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Lions look start season strong against Falcons

Photo provided by Finlandia Athletics Finlandia’s Hunter Kero tracks a puck carrier during a game against Lawrence last season at the Houghton County Arena.

RIVER FALLS, Wis. –While the Finlandia Lions have not had luck on their side since head coach Joe Burcar returned behind the bench two seasons ago, there is plenty of excitement coming from both the campus and the Houghton County Arena as an infusion of 18 new faces look to pick up from where the team finished the 2017-18 season.

Burcar anticipates that as much as 80 percent of the new faces could be in the lineup for their season opener on the road at UW-River Falls. Rather than be concerned about the combined lack of experience, Burcar and his staff are energized about the possibilities of having a large group of hungry, young players looking to make a difference immediately.

“I kind of like this scenario,” said Burcar. “We get our guys on the road. We keep them focused. What I do like about it is that we are going in under the radar. I truly believe we have a much, much improved team.”

“Even though we lost to them last year, I believe we match up well with them in many different ways.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, Burcar figured that he had two to three lines that were already showing signs of chemistry, which could bode well on the weekend.

One line, consisting of Houghton’s Connor Hannon between Houghton’s Cale Markham and Hancock’s Teddy Randell, has Burcar especially excited. This makes sense as Hannon racked up nine points in just 13 games last season. Markham had just one point over that stretch, but has already shown growth prior to puck drop on the 2018-19 season.

Add to that pair the feisty Randell, and the line has some skill and grit and could surprise teams early in the season.

“It’s an explosive line,” said Burcar. “It’s a fast line. It’s a strong line. They think alike. There is instant chemistry. They play a lot of the same way. I like that.”

A pair of former teammates reunited in this year’s freshman class that Burcar is excited about is Vincent Mastrandea and Cory Richardson. Both stand about 6-feet tall. Mastrandea scored 44 goals and 116 points over two seasons with the Colorado Eagles of the Western States Hockey League.

Richardson, a defenseman, potted 18 goals and 49 points in 43 games last year. He has shown confidence with the puck in practice.

“Those are two high-end guys that we are really excited about,” said Burcar.

The Falcons, a traditionally strong Division III program, return their top six scorers from a team that went 8-17-4 overall last season.

Senior Eddie Matsushima led the team in goals (14), assists (14) and points (28) as a junior. Sophomore Cayden Cahill will look to build off a strong rookie season that saw him put up 13 goals and 25 points.

Sophomore Christian Hausinger proved to be able to push the offense from the back end, picking up 12 assists and 13 points as a freshman. Classmate Tim Gelatt was also good at moving the puck, picking up two goals and 11 points.

Junior Zach Quinn returns between the pipes after going 6-16-4 overall last season in 27 appearances. Quinn posted a 2.83 goals against average and a .907 save percentage.

GAME TIME

The Lions faceoff with the Falcons at 8:05 p.m. at Hunt Arena Saturday night.

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