HANCOCK — On the surface, nothing about head coach Joe Burcar’s return to the Finlandia Lions men’s hockey program went well last season. He was hired in August, the Lions battled injuries throughout the season and only one player dressed in all 25 games.

All of these issues added up to a winless season as the Lions posted a record of 0-25-0 in Year 1 of Burcar’s second tenure with the school.

“I think throughout the season last year, there was significant growth,” said Burcar. “There were so many things you could say didn’t go right for us… It was a slow process for us, slower than we wanted it to be.”

In general, the numbers were awful.

A junior defenseman, Matt Benolkin, and a freshman winger, Daniel Sarnecki, tied for the team lead in points with seven each. Three skaters tied with four goals each for the team lead.

While the numbers were not good, there were positive stories to mine.

“We look at it as a positive,” said Burcar. “When you look back a year ago from today, we have come a million miles. I look at last season as a growing year. I think there was a progression in the right way.”

Sophomore winger Danny Hill, a Hancock native, spent eight games on the junior varsity squad as a freshman before jumping permanently to the varsity squad. Hill scored just one goal and two points, but he earned playing time on the Lions’ top line and spent most of the 18 games he dressed for in a top six role.

Burcar hopes that his experience last season will prove to be a motivator for this year’s freshmen.

“He’s a great story of a local kid that started here with eight games on the JV, did well, was promoted to varsity and never looked back,” said Burcar of Hill. “He’s a good story. We are looking for bigger and better things from him this year.”

Sarnecki also was a positive story. The Bensenville, Illinois, native scored three goals and seven points in his rookie season. The challenge for the 6-foot-3, 195-pound forward will be to keep the momentum he finished last season with.

Sarnecki, who played for the Minnesota Iron Rangers of the Superior International Junior Hockey League, has proven to be coachable, so there is an excitement with Burcar and his staff that the sophomore can turn the next corner in his development this season.

Another key forward for the Lions this season will be their newly-minted captain Alex Rezansoff. The Red Wing, Minnesota, native has four goals and 13 career points despite missing time last season due to injury.

“Daniel still has a learning curve to get over right now,” said Burcar. “He’s a kid blessed with talent. He’s blessed with size. He has to learn to play the 200-foot game. I think all of us are waiting for that light to go on because he could be a dominant player at this level.”

Named captain as a junior, Rezansoff appears to be ready for the responsibility of leading a team in transition.

“On and off the ice, we compare him to a lot of great hockey leaders over the years,” said Burcar. “He’s a quiet guy. He leads by example. He’s also the guy that when he needs to speak to the team… He is not afraid to express himself. He’s earned a lot of respect in the locker room.”

The Lions have also added five transfers from other schools this season, which will add to their overall depth. Three of the transfers, Blake Peavey (Bethel), Michael Chuinard (Bethel) and Paul Lochner (Aurora) are already skating on a line together and have developed some early season chemistry, which should give the Lions a formidable line.

A freshman who could see significant playing time this season for the Lions is defenseman Adam Wammes. A Petrolia, Ontario, native, Wammes scored 27 goals and 92 points over the past two seasons for the Colorado Eagles of the Western States Hockey League.

This weekend, the Lions open their season with a pair of games at the Houghton County Arena. Friday, the Lions will face Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) at 7:15 p.m. On Saturday, they will face Concordia at 4 p.m.