ACHA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS (2006, 2008, 2009, 2010)
2006
In 2003, Lindenwood University announced that a women’s ice hockey program would begin competition. It did not take the team very long to produce the school’s first women’s ice hockey national championship. After two successful years on the ice the Lady Lions started the 2006 season with very high expectations. The Lady Lions dominated their regular season opponents and finished with a record of 24-3. Not only did Lindenwood beat its opponents, it crushed them. The Lady Lions averaged over six goals a game and had five games where they scored in double-digits. Needless to say, the Lady Lions were one of the favorites going into the ACHA National Tournament. Lindenwood rolled through its first four games of the tournament outscoring their opponents 23-2. In the finals, the Lady Lions met up with the only team that had given them trouble in the regular season. Robert Morris had handed the Lady Lions all three of their regular season losses and Lindenwood was only victorious one time against them. But it was a different day and the Lady Lions were up to the task. The game was tied at two after regulation and just over two minutes into overtime Kristen Dlugos netted the game winning goal. Lindenwood had its first national championship in women’s hockey and would be the start of one of the most successful runs in ACHA women’s hockey. The 2006 season ended in a national championship but the awards and recognition continued to roll in. Head coach Vince O’Mara was named the national coach of the year and Kate Hannah was named the player of the year.
2008
After the Lindenwood women’s ice hockey team won the national championship in 2006, it was a team everybody wanted to beat. The Lady Lions finished the 2007 season runners-up but were not satisfied. When the 2008 season began the Lady Lions were on a mission and that mission was another national championship. The regular season began with a bang for the Lady Lions, they won their first seven games and were off to a 7-0 start. After two losses in their next five games, Lindenwood would only lose one more game the rest of the year. The regular season was a dominant one for the ladies as they averaged over seven goals a game and the average margin of victory was an astronomical 6.1 goals. The Lady Lions ended their regular season with a record of 27-3 and entered their conference tournament as the favorite. Lindenwood rolled threw the CCWHA tournament and then it was onto the ACHA National Tournament. After outscoring their opponents 24-1 in pool play the Lady Lions moved onto the quarterfinals where they beat Michigan State 8-2. With a semifinal win over Massachusetts, the Lady Lions moved onto the finals against rival, Robert Morris, who beat them in the finals in 2007. This time it was Lindenwood’s turn to take home the championship. The Lady Lions won the game 2-1 and won their second national championship.
2009
In 2009, the Lindenwood women’s ice hockey team was looking to win its third national championship and its second in a row. The 2009 season started with the Lady Lions winning 12 out of their first 16 games and only two of the non wins were losses. After a tie against Rhode Island on January 14th the Lady Lions would not lose another game the rest of the year. When the regular season was over, the Lady Lions had a record of 23-3-3 and was the top seed in the CCHWA conference tournament. After three consecutive easy wins the Lady Lions faced off against Michigan State in the finals. The game was tied until Lindenwood would win in a shootout, the tournament win was the second in a row for the Lady Lions.
Now that the Lady Lions won their second in a row conference tournament they were looking for a much bigger prize. The ACHA national tournament started with the Lady Lions winning their first two games by the combined score of 11-0. The rest of the way would not be so easy. In the quarterfinals the Lady Lions needed two overtimes to beat Massachusetts. Next up was the semifinals and this time the ladies needed three overtimes to beat Minnesota. A familiar finals foe waited the Lady Lions in the finals, Robert Morris who had matched up against Lindenwood in the past three national championship finals. For the second year in a row, the Lady Lions were victorious 2-1 and were back-to-back national champions. For the second time in three years, Vince O’Mara was named the National Coach of the Year and the Lady Lions placed three players on the ACHA first team.
2010
For the third straight season, the Lady Lions would finish the year as National Champions. The 2009-10 season started with the Lady Lions winning their first ten games of the season in dominating form. Over that span they only surrendered a total of seven goals and tallied five shutouts. A quick two-game road trip to St. Paul, Minn. ended the undefeated season with a pair of losses to Bethel and College of St. Catherine. It didn’t take the Lady Lions long to get back on the winning road. Over the next 26 games the team would only lose one time, tie once, and win 24 games. During that span Lindenwood would win the regular season ACHA Tournament in Boulder, Colo. with five straight victories. After the Lady Lions finished the regular season with a record of 34-2-2 it was time for the CCWHA Conference Tournament. It was a dominating performance as the Lady Lions would win four straight games, only giving up a total of two goals.
Next up was a trip to Blaine, Minn. for the ACHA National Tournament. Lindenwood swept its pool play games before earning a quarterfinal victory over Grand Valley State and a semifinal win over Rhode Island. After winning the first four games of the championship, the Lady Lions would face Michigan State in the finals, a team the Lady Lions beat earlier in the tournament. In the first two periods neither team was able to put a puck in the net. In the final period the Lady Lions finally broke through with the game’s first goal to take a 1-0 lead. Lindenwood would net another goal just over a minute later and would hold on for the program’s fourth national championship in the past five years.
