CHRIS CODUTO/Arizona Daily Wildcat Junior Mickey Meehan moves the puck up ice last weekend against Indiana at the Tucson Convention Center. Meehan has been ruled ineligible to play in the UA's series against No. 4 Lindenwood this week.

Arizona welcomes No. 4 Lindenwood to TCC for weekend set

Tiny Lindenwood University might be new to collegiate ice hockey, but the Lions have been making up for lost time this season, rising to No. 4 in the nation in their first year of competition. This weekend, the Arizona Icecats will get a chance to see just how good the upstarts from Missouri really are.

No. 15 Arizona (8-7-2) hosts No. 4 Lindenwood (23-1-1), a first-year American Collegiate Hockey Association team that is already showing talent similar to the school's powerhouse roller hockey program, tonight and tomorrow at 7:30 in the Tucson Convention Center Arena.

The Lions' coach, Derek Schaub, has taken over the ice hockey team after leading the roller team to back-to-back national championships.

"Lindenwood will be tough," said Icecats head coach Leo Golembiewski. "We've got our work cut out for us."

Schaub also brought a few players over from the roller hockey rink - some players are listed on both rosters on their Web site.

"They're very talented," Golembiewski said.

Lindenwood, a liberal arts school with about 12,000 students located in St. Charles, Mo., comes to Tucson fresh off a couple nail biters at No. 19 ASU. The Lions have won 3-1 on Monday and 2-0 on Tuesday, scores that included empty-net goals in both games. The Lions didn't lose a game until December, and have gone 12-1-1 against AHCA Division I teams.

LU comes to the "Madhouse" at a time when the Icecats are in dire need of quality wins. After the Lions series, the Icecats hit the road for a grueling road trip that includes No. 8 Weber State and No. 19 Arizona State, and Division II Oklahoma. Arizona will then close out the regular season against the Sun Devils at home.

"Let's be candid: We have to make some noise against Lindenwood, Weber State next week and ASU," Golembiewski said. "These next six games are really important; it's that time of the year."

In order to avoid missing the ACHA tournament for the first time in the program's history, the Icecats must finish ranked in the top 13 of the Feb. 16 poll. Normally the top 12 teams make it in, but barring a collapse by Lindenwood, which as a first-year team is ineligible for the tourney, the No. 13 team will get in.

The next poll comes out Jan. 23.

Over the weekend, Weber State plays at ASU, No. 13 Towson is at No. 11 Delaware, No. 17 Navy is at No. 12 Washington & Jefferson, and No. 7 Michigan-Dearborn is at No. 10 Iowa State.

The Icecats will play this week as they have throughout the whole season: shorthanded.

"We're banged up a little," Golembiewski said.

Junior captain Mickey Meehan is academically ineligible, while senior forward/defender Andrew Fredricks has a broken thumb, according to Golombiewski. Sophomore defender Mike Pelletier, who has five assists so far, just returned from ineligibility and senior captain Keith Mitchell just came off a back injury.

Golembiewski said he has been impressed with the play of junior forward Don Holtz and freshman forward Dave Cwik of late.

"Dave Cwik has come on strong," Golembiewski said. "It's been a year of a lot of youth."