2022–23 Lindenwood Lions men's ice hockey season

2022–23 Lindenwood Lions
men's ice hockey season
2022–23 Lindenwood Lions ; men's ice hockey season
Conference	Independent
Home ice	Centene Community Ice Center
Rankings
USCHO	NR
USA Today	NR
Record
Overall	7–22–1
Home	3–1–0
Road	4–21–1
Coaches and captains
Head coach	Rick Zombo
Assistant coaches	Mark Abney; Gary Gardner; Jason Power
Captain(s)	Andy Willis; Aiden Yakimchuk
	Lindenwood Lions men's ice hockey seasons; 2023–24 »

The 2022–23 Lindenwood Lions men's ice hockey season was the inaugural season of varsity play for the program. The Lions represented Lindenwood University and were coached by Rick Zombo, in his 13th season.

Season

With nearly two years lead time into their first season, Lindenwood was able to compile a full slate of games against Division I opponents. Predictably, as the team was still populated by club team players, the Lions were one of the worst squads in the nation. However, among the poor results there were bright spots. Lindenwood got a baptism of fire by playing both Minnesota and Michigan, two prohibitive favorites for the NCAA championship, in the first two weeks of the season. While the Lions lost all four games, they did show the ability to score. Over the course of the year, Lindenwood averaged just over 3 goals per game, which was well on par with most other D-I programs.

The biggest problem for the Lions was keeping the puck out of their own net. Lindenwood allowed an average of almost 42 shots against per game, much higher than the nominal 30 shots. Their three besieges goalies were unable to handle the sheer volume of chances that were thrown in their direction with each surrendering more than 4 goals per game on average. The defensive situation didn't get any better as the season progressed but that didn't stop the Lions from winning several games in their first season.

Despite having several extended layoffs during the campaign, as well as mostly playing on the road, Lindenwood was able to win 7 games during the season. While each victory came against a team with a low national ranking, they had performed far better than other recent entries to D-I (Stonehill, St. Thomas) and would look to continue their transition to the top level of college hockey next year.^[1]

Departures

Player	Position	Nationality	Cause
Coltin Craigo	Forward	United States	Graduation (retired)
Praveen Dhaliwal	Forward	Canada	Left program (retired)
Vegard Faret	Forward	Norway	Graduation (retired)
Blake Finley	Defenseman	United States	Left program (retired)
Stephen Friedland	Goaltender	United States	Left program (retired)
Max Helgeson	Forward	United States	Transferred to Alaska Anchorage
Ryan Leonard	Defenseman	United States	Left program (retired)
Zach Martin	Forward	United States	Graduation (retired)
Niki Molson	Defenseman	Canada	Left program (retired)
Brendan Murphy	Defenseman	United States	Graduation (retired)
Kyler Newman	Defenseman	Canada	Graduation (retired)
Ethan Paulin-Hatch	Goaltender	Canada	Left program (retired)
Jack Radley	Forward	United States	Graduation (retired)
Hayden Ursulak	Forward	Canada	Graduation (retired)

Recruiting

Player	Position	Nationality	Age	Notes
Adisen Brueck	Forward	United States	21	Plantation, FL
Adam Conquest	Forward	United States	22	Milford, MI; transfer from Bowling Green
Cade DeStefani	Forward	United States	21	Bedford, NH
Kabore Dunn	Defenseman	Canada	20	Mill Bay, BC; transfer from Maine
Hunter Johannes	Forward	United States	18	Eden Prairie, MN; transfer from American International
Drew Kuzma	Forward	Canada	19	St. Albert, AB
Matt Ladd	Goaltender	United States	24	Getzville, NY; graduate transfer from Canisius
Shane LaVelle	Forward	United States	21	Chaska, MN
Max Neill	Forward	Canada	21	Portage la Prairie, MB
Joe Prouty	Defenseman	United States	20	Apple Valley, MN
Kieran Ruscheinski	Defenseman	Canada	21	Calgary, AB; selected 206th overall in 2019
Roni Salmenkangas	Goaltender	Finland	23	Tampere, FIN; graduate transfer from Ferris State
Coltan Wilkie	Defenseman	United States	22	Elkhorn, NE

Roster

As of August 16, 2022.^[2]

