2023–24 Lindenwood Lions men's ice hockey season

The 2023–24 Lindenwood Lions men's ice hockey season was the 2nd season of varsity play for the program. The Lions represented Lindenwood University and were coached by Rick Zombo in his 14th season.

2023–24 Lindenwood Lions
men's ice hockey season
ConferenceIndependent
Home iceCentene Community Ice Center
Rankings
USCHONR
USA HockeyNR
Record
Overall6–18–4
Home4–6–0
Road2–12–4
Coaches and captains
Head coachRick Zombo
Assistant coachesJason Power
Jack Combs
Kyle Diamond
Captain(s)
  • Mitch Allard
  • Joe Prouty
  • Aiden Yakimchuk
Lindenwood Lions men's ice hockey seasons
« 2022–23 2024–25 »

Season

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Lindenwood got off to a decent start, earning a road split with Air Force and then holding #14 Ohio State to a tie in their first two weeks. Afterwards, however, the Lions offense struggled to get on track. Over a three month span, from mid-October to mid-January, Lindenwood was able to score at least 3 goals in just four of fourteen games. With the defense still not quite up to Division I standards, that left the Lions uncompetitive in most of their games. While the team was able to get a fairly surprising tie against tournament-bound Wisconsin, the only wins the Lions could earn in the second half of the season came against Stonehill, the worst time in college hockey.[1] To make matters worse, Lindenwood was on the wrong side of the ledger in the last game against the Skyhawks, giving Stonehill their only D-I win on the year.

After the disappointing season, Lindenwood announced that head coach Rick Zombo would not be returning and they immediately began a search for his replacement.[2]

Departures

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Player Position Nationality Cause
Adisen Brueck Forward   United States Left program (retired)
Ryan Finnegan Forward   United States Graduation (signed with Reading Royals)
Hunter Johannes Forward   United States Graduate transfer to North Dakota
Mason Kruger Defenseman   United States Left program (retired)
Matt Ladd Goaltender   United States Graduation (retired)
Max Neill Forward   Canada Left program (retired)
Roni Salmenkangas Goaltender   Finland Graduation (retired)
Sam Watson Forward   United States Left program (retired)
Andy Willis Forward   United States Graduation (signed with Fort Wayne Komets)
Jackson Wozniak Forward   Canada Left program (retired)

Recruiting

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Player Position Nationality Age Notes
Ethan Barwick Goaltender   Canada 21 St. Albert, AB
Austin Fraser Forward   Canada 20 West Vancouver, BC
Adam Johnson Goaltender   United States 20 Chicago, IL
Jaeden Mercier Forward   Canada 21 Saskatoon, SK
Brenden Rons Defenseman   United States 25 Farmington Hills, MI; graduate transfer from Ferris State
Patrick Schmiedlin Forward   United States 21 Culver, IN
Jake Southgate Forward   Canada 20 North Battleford, SK
Jake Southgate Forward   Canada 20 North Battleford, SK
Matthew Syverson Goaltender   United States 20 Apple Valley, MN
Ethan Zielke Forward   Canada 20 Calgary, AB

