Lindenwood women's hockey head coach Shelley Looney announced the addition of former Lindenwood standout, Nicole Hensley, to the coaching staff.  Hensley played for the Lions from 2012-16, and joined the Lindenwood coaching staff for one year in 2016-17.
 
"I am very excited to join the coaching staff at Lindenwood," said Hensley.  "We have a great group of players that show up every day ready to get better, and a staff that is excited to help them accomplish their goals.  I hope to use my knowledge and experience to help this team grow both on and off the ice."
 
"We are extremely excited to have Nicole join our coaching staff this season," said Looney.  "Nicole not only brings a high caliber of knowledge in the goaltending area, but she also brings the elite athlete mentality for all players to learn from and follow."
 
Hensley won the gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics with Team USA in PyeongChang, South Korea.  Hensley earned two gold medals prior to the 2018 Winter Olympics, as she won gold with the U.S. Women's National Team at the 2016 and 2017 IIHF Women's World Championships.  The Green Mountain product made 16 saves in a shutout of Team Russia during the 2016 tournament, while earning three victories and two shutouts in the 2017 tournament.
 
In the spring of 2018, Hensley was honored by the St. Louis Blues in recognition of Team USA earning the first gold medal in women's hockey since 1998.  Hensley inked a contract a few months later to compete with the Buffalo Beauts in the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL).  Hensley was selected to compete in the NWHL All-Star game in 2019, and was named the fastest goaltender at the skills competition.
 
With the Lions, Hensley was a four-time all-CHA goaltender and was named CHA Goalie of the Week on nine different occasions throughout her career.  The Lakewood, Colo. native is the NCAA all-time leader in saves with 4,094, and holds many Lindenwood records including most wins with 30.  Hensley got the job done in the classroom as well, earning CoSIDA Academic All-American recognition three times, while being a four-time CHA Student Athlete of the Year.  The three-time winner of the Colorado Sportswomen of the Year award was inducted into the Colorado Sportswomen of the Year Hall of Fame for her outstanding achievements on and off the ice.