National Championships (2009,2010, & 2016)
2009
One year after falling short in national championship game, the 2008-09 Lindenwood men's ice hockey team seemed poised to break through. The Lions started strong, winning 16 of their first 18 games, however, it was a midseason matchup against rival Illinois that would set the tone for the rest of the season. The Illini were the ones who had denied Lindenwood of a national title the year before and had won four straight against the Lions. After falling 4-0 to Illinois in the first game, Lindenwood responded with a 5-0 shutout the following night. That win would spark a 20 game winning streak to end the regular season. A setback in the conference tournament semifinals forced the Lions to regroup heading into the national tournament. The team would cruise to the national championship game, outscoring its opponents 24-4 in its first three games, but waiting for the Lions were those very same Illini. Lindenwood dispatched of Illinois 4-1 to win the program's first ever national championship and finished the season with a school record 42 wins.
2010
After finishing the 2008-09 season as national champions the Lindenwood Lions men’s ice hockey team had one goal for the 2009-10 season – a repeat title. That quest started off with a bang. The Lions won their first 24 games of the season while averaging almost seven goals a game. The only little bump in the road for the Lions came when Ohio University came to St. Charles and swept a two game series. But the bad taste in the Lions’ mouth did not last long as the team would bounced right back with a streak of eight wins in nine games. The regular season would close with the Lions holding a 35-5 record and the favorites heading into postseason play. First up was a trip to Ames, Iowa for the CSCHL Championship. Four straight wins gave the Lions the conference championship for the second straight year. After winning the conference championship it was time for the Lions to travel to Chicago, Ill. for a chance to complete their goal of becoming back-to-back national champions. The first two games of the tournament the Lions would win big over Rutgers, 8-2, and Minot State, 7-2. The semifinals were next and Central Oklahoma was the opponent. Lindenwood dominated the play and would shutout Central Oklahoma, 4-0. There was only one team standing in the way for the Lions and it was the Iowa State Cyclones. After a scoreless first period the Lions would score two goals in a two minute span in the second period and would hold on to that lead in the third to become back-to-back national champions.
2016
Men's ice hockey was crowned the 2016 American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Men's Division I National Champion with a 2-1 victory over Iowa State March 8 at the Edge Ice Arena in Bensenville, Ill. The Lions fell behind early, but rallied in the final 21 minutes of game action to take the title, the third overall for the program and the first since 2010.
After most of the opening period went scoreless, the Cyclones were the team to get the all-important first goal of the game, and they did so with just a minute, nine seconds remaining in the first. It looked like Iowa State would carry that advantage into the third until senior Stephen Bopp, playing his last moments in a Lindenwood jersey, ripped a shot to the back of the net at the 19:31 mark of the second with help from Jordan Klimovsky and Lukas Daniels. That tied the contest at one, with only the final period of regulation time left.
The team that scored next would have momentum, and the Lions managed to do just that when two underclassmen combined on a play. Freshman forward Tommy Heinzman set up sophomore forward Mike Lozano at 6:47 in the third, but that left more than 13 minutes on the clock for Lindenwood to defend. As Iowa State scrambled to find an equalizing goal, even more pressure was put on the Lions when a boarding penalty was called with only 2:21 on the clock. That left Lindenwood short-handed and gave the Cyclones a great opportunity, but the pressure was escalated even more when Iowa State pulled its goalie to go six-on-four with 66 seconds left. Despite the advantage, the Cyclones couldn't get the puck past the Lindenwood net-minder and the Lions hoisted the championship cup.
Lindenwood outshot Iowa State 31-23 and after a tremendous effort in the semifinal game, goalie Michael Hails turned in another great performance, with 22 saves on the 23 shots he faced. Rightfully so, Hails was named the First Star of the Game.
Six different Lions were named to the ACHA Men's Division I National Championship All-Tournament Team. Michael Hails received the top honor with the receipt of the Most Valuable Player award. The freshman goalie posted a record of 4-0-0 in the tournament with a meager 1.25 goals against average and a .954 save percentage.
Brandon Rumble, and forwards Mike Lozano and Lukas Daniels were given First Team All-Tournament recognition. Daniels scored three goals and added four assists in four games played to also receive the Leading Scorer award with seven points. Lozano was right behind with three goals and three assists for six points, and Rumble had one assist from his defenseman position.
Senior Stephen Bopp and freshman Tommy Heinzman were given Honorable Mention status for their efforts in the tournament. Bopp scored three times and added an assist in his final four games as a Lion and Heinzman had three helpers.
Rick Zombo was ultimately named the 2015-16 ACHA Men's Division I Coach-of-the-Year, presented by Harrow Sports. He was one of four finalists for the honor and was selected by the head coaches in Division I of the ACHA. It was the first such award for Zombo after being a finalist in the 2011-12 season, and the first time a Lindenwood coach has been named the Coach-of-the-Year.
The Lions finished the 2015-16 season with an overall record of 27-10-0.