No.	Player	Class	Pos	Height	Weight	DoB	Hometown	Previous team	NHL rights
1	Trent Burnham	Sophomore	G	6' 0" (1.83 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	2000-03-27	Eagle River, Alaska	Sioux Falls (USHL)	—
3	Kieran Ruscheinski	Freshman	D	6' 6" (1.98 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	2001-03-05	Calgary, Alberta	Salmon Arm (BCHL)	MTL, 206th overall 2019
5	Aiden Yakimchuk (C)	Sophomore	D	6' 4" (1.93 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	2000-05-14	St. Albert, Alberta	Drumheller (AJHL)	—
6	Cade DeStefani	Freshman	F	6' 2" (1.88 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	2001-06-21	Bedford, New Hampshire	Janesville (NAHL)	—
7	Drew Kuzma	Freshman	F	6' 6" (1.98 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	2002-11-13	St. Albert, Alberta	Flin Flon (SJHL)	—
8	Kyle Jeffers	Sophomore	F	5' 10" (1.78 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	1999-01-06	Oviedo, Florida	American International (AHA)	—
9	Andy Willis (C)	Senior	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	1998-01-22	Ballwin, Missouri	St. Thomas (MIAC)	—
10	Mitch Allard	Sophomore	F	6' 1" (1.85 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	2000-01-27	Shelby Township, Michigan	Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL)	—
11	Jackson Wozniak	Sophomore	F	5' 10" (1.78 m)	176 lb (80 kg)	2000-02-22	Cypress, California	Wichita Falls (NAHL)	—
12	Mason Kruger	Junior	D	5' 8" (1.73 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	1999-02-26	Alpharetta, Georgia	St. Louis (NA3HL)	—
13	Zach Aughe	Junior	F	6' 3" (1.91 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	2000-02-18	Clarkston, Michigan	Maine (HEA)	—
14	Coltan Wilkie	Freshman	D	5' 8" (1.73 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	2000-04-03	Gretna, Nebraska	Okotoks (AJHL)	—
15	Joe Prouty	Freshman	D	6' 0" (1.83 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	2001-11-29	Burnsville, Minnesota	New Mexico (NAHL)	—
16	Caleb Price	Sophomore	D	5' 10" (1.78 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	2000-03-31	Hooksett, New Hampshire	New Jersey (NAHL)	—
17	Ryan Finnegan	Graduate	F	5' 9" (1.75 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	1997-05-08	Tecumseh, Kansas	Jersey (NCDC)	—
18	Jack Anderson	Freshman	D	6' 6" (1.98 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	2002-11-14	St. Louis, Missouri	El Paso (NAHL)	—
19	Caige Sterzer	Sophomore	F	6' 5" (1.96 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	2000-08-08	Kimberley, British Columbia	Lone Star (NAHL)	—
21	Hunter Johannes	Junior	F	6' 3" (1.91 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	1998-07-24	Eden Prairie, Minnesota	American International (AHA)	—
22	Max Neill	Freshman	F	6' 1" (1.85 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	2001-01-31	Portage la Prairie, Manitoba	Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL)	—
23	Shane LaVelle	Freshman	F	6' 1" (1.85 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	2001-08-16	Chaska, Minnesota	Cowichan Valley (BCHL)	—
24	Adam Conquest	Senior	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	2000-05-10	Brighton, Michigan	Bowling Green (CCHA)	—
25	Sam Watson	Junior	F	6' 1" (1.85 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	2000-08-24	St. Peters, Missouri	Burlington Cougars (OJHL)	—
26	Adisen Brueck	Freshman	F	5' 11" (1.8 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	2001-08-27	St. Louis, Missouri	Wichita Falls (NAHL)	—
27	David Gagnon	Sophomore	F	6' 1" (1.85 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	2000-04-19	Halifax, Nova Scotia	Truro (MHL)	—
28	Kabore Dunn	Freshman	D	6' 2" (1.88 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	2001-11-10	Mill Bay, British Columbia	Trail (BCHL)	—
30	Roni Salmenkangas	Graduate	G	6' 0" (1.83 m)	177 lb (80 kg)	1999-03-28	Tampere, Finland	Ferris State (CCHA)	—
31	Matt Ladd	Graduate	G	6' 3" (1.91 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	1998-07-11	Getzville, New York	Canisius (AHA)	—

