Mark Turnipseed’s enters his fifth season as the goaltending coach for both the men’s and women’s hockey programs at Lindenwood University.
Turnipseed helped the men’s team to consecutive national championships in 2009 and 2010. During that span, Lindenwood won 84 games and the CSCHL Tournament championship. The women’s team has won three national championships with the help of Turnipseed. In 2010, the Lady Lions recorded a program record 21 shutouts. In the team’s final 22 games, Lindenwood had 15 shutouts.
Turnipseed was recruited to Lindenwood in 2003 as the centerpiece for the inaugural season of the hockey program. He backstopped the Lions to a 25-3-1 record that year, and would follow it up the following season by leading the Lions to a fifth place finish in their first national tournament appearance in 2004-05. That year he also became the first player to receive ACHA first-team All-American honors.
Turnipseed finished his collegiate career by representing Lindenwood and Team USA in the World University Games in Austria in 2005. He led Team USA to a 3-3-0 record and finished in the top three for goaltending in the tournament.
After graduating from Lindenwood in 2005, Turnipseed would go on to receive one the highest honors by having his jersey number retired by the hockey program. His number 33 hangs in the rafters at the Lindenwood Ice Arena.
Prior to coming to Lindenwood, Turnipseed enjoyed plenty of success in the St. Louis hockey community. At a young age, he was selected for a St. Louis select team to compete in the International Peewee Tournament in Quebec, Canada, and from there attended numerous USA Hockey select camps across the country. He went on to play for the St. Louis Jr. Blues and eventually would spend some time with the Missouri River Otters of the UHL.
He now spends much of his time leading private and group sessions as well as teaching at various camps in the St. Louis area. He is also the hockey director for the Lindenwood Ice Arena and heads up the learn-to-play classes.
Away from the rink, Mark spends all of his free time with wife, Julie, entertaining his two daughters, Myleigh and Sydney.