Roster

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As of September 20, 2023.[3]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1   Trent Burnham Junior G 6' 0" (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) 2000-03-27 Eagle River, Alaska Sioux Falls (USHL)
2   Cole Teleki Freshman D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 2000-03-27 Dallas, Texas Oklahoma (NAHL)
3   Kieran Ruscheinski Sophomore 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) Junior D 6' 4" (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2000-05-14 St. Albert, Alberta Drumheller (AJHL)
6   Cade DeStefani Sophomore F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2001-06-21 Bedford, New Hampshire Janesville (NAHL)
8   Kyle Jeffers Junior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 1999-01-06 Oviedo, Florida American International (AHA)
9   Drew Kuzma Sophomore F 6' 6" (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 2002-11-13 St. Albert, Alberta Flin Flon (SJHL)
10   Mitch Allard (C) Junior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2000-01-27 Shelby Township, Michigan Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL)
11   Jaeden Mercier Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2002-02-12 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Flin Flon (SJHL)
12   Ethan Zielke Freshman D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2003-08-03 Calgary, Alberta Humboldt (SJHL)
13   Zach Aughe Senior F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2000-02-18 Clarkston, Michigan Maine (HEA)
14   Coltan Wilkie Sophomore D 5' 8" (1.73 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2000-04-03 Gretna, Nebraska Okotoks (AJHL)
15   Joe Prouty (C) Sophomore D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2001-11-29 Burnsville, Minnesota New Mexico (NAHL)
16   Caleb Price Junior D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2000-03-31 Hooksett, New Hampshire New Jersey (NAHL)
17   Patrick Schmiedlin Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2002-03-20 Culver, Indiana Maine ([NAHL)
18   Jack Anderson Sophomore D 6' 6" (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 2002-11-14 St. Louis, Missouri El Paso (NAHL)
19   Caige Sterzer Junior F 6' 5" (1.96 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 2000-08-08 Kimberley, British Columbia Lone Star (NAHL)
21   Jake Southgate Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2002-11-04 North Battleford, Saskatchewan Battlefords (SJHL)
22   Brenden Rons Graduate D 6' 6" (1.98 m) 226 lb (103 kg) 1998-03-03 Farmington Hills, Michigan Ferris State (CCHA)
23   Shane LaVelle Sophomore F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2001-08-16 Chaska, Minnesota Cowichan Valley (BCHL)
24   Adam Conquest Graduate F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2000-05-10 Brighton, Michigan Bowling Green (CCHA)
25   Austin Fraser Freshman F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2000-08-24 West Vancouver, British Columbia Prince George (BCHL)
27   David Gagnon Junior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2000-04-19 Halifax, Nova Scotia Truro (MHL)
28   Kabore Dunn Sophomore D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2001-11-10 Mill Bay, British Columbia Trail (BCHL)
29   Ethan Barwick Freshman G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 187 lb (85 kg) 2002-05-17 St. Albert, Alberta Brooks (AJHL)
30   Adam Johnson Freshman G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2002-10-15 Chicago, Illinois Johnstown (NAHL)
31   Matthew Syverson Freshman G 6' 4" (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2003-04-22 Apple Valley, Minnesota Lloydminster (AJHL)

Standings

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Overall record
GP W L T GF GA
Alaska 34 17 14 3 110 86
Alaska Anchorage 34 15 17 2 95 105
Arizona State 38 24 8 6 129 94
Lindenwood 28 6 18 4 74 121
Long Island 37 16 20 1 115 103
Stonehill 36 2 34 0 62 213
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll

Schedule and results

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Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Decision Result Attendance Record
Regular Season
October 7 6:05 pm at Air Force* Cadet Ice ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado FloHockey Burnham L 1–4  1,659 0–1–0
October 8 6:05 pm at Air Force* Cadet Ice ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado FloHockey Burnham W 4–3  1,333 1–1–0
October 13 6:00 pm at #14 Ohio State* Value City ArenaColumbus, Ohio   Burnham L 2–4  2,853 1–2–0
October 14 4:00 pm at #14 Ohio State* Value City ArenaColumbus, Ohio   Burnham T 2–2 OT 2,901 1–2–1
October 20 7:07 pm at St. Thomas* St. Thomas Ice ArenaMendota Heights, Minnesota FloHockey Burnham T 4–4 OT 778 1–2–2
October 21 6:07 pm at St. Thomas* St. Thomas Ice ArenaMendota Heights, Minnesota FloHockey Burnham L 1–3  668 1–3–2
October 27 6:00 pm at #6 Michigan* Yost Ice ArenaAnn Arbor, Michigan   Burnham L 1–9  5,800 1–4–2
October 28 6:00 pm at #6 Michigan* Yost Ice ArenaAnn Arbor, Michigan   Burnham L 1–10  5,800 1–5–2
November 10 7:10 pm Augustana* Centene Community Ice CenterSt. Charles, Missouri   Burnham L 3–4 OT 1,607 1–6–2
November 11 7:10 pm Augustana* Centene Community Ice CenterSt. Charles, Missouri   Burnham W 5–3  2–6–2
November 17 7:10 pm Long Island* Centene Community Ice CenterSt. Charles, Missouri   Burnham W 3–0  857 3–6–2
November 18 2:10 pm Long Island* Centene Community Ice CenterSt. Charles, Missouri   Burnham L 2–6  635 3–7–2
November 24 3:00 pm at #19 Penn State* Pegula Ice ArenaUniversity Park, Pennsylvania   Burnham L 3–9  5,641 3–8–2
November 25 3:00 pm at #19 Penn State* Pegula Ice ArenaUniversity Park, Pennsylvania   Syverson L 1–7  5,802 3–9–2
December 1 6:00 pm at #14 Western Michigan* Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan   Burnham L 1–3  2,733 3–10–2
December 2 5:00 pm at #14 Western Michigan* Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan   Burnham L 1–5  2,982 3–11–2
January 5 7:10 pm #11 Western Michigan* Centene Community Ice CenterSt. Charles, Missouri   Burnham L 2–3  1,261 3–12–2
January 6 2:10 pm #11 Western Michigan* Centene Community Ice CenterSt. Charles, Missouri   Burnham L 1–6  907 3–13–2
January 12 7:00 pm at #3 Wisconsin* Kohl CenterMadison, Wisconsin BTN+ Burnham L 0–5  7,775 3–14–2
January 13 7:00 pm at #3 Wisconsin* Kohl CenterMadison, Wisconsin BTN+ Burnham T 3–3 OT 9,379 3–14–3
January 26 7:10 pm Stonehill* Centene Community Ice CenterSt. Charles, Missouri   Burnham W 7–1  821 4–14–3
January 27 2:10 pm Stonehill* Centene Community Ice CenterSt. Charles, Missouri   Burnham W 6–5 OT 672 5–14–3
February 2 8:00 pm at #17 Arizona State* Mullett ArenaTempe, Arizona   Burnham T 4–4 OT 4,829 5–14–4
February 3 8:00 pm at #17 Arizona State* Mullett ArenaTempe, Arizona   Burnham L 1–5  4,789 5–15–4
February 9 6:00 pm at Stonehill* Bridgewater Ice ArenaBridgewater, Massachusetts NEC Front Row Burnham W 10–1  113 6–15–4
February 10 4:00 pm at Stonehill* Bridgewater Ice ArenaBridgewater, Massachusetts NEC Front Row Burnham L 2–4  178 6–16–4
February 16 7:10 pm at Alaska Anchorage* Centene Community Ice CenterSt. Charles, Missouri   Burnham L 3–5  919 6–17–4
February 17 6:00 pm at Alaska Anchorage* Centene Community Ice CenterSt. Charles, Missouri   Burnham L 0–3  1,012 6–18–4
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Central Time.
Source:[4]

