Moon Township, Pa. – Former forward Zac Lynch (2012-16) of the RMU men's hockey team has been named as part of the inaugural class of the Atlantic Hockey Hall of Honor, the league announced Tuesday.
In honor of its 20th season, the Atlantic Hockey Association is recognizing the top 20 players from the conference's first 20 seasons as members of the first class of inductees into the Atlantic Hockey Hall of Honor. The AHA is announcing one inductee weekly throughout the 2022-23 season, with the final former student-athlete being recognized the week of Feb. 19, 2023.
Players from current and former Atlantic Hockey programs were eligible for consideration, with the 20 honorees selected based on their on-ice performance during their respective careers. Lynch is the 10th player named to the
Atlantic Hockey Hall of Honor so far during the 2022-23 season.
Lynch, a native of Pittsburgh, Pa., helped the Colonials amass 87 victories during his four seasons with the program. During his time in an RMU uniform, he helped RMU win five championships, including two Confluence Cups (2013, 2015), two Atlantic Hockey regular-season champions (2015, 2016) and the 2014 Atlantic Hockey Tournament championship.
At the 2015 Three Rivers Classic at CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pa., Lynch helped guide the Colonials to back-to-back wins over ranked opponents to claim the Confluence Cup. In a 6-4 win over No. 14 Penn State, Lynch posted a goal and a pair of assists. The next night he scored goals in the second and third period in a 5-3 triumph over No. 8 UMass Lowell in the championship game. For his efforts, Lynch was selected as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 2015 Three Rivers Classic.
Overall in his final campaign with the Colonials in 2015-16, Lynch became the program's all-time leading scorer and also set an NCAA Division I record by scoring a short-handed goal in four consecutive games. Named the 2016 Atlantic Hockey Player of the Year, Lynch established the program single-season record for points (55) thanks to 25 goals and 30 assists in helping lead RMU to an overall record of 24-11-4 (.667) as the Colonials tied a school record for wins.
In 152 contests, Lynch concluded his career with 156 points thanks to 67 goals and 89 assists. He currently sits second all-time in program history in points and goals and third in helpers. In the RMU single-season record book, the 55 points for Lynch in 2015-16 ranks second. He still owns the school single-season (8) and career (14) marks for short-handed goals.
At the conclusion of his career, Lynch signed a professional contract with the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League (AHL) and in July of 2016 attended the development camp of the NHL's Florida Panthers. Also during his professional career in the AHL, Lynch played for the Springfield Falcons, Utica Comets and Hartford Wolf Pack. He also spent time with the Manchester Monarchs and Wheeling Nailers of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL).
Tickets for the
second annual RMU Celebrity Hockey Faceoff Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023, at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Township, Pa.,
are on sale now. All funds raised help the RMU men's and women's teams relaunch their programs for the 2023-24 campaign. Season tickets for the 2023-24 season are also on sale now and can be
purchased by using this link.
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