The Lindenwood University men’s hockey team was in the process of capturing its fourth American Collegiate Hockey Association championship last March when the team’s coach, former Blues defenseman Rick Zombo, received an early morning phone call from university president Dr. John R. Porter.
“We don’t talk a whole lot; I thought I was in some kind of trouble,” Zombo joked. “Instead, he called me to tell me that the move to NCAA Division I was going to include our program. At that point, my focus was on the national tournament, so I left the scheduling to my staff, and in something like nine days, they put together an incredible schedule with 30 games against some of the best teams in the country. What we managed to accomplish, it was pretty remarkable.”
The Lions, who beat defending ACHA champion University of Central Oklahoma 8-3 for the title in March at the Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, capped a 22-3 season as Zombo was named ACHA Division I coach of the year.
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The Lions’ upcoming NCAA schedule, which will include just four home games, will kick off Oct. 1-2 at the University of Minnesota, which lost in last year’s NCAA Frozen Four semifinals. Lindenwood is also slated to play at NCAA semifinalist Michigan on Oct. 7-8, at defending NCAA champion University of Denver on Dec. 16-17 and at the University of North Dakota on Jan. 6-7.
In the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine final rankings after last season, Denver was ranked No. 1, while…
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