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Family tradition

Trio of Lipinskis thriving at Minot State

Garrick Hodge/MDN From left: Kyle Lipinski, Bryce Lipinski and Lyndon Lipinski pose for a photo at center ice at the Pepsi Rink of Maysa Arena in Minot.

Lyndon and Bryce Lipinski started skating together when they were 3 years old. From that moment, the pair of fraternal twins fell in love with hockey.

Bryce – who is the eldest of the pair by about an hour and 6 minutes – and Lyndon quickly became lifelong teammates. Both have played on the same youth, junior league and now collegiate level hockey teams every year except one in their 23 years of life.

“We always had the same interests and the same hobbies,” Bryce said. “That always brought out a little inter-family competition. It pushed us to be our best early in our lives.”

Rising through the hockey ranks as teenagers, Bryce and Lyndon’s friends and family often suggested their playing styles and on-ice chemistry resembled professional hockey players Daniel and Henrik Sedin, twins that have played for the Vancouver Canucks since 2000.

“We’ve always kind of looked for each other when we’re out there,” Lyndon said. “We used to play on the same line in youth hockey, which led to us being told we were like the Sedins for some reason.”

The twins ended their junior hockey days by winning a Superior International Junior Hockey League championship with the Fort Frances Lakers in 2014. Shortly after, the two committed to American Collegiate Hockey Association member Minot State to continue their collegiate careers together.

But Bryce and Lyndon aren’t the only hockey players in the family. Their younger brother Kyle, 22, also held a hockey stick ever since he could walk. A year after his brothers signed with the Beavers, Kyle followed suit and formed a trio of Lipinskis in Minot.

“I don’t really see myself as a twin, I just see myself as a guy with two brothers,” Lyndon said. “We always have each other’s back no matter where we go because I know I’m always going to have family with me. Sometimes, it can be difficult when you go to college and you’re with a new team and you don’t know anyone. It makes things a lot easier when you have two brothers to experience it with.”

While the three Lipinskis share the same last name, they all have completely different playing styles.

Bryce, a 5-foot-5 junior forward, sees himself as a defensive player that takes pride in defending the Beavers’ own zone. He’ll chip in offensively occasionally, as he’s racked up eight points (five goals, three assists) this season.

Meanwhile, Lyndon, a 5-foot-8 junior forward, has always prided himself on being the best scoring threat in the family. He’s tied for the team lead with six goals this season.

Kyle, a 5-foot-9 sophomore defenseman, is an all-around player who tries to play a more aggressive style of hockey. He has four goals and four assists on the season.

“I always wanted to be the toughest out of the three of us,” Kyle said. “I’d say I’m guy that loves to get under people’s skin when I’m out there. I play with that extra chip to try to get people off their game.”

Because of their different skillsets, MSU coach Wade Regier rarely pairs the Lipinskis on the ice at the same time. That doesn’t stop things from getting competitive in practice, though.

“We do a lot of battle drills that get into each other’s faces,” Bryce said. “We get under each other’s nerves sometimes. Especially since we’re all so competitive, if one of us cheap shots the other or something, we all can get a little angry.”

The trio grew up on a farm in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, yet Lyndon said living in Minot is pretty similar to living in Canada. Well, except for two things.

“Honestly, besides looking at gas station prices and the currency, I don’t find Minot that much different,” he said with a laugh. “I feel like I’m living in Saskatchewan because of how everything is set up. There’s a lot of Canadians at school and 20 of 23 guys on the team are Canadian. You don’t feel like you’re even in the United States until you swipe the card or go to the gas station.”

The Lipinskis know they have two more years of playing competitive hockey together as a family. In that time, they hope they can help guide Minot State to a national championship. That dream could come sooner rather than later, as the Beavers are ranked No. 1 in ACHA Division I with a 12-3 record.

“We want to win a championship together because it would be something special that we could share for the rest of our lives,” Bryce said.

Garrick Hodge covers Minot State athletics, the Minot Minotauros and high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @Garrick_Hodge

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