Game notes in .pdf format
This Week:
The Lions host an important match-up with Iowa State that will feature a Lindenwood team looking to secure the top seed heading into the national tournament and a team in Iowa State looking to secure one of the final spots in the national tournament. Lindenwood will also honor five seniors that have helped lead the program to two straight national titles.
Scouting the Lions:
Lindenwood comes into this weekend's contest after an offensive explosion the last two games against Indiana…. The Lions offense has been red hot lately averaging just under 6 goals per game, while the defense has been equally as strong allowing 2.0 goals per game…. The Lions power play continues to dominate and has been successful 34.3% of the time and the penalty kill has been killing off at a rate of 85.7%..... Cory Spradling continues to lead the team in points with 67 and goals with 32. Spradling ranks t-3rd in the nation in points and 2nd in the country in goals…. Bret Morrell leads the team in assists with 36 and that ranks t-4th in the nation…. Spradling and Grant Gorczyca are tied for the team lead in game winning goals with 6 apiece…. Robi Cavallari leads the way with a 20-2-0 record… Kent Henry leads the goalies with a 1.33 GAA and .933 SV%.
Scouting the Cyclones:
Senior forward Mike Lebler leads the team in goals, assists, and points with 21, 23 and 44 respectively…. Sophomore forward David Kurbatsky leads the team with 6 power play goals…. Freshman defenseman Matt Bennett leads all d-men in scoring with 5 goals and 21 assists…. Erik Hudson leads the team between the pipes with a 12-8-0 record, 2.65 GAA, and .910 SV%.
Lindenwood and Iowa State Series:
Lindenwood leads the all-time series 13-2-0 over Iowa State.
Last Time vs. Cyclones:
The Lions finished off the road sweep at Iowa State with a 6-3 win. Cory Spradling scored twice and Kent Henry stopped 21 of 24 shots in the win.
New Head Coach:
The Lions say goodbye to former head coach Derek Schaub, who started the program and led the Lions to two national championships, and welcome new head coach Rick Zombo, who spent the last two seasons as the Lions top assistant. Schaub is staying with Lindenwood, but has moved on to be the head Lacrosse coach at LU.
Homegrown Talent:
The Lions have 10 players that are from the St. Louis area.
Lindenwood in National Rankings:
Lindenwood finished first in the eighth ranking period for ACHA DI. The Lions received all 34 first place votes.
Special Teams:
The power play has converted 48 of 140(34.3%) opportunities this season, and killed off 120 of 140 (85.7%) of power play chances against.
New Faces:
Defensemen Barclay Berner joins the Lions along with goaltender Kent Henry and forwards Eric Combs, Joe Bostic and Christoffer Roos.
Back to Back:
For the second season in a row, the men's and women's hockey team both won their respective national championships. It was the women's third championship in a row.
Another Henry:
Freshman goaltender Kent Henry should have a familiar last name to Lions fans. Kent is the younger brother of former Lion captain Quinn Henry. The Mighty Quinn ranked 9th all time in scoring for the Lions.
Hitting the Books:
The Lions not only were successful on the ice, but they were equally impressive in the classroom. The Lions finished with a team GPA of 2.93, which ranked tops in program history. Freshman goaltender was the only Lion to receive a 4.0 GPA.
Senior Night:
Lindenwood will honor five seniors before Friday nights contest against Iowa State on February 11th. The Lions will honor seniors Steve Balint, Robi Cavallari, Ryan Divito, Cory Spradling, and CJ Rankin,
Regular Season Champs:
With the sweep at Ohio this past weekend the Lions captured their first ever regular season CSCHL title. The Lions have two more CSCHL game weekends before the CSCHL tournament on February 18th-20th hosted by Robert Morris in Chicago.
St. Louis Jr. Blues Alumni:
Barclay Berner, Bret Morrell, Ryan Divito, Tim Gardner, Grant Gorczyca and Cory Spradling all are alumni of the Tier3 Junior A powerhouse.
St. Louis Bandits Alumni:
Ryan Divito, Tyler Bowman, and Grant Gorczyca all are alumni of the back to back to back NAHL champions.
Lindenwood Milestones:
Steve Balint is 3 points away from 200…. Robi Cavallari is 5 games away from 100… Ian Coppersmith is 9 games away from 100…. Grant Gorczyca is 4 goals away from 50.
Blogging:
Lindenwood senior Steve Balint is a featured blogger on the college hockey info website. His blog can be read at www.collegehockey.info.
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:
Head Coach Rick Zombo is making the switch to 101 ESPN. His weekly hockey show will start up in October.
Returning Lion:
Junior forward Adam Krefski returns to the Lions after missing the first semester due to academic reasons. Last season Krefski recorded 35 goals and 34 assists in 46 games.
100 Games:
Junior forward Niklas Bunnstedt played in his 100th career game last weekend against Indiana.
100 Assists:
Junior captain Colin Long collected his 100th career assist last weekend against Indiana.
Games Played:
Senior Cory Spradling will take over the lead for games played in a Lions uniform this weekend. His total of 157 will surpass former Lion Tim Gardner's total of 158.
Team USA Representatives:
Steve Balint and Grant Gorczyca will return to the line-up this weekend after spending the last three weeks with Team USA in Erzurum, Turkey participating in the World University Games. Baling and Gorczyca helped lead the Americans to their best ever finish in the games with a 7th place finish.
Oh Captain, My Captain:
Head Coach Rick Zombo has named junior defenseman Colin Long as his captain for the 2010-11 Lions…. Senior forward Cory Spradling and sophomore d-man Tyler Bowman have been named as an alternate captains.
Up Next:
The Lions move on to post-season play with the CSCHL conference tournament, which will be held up in Chicago this year. Last season, Lindenwood won their first ever conference tournament. And this year they won their first ever regular season title.
