ACHA Division II Hockey Head Coach Gary Gardner is set to begin his 12^th season at the helm of the team. Last year, the Lions completed the regular season ranked first in the Central Region, reached their third national final four, and finished with a 26-7-3 record. Coach Gardner previewed the team.


"I am very excited for this group, bottom line," he said. "We will embrace the hard lessons from last year's final four run and really make it an asset going forward. These last few weeks of practice have been high pace, and we've been adding some changes to our identity in hopes of making the most of our roster. I feel like this growing process has energized us as a group. Expectations are always high at Lindenwood, and we are ready to take on the challenge one week at a time."
 
The 2022-23 schedule is difficult as usual. In addition to Central Region battles against perennial contenders Trine, Marian, Aurora, Davenport, and Sault College, the DII Lions will play four games against defending national champ University of Mary, and will also face off against national powers Florida Gulf Coast, Liberty, Miami (Ohio), and NC State. The Lions will also play Maryville's ACHA DI team four times.
 
The DII Lions open the season September 23 against a reloaded Concordia Wisconsin squad. Four tough road trips highlight the DII Lions' regular season schedule: October 7-8 at Trine, October 21-22 at University of Mary, November 4-5 at Marian, and January 20-22 at the Miami University showcase.
 
Lindenwood will host two ACHA DII showcases this season. October 14-16, the Lions welcome Sault, Marian, and Florida Gulf Coast to the Centene Community Ice Center. January 5-7 is the Lindenwood Winter Classic presented by JOG, and the Lions will face off against Trine, in addition to games against NC State and Davenport in the CCIC's outdoor Barn rink.
 
The road to Nationals will begin close to home. The 2023 ACHA Central Regional Championship takes place at Maryville University Hockey Center. The last time the DII Lions competed at Regionals was 2017-18. LU has earned an auto-bid to Nationals the past four seasons. (The Lions were ranked first nationally when the 2019-20 season was canceled due to COVID-19.)
 
The 2023 ACHA National Championship Tournament will be held at the New England Sports Center in Marlborough, Massachusetts.
 
 
Here's a look at the key players in each position on the ice.
 
FORWARDS
 
The Lions lost several key forwards to graduation, including leading scorer Bobby Bross, but there's plenty of talent ready to step into bigger roles.
 
Senior captain Josh Linn and first team All-American Declan Carter lead a skilled group of returning forwards that also includes star sophomores Michael Mullen, Stanley Lucas, and Adam Rischbieter.
 
Senior Jack Radley will rejoin the DII Lions this year after two seasons on the Lindenwood DI squad. As a freshman, Radley was one of the top players on the DII team, and he'll be welcomed back with open arms this year. He brings infectious positive energy along with his lethal scoring touch.
 
Speedy senior Tim Marchant is one of the top defensive centers and penalty killers in ACHA DII nationwide.
 
Juniors Praveen Dhaliwal, Bryce Leger, Sean McMahon, and Sean Wagner are more than ready to fill big roles vacated by graduated seniors. Also in the mix are sophomores Alex Villa and Shane Ziegler, who provide speed, scoring punch, physicality, and outstanding two-way play, and super-skilled junior Kobe Kitagawa, who returns to the team after missing last season.
 
The lone freshman forward is Elijah Roofe, a St. Louis native who graduated from CBC High School in 2021 and played for the Texas Jr. Brahmas of the NA3HL last season. As a senior at CBC, Roofe led the Cadets in playoff scoring and won the Missouri state championship.
 
 

• The Lions return three point-per-game scorers: Declan Carter (44 points in 30 games), Josh Linn (35 points in 27 games), and Michael Mullen (31 points in 28 games).

 

• Linn (19 goals) is the Lions' top returning goalscorer.

 

• Carter (seven points in four playoff games) led the team in postseason scoring and was named first team all-tournament at nationals.

 

• Jack Radley put up 22 points in 23 games as a freshman for the DII Lions in 2019-20.