Standings

2022–23 NCAA Division I Independent ice hockey standings v t e
	Overall record
	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA
#15 Alaska	34	22	10	2	104	74
Alaska Anchorage	28	8	19	1	66	106
Arizona State	39	18	21	0	115	112
Lindenwood	30	7	22	1	92	134
Long Island	36	13	22	1	116	123
Stonehill	25	17	6	2	102	95
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll

Schedule and results

Date	Time	Opponent^#	Site	TV	Decision	Result	Attendance	Record
Regular Season
October 1	7:00 PM	at #2 Minnesota*	3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, Minnesota	BSN+	Burnham	L 0–4	6,867	0–1–0
October 2	7:00 PM	at #2 Minnesota*	3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, Minnesota	BSN+	Ladd	L 4–6	5,985	0–2–0
October 7	6:00 PM	at #7 Michigan*	Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, Michigan	BTN+	Burnham	L 4–7	5,062	0–3–0
October 8	6:00 PM	at #7 Michigan*	Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, Michigan	BTN+	Salmenkangas	L 1–3	5,371	0–4–0
October 14	7:10 PM	Air Force*	Centene Community Ice Center • St. Charles, Missouri		Burnham	W 7–6	2,065	1–4–0
October 15	2:10 PM	Air Force*	Centene Community Ice Center • St. Charles, Missouri		Ladd	L 3–5	1,073	1–5–0
October 22	6:05 PM	at American International*	MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts	FloHockey	Salmenkangas	L 0–5	343	1–6–0
October 23	2:05 PM	at American International*	MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts	FloHockey	Ladd	L 3–5	146	1–7–0
October 28	6:05 PM	at Bentley*	Bentley Arena • Waltham, Massachusetts	FloHockey	Burnham	W 7–3	1,405	2–7–0
October 29	3:05 PM	at Bentley*	Bentley Arena • Waltham, Massachusetts	FloHockey	Burnham	L 1–3	1,205	2–8–0
November 4	6:00 PM	at Army*	Tate Rink • West Point, New York	FloHockey	Burnham	W 2–1	1,133	3–8–0
November 5	3:00 PM	at Army*	Tate Rink • West Point, New York	FloHockey	Salmenkangas	W 5–3	1,214	4–8–0
November 18	7:00 PM	at Wisconsin*	Kohl Center • Madison, Wisconsin	BSW+	Burnham	L 3–4	5,550	4–9–0
November 19	7:00 PM	at Wisconsin*	Kohl Center • Madison, Wisconsin	BSW	Ladd	L 1–5	6,974	4–10–0
December 16	8:00 PM	at #1 Denver*	Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado	Altitude 2	Salmenkangas	L 0–5	4,944	4–11–0
December 17	7:00 PM	at #1 Denver*	Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado		Burnham	L 4–5	5,268	4–12–0
December 30	6:00 PM	at Vermont*	Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont	ESPN+	Ladd	L 2–4	2,343	4–13–0
December 31	3:00 PM	at Vermont*	Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont	ESPN+	Burnham	W 3–2 ^OT	2,057	5–13–0
January 6	7:07 PM	at North Dakota*	Ralph Engelstad Arena • Grand Forks, North Dakota	Midco	Burnham	L 3–4	10,354	5–14–0
January 7	6:07 PM	at North Dakota*	Ralph Engelstad Arena • Grand Forks, North Dakota	Midco	Burnham	L 2–4	11,616	5–15–0
January 20	2:00 PM	at Long Island*	Northwell Health Ice Center • East Meadow, New York	ESPN+	Salmenkangas	L 2–3 ^OT	422	5–16–0
January 21	8:00 PM	at Long Island*	Northwell Health Ice Center • East Meadow, New York	ESPN+	Ladd	L 4–6	250	5–17–0
February 10	7:10 PM	Stonehill*	Centene Community Ice Center • St. Charles, Missouri		Burnham	W 5–2	2,008	6–17–0
February 11	4:10 PM	Stonehill*	Centene Community Ice Center • St. Charles, Missouri		Ladd	W 10–3	1,163	7–17–0
February 17	9:00 PM	at Arizona State*	Mullett Arena • Tempe, Arizona		Burnham	L 2–8	4,670	7–18–0
February 18	9:00 PM	at Arizona State*	Mullett Arena • Tempe, Arizona		Salmenkangas	L 3–5	5,045	7–19–0
February 24	6:00 PM	USNTDP*	Centene Community Ice Center • St. Charles, Missouri (Exhibition)			L 4–12	-
February 25	6:00 PM	USNTDP*	Centene Community Ice Center • St. Charles, Missouri (Exhibition)		Burnam	L 1–6	-
March 3	10:07 PM	at #18 Alaska*	Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska	FloHockey	Burnham	L 1–4	2,417	7–20–0
March 4	10:07 PM	at #18 Alaska*	Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska	FloHockey	Salmenkangas	L 0–8	3,562	7–21–0
March 10	10:07 PM	at Alaska Anchorage*	Seawolf Sports Complex • Anchorage, Alaska		Burnham	T 7–7 ^OT	455	7–21–1
March 11	9:07 PM	at Alaska Anchorage*	Seawolf Sports Complex • Anchorage, Alaska		Burnham	L 3–4 ^OT	475	7–22–1
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Central Time. Source:^[3]

