Union Men’s Hockey Delighted by Unexpected Standout Lindauer – Opening Faceoff

For two seasons, Parker‍ Lindauer was a part⁤ of the Maine men’s hockey team. During his 31-game career, the forward managed ⁢to score a goal and assist another. This ⁤achievement was made in the previous season.

When Lindauer decided to transfer to Union at the end ‍of the⁣ last season, many were left wondering what the Madison, Wisconsin native would ⁢bring to the Garnet Chargers.

As it turns out, Lindauer has been a significant⁤ addition to Union.

In just‍ 11 games, Lindauer has scored two goals⁤ and assisted eight others.⁤ His 10 points put him in a tie for sixth ⁤place with Caden Villegas.

What stands out about Lindauer is his strategic vision when ⁣he positions himself⁣ behind‍ the opponent’s net. He carefully assesses the situation before making the perfect ‌pass ‌to set up a goal.‌ This was evident in Union’s 5-2 victory over Niagara last Saturday. Lindauer positioned himself behind the Niagara net and spotted Josh Nixon to the left of the net. Lindauer passed the puck to Nixon, who shot it‌ into the net.

Lindauer, who⁤ had a career-high three assists in Union’s 6-3⁢ win over RPI on Oct. 25, finds it hard to explain why he excels at setting up behind the‍ net.

“I think we just have‍ so many ‍options that a ‍team doesn’t really know‍ who they should take or who they should defend,” Lindauer said during Tuesday’s media availability at Messa ⁣Rink, “because I have Colby [MacArthur] on ⁤one side,‌ ‘Nixie’ in the middle‍ and ‘Vegas’ [Caden Villegas] ‍on the other side. So how do you decide who you’re⁢ going to cover?”

Union ‌head coach Josh Hauge praised Lindauer as a great passer.

“He can find holes where most people can’t fit a puck through,” Hauge said. “He’s really good with deception with the stick. He’ll look as if⁢ he’s going one way and pass the puck back the other way. He’s got‍ a⁢ knack to just create space where there ⁢isn’t any. And he’s really intelligent,⁢ so I think that’s‌ been one ‌thing for us is his brain makes him ⁣a really good player.”

So what ‌happened at Maine? Why didn’t things work out there?

“They’re a deep team, and some things just don’t happen,” Lindauer said. “And it’s all about opportunity, right? … I’m⁣ not saying I wasn’t‌ given an opportunity there. I loved my time there, and I’ll never talk ⁣bad about them. ⁤But it’s just like I came here and right away I found a little click with these guys, and I just felt more comfortable around here. I’m glad I’m‌ here, and I’ll ⁣never regret going to Maine, that’s for sure. But I’m ⁣glad I ended up here.”

His teammates are equally glad to have him.

“He’s a great player, a great person,” Nixon said.

Villegas, who was a teammate⁢ of Lindauer’s at Tri-City of⁣ the ⁣United States Hockey League, was thrilled to hear Lindauer was joining Union.

“We were⁢ always hanging out there, too,” Villegas said. “We were there for a year, but I feel like we got pretty close there. So when I heard he was coming here, I was super‍ happy. I was juiced. I was calling him. I was like, ‘Can’t wait for you to get here.’ I know he’s having ‌a⁢ hell of a year for us, and‍ we need him to continue doing that.”

When I spoke to Maine head‍ coach Ben Barr last week before the Black Bears played at RPI, I asked him about Lindauer. Barr said he’s happy for him.

“He’s a phenomenal kid,” Barr said. “He put a lot ⁢of work⁢ in‍ here. He didn’t always get a shot. At the end of both years, he was here ⁢and he was playing for us. He’s a really high-character kid. He wants ⁢to be a player. He’s willing to put the ⁢work in. ‌I ⁢think he’s manufactured himself⁣ into a really good player, so it’s ⁢awesome to see⁢ him doing well.”

If Lindauer continues to perform at this⁣ level, it will‌ undoubtedly be a significant victory for Union.

THIS WEEK IN MESSA RINK HISTORY

Let’s take a trip down memory ‌lane and revisit‌ some of the most memorable Union men’s and women’s games in Messa Rink history.

Dec. 6 2023: Maine 3, Union‌ 1 — Former RPI player and Union assistant coach Ben Barr returned to Messa Rink for the first ⁢time as a head coach, guiding the Black Bears‌ to a 3-1 victory over the Garnet Chargers.

