads the all-time series 12-7-0 over Oklahoma, which includes wins in the last six meetings.
Last Time vs. Oklahoma:
The Lions finished off the two game sweep at Oklahoma earlier this season with a 5-2 win. Chad Boeckman paced the offense with 2 goals, while Chris Abbott stopped 36 of 38 shots in the win.
British Columbia Connection:
The Lions have six players from the province of British Columbia in Canada. Chris Abbott, Carson Hamill, Jake Ebner, Russell LaForest, Robi Cavallari, and Kurtis Astle all hail from the BC area.
Homegrown Talent:
Lindenwood is proud to have 9 players from the local St. Louis area. The list includes: Alex Roth, Lucas Scherer, Cory Spradling, Tim Gardner, Ian Coppersmith, Steve Kowalczyk, Zach Glazer, Grant Gorczyca, and Chad Boeckman.
Lindenwood in National Rankings:
Lindenwood is again ranked #1 overall in the country for the 4th ranking period. The Lions received 38 of 39 first place votes.
Special Teams:
Lindenwood are 50 of 143 on the power play which is a 35.0% success rate. The penalty killing unit killed of 129 of 147 power play chances against. They killed off 87.8% of power play chances against.
ACHA First:
Last season marked the first time that the same school produced the men’s and women’s DI national champions. The men’s program won their first national title, while the women’s team racked up their third title and became the first team ever to win back to back in the women’s division.
Re-United:
Transfer Kurtis Astle is back together playing with former junior hockey teammates Robi Cavallari and Jake Ebner. The trio played for the Melfort Mustangs in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.
Consecutive Games:
Cory Spradling tied current Lion Carson Hamill’s consecutive game streak at 86.
100th Game:
Junior Steve Balint played in his 100th career game last Saturday against Ohio University.
St. Louis Jr. Blues Alumni:
Bret Morrell, Ryan Divito, Tim Gardner, Grant Gorczyca and Cory Spradling all are alumni of the Tier3 Junior A powerhouse.
St. Louis Bandits Alumni:
Mike Leone, Ryan Divito, Tyler Bowman, and Grant Gorczyca all are alumni of the back to back to back NAHL champions.
Absent “A”:
Junior Cory Spradling is wearing the alternate captains “A” while Carson Hamill is out of the line-up.
Lindenwood Milestones:
Kyle Bailey is 21 goals away from 50 and 19 points away from 100…. Neeco Belanger is 19 goals away from 50 and 27 points away from 100…. Robi Cavallari is 5 wins away from 50…. Jake Ebner is 12 goals away from 100 and 10 assists away from 100…. Carson Hamill is 14 games away from 100 games played and 24 assists away from 100…. Adam Krefski is 15 goals away from 50 and 20 points away from 100…. Colin Long is 20 points away from 100…. Cory Spradling is 23 goals away from 100.
Blogging:
Lindenwood junior Steve Balint is a featured blogger on the college hockey info website. His blog can be read at www.collegehockey.info.
Number Change:
Sophomore Ian Coppersmith has changed from #4 to #28.
New Faces:
The Lions will have 9 new faces around this season. Junior Kurtis Astle transfers to LU from Merrimack College (NCAA DI), Mike Leone transfers in from Adrian College (NCAA DIII), and Mike Sturdevant comes via Western Michigan (ACHA). Freshmen Grant Gorczyca played last with the St. Louis Bandits, Tyler Bowman played with the Texas Tornado, Zach Glazer via Chesterfield Midget Major and both Alex Roth and Steve Kowalczyk from St. Louis AAA.
Twitter:
Follow the Lion’s ice hockey team on Twitter all season at http://twitter.com/LULionsHockey. We will have live updates during games.
St. Louis Hockey on the Radio:
Lindenwood assistant coach Rick Zombo hosts a weekly radio show on Team 1380 ESPN Radio on the AM dial or on the web at www.team1380.net. The show highlights the local hockey scene and can be heard every Tuesday night at 6 pm.
Injury Update:
Sophomore Mike Leone had successful surgery on his broken wrist and is targeting early February to be back on the ice…. Junior Carson Hamill will be shut down for the semester and might opt for surgery during the winter break…. Sophomore Bret Morrell sat out his second consecutive weekend with a concussion.
Oh Captain, My Captain:
Sophomore defenseman Colin Long has been named captain of the 2009-10 Lions. Senior defenseman Tim Gardner and Junior forward Carson Hamill will serve as alternate captains. Junior forward Cory Spradling is serving as an alternate captain for the injured Carson Hamill.
Up Next:
The Lions will enjoy a couple weeks off for Christmas break before heading down to Arizona for a six game trip that includes a pair against Arizona, Arizona State and Davenport.