Scoring statistics

Name	Position	Games	Goals	Assists	Points	PIM
David Gagnon	LW	30	13	17	30	16
Hunter Johannes	F	28	13	16	29	87
Andy Willis	F	26	8	15	23	12
Kyle Jeffers	F	28	7	13	20	26
Ryan Finnegan	F	29	6	14	20	6
Cade DeStefani	C	26	7	8	15	42
Adam Conquest	RW	22	6	6	12	6
Aiden Yakimchuk	D	30	2	10	12	8
Caige Sterzer	F	26	6	5	11	48
Joe Prouty	D	30	2	9	11	36
Caleb Price	D	30	3	7	10	12
Mitch Allard	LW	30	3	7	10	48
Jack Anderson	D	30	2	8	10	23
Kabore Dunn	D	23	2	6	8	14
Drew Kuzma	F	30	2	5	7	28
Coltan Wilkie	D	26	1	6	7	12
Zachary Aughe	C	26	5	1	6	19
Shane Lavell	F	25	2	3	5	23
Kieran Ruscheinski	D	29	1	2	3	20
Max Neill	LW	19	1	1	2	17
Jackson Wozniak	F	9	0	1	1	4
Sam Watson	F	12	0	1	1	4
Mason Kruger	D	1	0	0	0	0
Adisen Brueck	F	2	0	0	0	0
Matt Ladd	G	7	0	0	0	0
Roni Salmenkangas	G	8	0	0	0	6
Trent Burnham	G	16	0	0	0	0
Total			92	161	253	517

^[4]

Goaltending statistics

Name	Games	Minutes	Wins	Losses	Ties	Goals Against	Saves	Shut Outs	SV %	GAA
Trent Burnham	16	946:02	5	10	1	67	610	0	.901	4.25
Roni Salmenkangas	8	438:33	1	6	0	32	269	0	.894	4.38
Matt Ladd	7	417:54	1	6	0	33	238	0	.878	4.74
Empty Net	-	12:21	-	-	-	2	-	-	-	-
Total	30	1812:50	7	22	1	134	1117	0	.893	4.44

Rankings

Poll	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27 (Final)
USCHO.com	NR	-	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	-	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	-	NR
USA Today	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR

Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 1, 13, or 26.^[5]

References

^ "Lindenwood". College Hockey Inc. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
^ "2022-23 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Lindenwood University Athletics. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
^ "Lindenwood 2022-23 Team Schedule". College Hockey Inc. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
^ "Lindenwood Univ". Elite Prospects. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.

[1] "Lindenwood". College Hockey Inc. Retrieved March 16, 2023.

[2] "2022-23 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Lindenwood University Athletics. Retrieved August 16, 2022.

[3] "Lindenwood 2022-23 Team Schedule". College Hockey Inc. Retrieved September 11, 2022.

[4] "Lindenwood Univ". Elite Prospects. Retrieved March 16, 2023.

[5] "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.

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v t e Lindenwood Lions men's ice hockey
Venues	Centene Community Ice Center (2022–Present)
Coaches	Rick Zombo (2022–2024) Bill Muckalt (2024–present)
Seasons	2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
All-time leaders	Statistical leaders David Gagnon (30 Points) David Gagnon / Hunter Johannes (13 Goals) Trent Burnham (5 Wins)
Lindenwood University St. Charles, Missouri