Scoring statistics

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Name Position Games Goals Assists Points PIM
Caige Sterzer F 28 8 14 22 35
Kyle Jeffers F 26 9 8 17 4
David Gagnon LW 28 8 8 16 25
Jake Southgate C 28 7 9 16 6
Ethan Zielke F 28 7 8 15 18
Jaeden Mercier F 28 3 8 11 6
Kabore Dunn D 22 0 11 11 20
Aiden Yakimchuk D 16 5 5 10 6
Drew Kuzma F 25 4 6 10 43
Caleb Price D 27 4 6 10 6
Zachary Aughe C 28 3 7 10 39
Adam Conquest RW 27 3 5 8 28
Mitch Allard LW 27 3 4 7 39
Joe Prouty D 28 0 6 6 75
Patrick Schmiedlin C 24 2 3 5 4
Jack Anderson D 28 1 4 5 40
Cade DeStefani C 9 2 2 4 6
Austin Fraser F 24 2 2 4 30
Kieran Ruscheinski D 17 1 3 4 15
Coltan Wilkie D 17 1 3 4 24
Brenden Rons D 27 0 3 3 18
Shane Lavell F 7 1 0 1 2
Matthew Syverson G 7 0 0 0 0
Trent Burnham G 27 0 0 0 2
Total 74 125 199 491

[5]

Goaltending statistics

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Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Saves Shut Outs SV % GAA
Trent Burnham 27 1532:37 6 17 4 100 958 1 .905 3.91
Matthew Syverson 7 167:17 0 1 0 17 99 0 .853 6.10
Empty Net - 5:51 - - - 4 - - - -
Total 28 1705:45 6 18 4 121 1057 1 .897 4.26

Rankings

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Poll Week
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 (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 Hockey 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 11 and 25.[6]
Note: USA Hockey did not release a poll in week 12.

References

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  1. ^ "PairWise Rankings explanation". Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  2. ^ "Lindenwood Announces Change In Leadership For Men's Ice Hockey". Lindenwood Lions. February 29, 2024. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
  3. ^ "2023-24 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Lindenwood Lions. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  4. ^ "2023-24 Men's Ice Hockey Schedule". College Hockey Inc. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  5. ^ "Lindenwood Univ". Elite Prospects. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
  6. ^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.