APPLETON, Wis. -- Lawrence University men's hockey standout Zach Lodes has signed with the Macon Mayhem of the Southern Professional Hockey League.
    Lodes, a senior from St. Louis, Mo., is coming off a season that saw the forward score a career-high 15 goals and add six assists for 21 points in 25 games.
    "Playing professional hockey is something that I have been dreaming about since I first started playing hockey," Lodes said. "For as long as I can remember, I have always told my parents that I was going to become a professional hockey player, and seeing this dream become a reality is surreal. This is something that I have been working toward since I was seven years old. My parents and siblings have been my biggest supporters throughout my entire hockey career, and I couldn't thank them enough for everything they sacrificed to make my hockey dreams come true."
    Lodes, who finished eighth in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association in goals scored, tied the Lawrence record when he scored five goals at Gustavus Adolphus College on Dec. 9. Lodes, who was named the NCHA Offensive Player of the Week following that performance, added an assist in that game to finish with a career-high six points in the contest.
    "Not too many players collect four or five goals in a NCAA hockey career, and the fact that Zach had a four-goal game and a five-goal game truly shows his elite offensive ability," Lawrence coach Brett Wall said. "Lodes has high-end skill and a sandpaper finish that I can not wait to watch at the pro level. I want to thank him for his leadership and commitment to LU on and off the ice, and I know he will make us proud as an LU hockey alum."
    Lodes also posted a four-goal game in Lawrence's 5-3 victory over Concordia University Wisconsin on Feb. 4.
    "I have only had the opportunity to coach Zach for a season, but I must say his skating ability and edge work are some of the best I have seen," Wall said. "He is a pure goal scorer who has the ability to break a game wide open. The majority of our offense this season ran through him."
    Lodes posted a career-best 22 points in the 2021-22 season with 12 goals and a career-high 10 assists. He finished his career with 36 goals and 20 assists for 56 points.
    "I am just looking forward to seeing my dream come true, getting back on the ice and competing," Lodes said. "I am excited to meet the team and the coach.
    "I hope to go and contribute immediately. Obviously, being the new guy on a team, you want to go and make an instant impact and help contribute to a winning environment. I just want to play my game and focus on winning hockey games for the team. That is the goal."
    Lodes is the 18th Lawrence hockey player since 2008 to sign a pro contract. The first was defensman Josh Peterson, who played for the Flint Generals of the International Hockey League. Lodes is the third Lawrence player to ink a deal with Macon. Foward Matt Moore signed with the Mayhem in 2016, and forward Josh Koepplinger joined Macon on 2019 and was chosen as the SPHL Player of the Week during that season.