Lindenwood women’s hockey enters season under Gavin and Flesch

Embracing Roster Turnover and Tactical Uncertainty

Heading into the competitive cycle, the Lindenwood Lady Lions must address significant personnel losses. Captain and number-one defender Josey Dunne-Weeks and leading goalscorer Molly Henderson both graduated, while starting goaltender Lexington Secreto transferred out. These departures follow a coaching transition that brought in Max Gavin from Boston College after three seasons under previous head coach Taylor Wasylk. Despite the departures, last year’s squad reached the Atlantic Hockey America tournament semifinals for just the second time, establishing a baseline of competitiveness the new staff aims to build upon.

Assistant coach Trey Flesch, hired in July, noted that the primary focus centers on establishing fundamental structures rather than immediate projections. When discussing the outlook for the year, Flesch told The Ice Garden, “I think it’s the unknown. You’re excited for what can be done. But it’s more or less what’s going to get built here through the fundamentals, the foundation of what’s next.”

Navigating Unique Recruiting Realities in St. Charles

Operating as the southernmost program in Division I women’s hockey places Lindenwood at a geographical remove from traditional hotbeds clustered across the Northeast and upper Midwest. Flesch acknowledged the institutional positioning of the program, noting it lacks the historic legacy status of established flagship universities. To counteract this, the coaching staff uses the visual appeal of the St. Charles campus and a welcoming local environment to attract talent.

Flesch brings extensive familiarity with the conference, having spent four years at the University of Maine before serving as an assistant coach at Mercyhurst, where he was behind the bench for five consecutive AHA finals. That background informs a global approach to talent acquisition. Rather than relying solely on domestic prep pipelines, the program actively scouts international markets that make up a small percentage of overall NCAA participants, including players from Austria, Hungary, Norway, and South Korea.

That philosophy is reflected in players like sophomore Tatiana Blichová. Blichová is one of only eight players from Slovakia to play in the NCAA—a group that also includes incoming sophomore Michaela Sophia Paulínyová. Unlike many European prospects who spend multiple seasons in North American prep schools or domestic Swedish leagues prior to college, Blichová transitioned directly from the Slovakian domestic league to Lindenwood last season without missing a beat.

Building a roster under these conditions requires persistent evaluation and an acceptance of high rejection rates during the recruiting cycle. Describing the process of identifying players who fit the program’s culture and skill requirements, Flesch stated, “There’s no stone left unturned. So, if the player fits the mold in the culture, the skill, all that, then you go for it and you just see what happens. Hockey toughens you up pretty quick…. You get told ‘no’ the first 100 times, and you just wait for that one ‘yes,’ and [when] you finally get it, it’s the greatest thing in the world.”

Program Trajectory in Atlantic Hockey America

Having joined the NCAA in 2011 and entering the AHA conference in 2012, Lindenwood has never finished with a winning record or reached a conference final. Yet, the 14-21-2 mark from the previous season demonstrates incremental growth.

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