Dec. 9, ⁤2017: Union 4, Holy Cross 2 — The Dutchmen trailed 2-0 after‍ one, but they rallied⁣ to win. Jack Adams and Cole Maier scored second-period goals. Ryan Scarfo broke the tie with 2:16 left in the third period. Ryan Walker added an empty-net goal 61 seconds later.

Dec. ⁢5, 2015: Union 3, Dartmouth 0 — Alex Sakellaropoulos stopped all 34 shots he⁢ faced to lead the Dutchmen past the⁤ Big Green. Brett Supinski, Spencer Foo and Mike Vecchione scored ⁤for Union.

Dec. 7, 2013: Union 6, Quinnipiac‍ 4 — In the first meeting between the two teams since the Bobcats beat the ⁢Dutchmen in the 2013 NCAA hockey tournament East Regional⁢ final, Union erased a 4-3 third-period deficit to win. Eli Lichtenwald and Michael Pontarelli each had two goals and an ‍assist. The game also⁣ featured an errant pass by Shayne Gostisbehere that went into an ‍open Union net during⁢ a delayed penalty against Quinnipiac.

Dec. 11,‍ 2010: Union 6, Army 2 — Daniel Carr ⁤had a hat trick, and ⁤the Dutchmen went 6⁣ for 9 on the power play ⁤to beat the Black⁣ Knights.

Dec. 10, 2010: Union 8, AIC ⁣1 — Jeremy Welsh had a hat trick to lead the⁢ Dutchmen to a rout of the Yellow Jackets. ⁣Justin Pallos had two goals and an assist, Kelly Zajac ‍added a goal and two assists and Wayne Simpson collected three assists.

Dec. 10, 1995: Cornell 5, Union 5 — After the Big Red were called for icing, Reid Simonton scored with two seconds left ⁣in the third‌ period to tie the score and send the game into overtime. Cornell had ⁢52 shots on goal, and Union 51.

Dec. 5, 1975: Ottawa⁤ 4, Union 2 — This was the first-ever game played⁤ in the‌ arena, when it was known as Achilles Rink.

UNION WOMEN HOST YALE, BROWN

The Union women’s hockey ⁤team wraps up the 2024 part of its schedule this‍ weekend when it hosts Yale at 6 ⁤p.m. Friday and Brown at 3⁤ p.m. ‌Saturday in ⁣ECACH action at Messa Rink.

The Garnet Chargers are aiming to climb up⁢ in the standings. They are currently tied for seventh place with St. Lawrence⁤ with 12 points. ‍Union (4-3-0 ECACH, 7-10-1 overall) is 2.5 points behind fourth-place Yale, and 1.5 points behind fifth-place Brown.

“We want to build some ⁣momentum ⁢ [heading] into ⁢Christmas ⁣break, going into the ECAC play,” Union head coach Tony Maci said. “Got a couple teams coming in that are right ahead of us that we want⁣ to try⁤ and grab some points from, so it’s going to be a big weekend for us.”

Union tied and lost⁤ to St. Cloud State ⁢last weekend. In the ⁢2-1 loss, the Garnet Chargers managed just nine shots on goal. They had two through two periods, and those ⁢shots on goal came in the ⁢first period.

“I‌ think the most important ⁤thing is doing what we know produces success for us,” Union forward Maddie Leaney said, “and that’s using our speed, and playing physical is huge for us and just ‌doing the little things right.”

ECACH POWER‌ RANKINGS

Here are my latest ECAC Hockey Power Rankings.

1) Dartmouth: The Big Green played tough in a two-goal loss to Boston College in ‌a matchup of ranked⁢ teams last Friday, ⁣then‌ bounced back two days later to beat Vermont.

2) Union: Impressive road sweep ‌of ‌Niagara.

3) Clarkson: Edged by Providence and tied UMass Lowell last weekend in Lake Placid.

4) Brown: The Bears are unbeaten in their last five (3-0-2) after tying and beating Air Force last weekend.

5) Colgate: Off‌ last weekend

6) Quinnipiac: Had a tie against Cornell in The Big Apple at Madison Square Garden last Saturday.

7) Cornell: Rallied from 3-2 deficit to tie Quinnipiac

8) Princeton: Swept No. 12‌ Ohio State

9) Harvard: Went 1-1 in the Friendship Four

10) Yale: Got swept by LIU

11) RPI: Lost twice to Maine by scores⁣ of 6-0 and 6-2. ⁢Gave up 100 shots on goal in the games.

12) St. Lawrence: Losses to UMass Lowell and Providence extended the Saints’ losing streak to six games.