Student Athlete of the Week: Senior Forward Louie McLinden
Even though Louie McLinden’s high school career started out slowly, it ended with some impressive stats.
McLinden started hockey in his freshman year. In his first year, McLinden played 12 regular season games; however, he did not appear on the ice in the playoffs when the Black Hawks won the Penguins Cup in 2012.
The 2012-2013 year was better for McLinden. In the regular season, McLinden appeared in two more games. The 2012-2013 season, though, McLinden scored three points with two assists and a lone goal. In the St. Margaret Cup in 2012, McLinden played both defenseman and forward for two games, but he did not score any points. This was the same story for McLinden in the 2013 Penguins Cup, as he only appeared in one game and did not score any goals.
The St. Margaret Cup in 2013 also produced disappointment for McLinden. In five games, McLinden did not score any goals.
McLinden’s junior year for the 2013-2014 school year was a breakout year for him. In the regular season, he was tied with five other players with the most games played in a season with 20. In addition, he had two goals and three assists. However, his success did not carry into the playoffs, as he was held without a point in three games in the 2014 Penguins Cup. Nonetheless, he helped the Black Hawks both defensively and offensively when the team won the National Championship.
However, McLinden’s best year was his senior year, as he finally showed why he is a star. He led the team with 14 goals, and was second on the team with 14 assists. In addition, he played 21 of the 22 games in the regular season. He also had seven power play goals and four game-winning goals.
Also in the 2014-2015 season, McLinden ranked 11th in Varsity Class AAA with 28 points in the season. This was also the year that he was selected as an All-Star, his first and only time as one. He also broke many records.
In the 2014-2015 season, McLinden had two different streaks of four games with points. He also had five points in a game at Penn Trafford and four points in a game at Central Catholic. In addition, he had two hat tricks, and two games with three assists. And, even though he earned 12 penalty minutes two separate occasions during the season, McLinden still had a great season.
In the 2015 Penguins Cup, McLinden finally got a point in the playoffs. Even though the forward only had an assist in a 3-1 upset loss to Butler, he helped give the Black Hawks a fighting chance.
McLinden has proven he is a star, and he looks to carry that emblem into whatever college hockey team he is a member of.
Hawk Eye is in for a treat this year with the addition of Russell Finelsen. Russell is an avid sports fan, has a love of writing, and wishes to bring these...
Greydon Tomkowitz • Mar 31, 2015 at 12:35 pm
Russel,
I believe this is a very well written article, it presents all of the facts and provides an even amount of both praise and reality. Despite what others are saying, I believe the comments about a less successful start only make his great achievements this year seem all the more impressive. Don’t let the other comments get you down on your writing, this article presents all the facts in an such away that no opinions are shown.
Keep up the great writing,
Greydon Tomkowitz
Cindy Rack • Mar 25, 2015 at 9:02 am
Hi Russell,
I agree with Grant. One minute you are building him up and then next tearing him down. His senior year is a great accomplishment, but all the negative comments put a damper on a great year. Let’s face it, no sports player is perfect every game and no one likes the spotlight on their mistakes. I appreciate the fact that you replied to Grants response with asking for recommendations. Here are a few of mine. Not that they are perfect and I’m not a journalist…they just focus on the positive and not the negative. The greatest coach Lou Holtz won championships because he only focused on what his players did right. My suggestions are as follows:
His freshman year could have simply been that Louie’s freshman year got off to a slow start as most freshman playing a limited number of games and getting his feet wet. Maybe for his sophomore year you could simply have said that while Louie’s sophomore year proved to be an improvement, his real breakout year came as a Junior. Then carry the story from there.
Hope this was helpful to you.
GO LOUIE!!!!
Russell Finelsen • Mar 18, 2015 at 8:05 pm
Grant,
This is in response to your comment. In this article, I am only saying what McLinden accomplished. I only said the quotes you highlighted to convey to the readers that McLinden did not help the team much before his senior year in terms of scoring. He might be a leader in the locker room, but I have never been in there, so I will never know. There is not much I can do to reword this to accurately tell of his contributions to his team. However, if you feel you have a better way, please tell me, and I will consider changing my article based on your suggestions.
Grant Wilson • Mar 18, 2015 at 6:46 pm
Russell, after reading over this article a few times, I am left to question your motivations behind the piece. Were you trying to sound derogatory with comments such as: “He did not even appear on the ice in the playoffs when the Black Hawks won the Penguins Cup in 2012.” and “The St. Margaret Cup in 2013 also produced disappointment for McLinden. In five games, McLinden did not score any goals.” or are you simply oblivious to the tone that you have conveyed to your audience? I respect your attempt to accurately report the facts of Louie’s high school hockey career, however I believe that you , as a writer, should have been more cognizant of your diction.