 

• Mullen was named DII Lions rookie of the year in 2021-22, a coveted honor considering the strength of the freshman class. The St. Louis native scored some of the DII Lions' biggest goals last season. He's part of a group of five returning sophomores who contributed heavily to the DII Lions' success as freshmen and will likely be the core of the team for the next three seasons.

 

• Tim Marchant has been the leader of a Lions penalty kill that's been among the nation's best for the past three years.

 

• Praveen Dhaliwal has been a consistent force since arriving at Lindenwood. The native of White Rock, B.C., brings a pro-level work ethic and contagious confidence, and can be counted on to play the toughest minutes every game. He began last season on the ACHA DI squad before returning to the DII Lions.

 

• Sean McMahon and Adam Rischbieter are particularly exciting to the DII Lions' coaching staff entering the 2022-23 season. Both players are fully healthy this year after losing part of last season to major injuries, and are expected to fill key scoring roles.

 

• The DII Lions have four Southern California natives among their forward group: Jack and Seamus Radley (San Diego), Tim Marchant (Tustin), and Alex Villa (Anaheim).

 
DEFENSEMEN
 
The Lions' defensive corps, even though it's young on paper, might already be the strongest in program history. Sophomores Steven Avalone, Jacob Behnen, and Ryan Granville will lead an eight-deep group of defensemen that also includes juniors RJ Hart and Bradley Rupp, sophomores Ethan Becker and Trent Sylvester, and highly touted freshman Chase McClellan.
 
Assistant Coach Tim Gardner who coaches the defensemen, raved about his squad.

"This year's defensemen could possibly be one of our best from top to bottom," he said. "Being a young core but also experienced in the league, that is what every coach dreams of. With our size and ability to skate with and without the puck, it will be fun to watch them lead our team from the back."
 

• Avalone led Lindenwood defensemen in scoring last year with 22 points in 28 games while paired with Granville on a dominant freshman combo that will return as a pair for '22-23.

 

• Granville, an Edmonton native, will wear an A on his jersey this season as an alternate captain.

 

• The five returning sophomores on the DII Lions' blueline combined for 98 games played and 58 points as freshmen.

 

• Rupp is the DII Lions' most experienced defenseman. A rock-solid defensive presence and outstanding skater, the hard-nosed Rupp has played in 49 career games at Lindenwood and will be a key leader on the young Lions' blueline.

 

• The coaching staff expects Hart to break through this season. The ultra-talented junior plays an electrifying offensive game, with a physical edge.

 

• Lindenwood boasts four defensemen who played at the Junior A or Tier II junior level before joining the Lions. Avalone and Granville played in the SJHL, and Behnen and McClellan played in the NAHL.

 

• McClellan is the Lions' only freshman on defense. After growing up in St. Louis and playing AAA for the CarShield organization, the 6'4" McClellan spent last season in the NAHL.

 

• This will be Behnen's first full season on the Lindenwood blueline. He spent the first half of last season with the NAHL's Chippewa Steel before joining the DII Lions in January. The highly intelligent Behnen will be one of the Lions' top players this season.

 
 
GOALTENDERS
 
The DII Lions are stacked in net, thanks to an outstanding trio of Canadian netminders.
 
Fifth year senior Michael Errico returns after being half of one of the top tandems in the country last season. His co-pilot, All-American Trever Osborne, graduated in the spring, but junior Ethan Paulin-Hatch will join the DII Lions this year after winning a national championship with the DI squad last season.
 
Errico, a Schomberg, Ontario native who spent his first two years on the ACHA DI Lions, has been stellar with the DII squad. Last season he posted 11 wins, four shutouts, and a .929 save percentage.
 
Paulin-Hatch is a worthy replacement for Osborne, the DII Lions' all-time wins leader. If preseason practices are any indication, the Fort McMurray, AB, native should be one of the top goaltenders in the nation this season.
 
Freshman Justin Grenon, a native of Pierrefonds, Quebec, played last season for the Jersey Shore Whalers of the USPHL Premier Division. Grenon has been outstanding in practice and will certainly challenge for starts as well.
 
Junior Dylan Bak also returns in net. Bak has been excellent in practice and hopes to see his first game action this season.