HANCOCK — The last time the Finlandia Lions men’s hockey team touched the ice in a game situation, they dropped their final game of the 2019-20 season 5-2 against Marian at the Houghton County Arena on Feb. 15, 2020.

Just shy of a calendar year later, the Lions are finally slated to get back to action with a pair of games this weekend against those same Panthers.

To quote head coach Joe Burcar, it’s about time.

Considering everything the Lions have been through, from unexpectedly losing young forwards for various reasons to nearly losing a defenseman to, for lack of a better term, border patrol to a global pandemic and a shift to online learning, Burcar is proud of his team for just getting to the start of their season in one piece.

“Just (give) the credit to these players, not only through this entire thing in the process, whether it’s being the classroom on Zoom, or the eight weeks of being home,” Burcar said. “We as a group, as a team, did Zoom calls. They’re resilient. They fought through this.

“They’re just excited to play a game.”

As his team looked forward to their first game week Monday earlier this week, Burcar was practically giddy with excitement about having his players rewarded for their hard work, both on the ice and in the classroom.

“We’re gonna keep things simple,” he said. “We’re gonna enjoy the time because we can play hockey, and every one of these kids has not gone this long without playing the game. We’re going to appreciate the time we have, and we’re gonna have fun with it.”

The Lions lost a big chunk of their leadership from last season with the graduation of defenseman Connor Hannon. A jack of all trades-type of player, Hannon transitioned from forward to defense as a senior and played in all situations for Burcar’s team.

The good news for Burcar and his staff is that he has two senior goaltenders to rely on in Houghton native Marcus Gloss and Santeri Seppaenen.

Gloss, who was one of the first recruits Burcar had in his second stint at Finlandia, has started most of the games he has been healthy for in his career and Burcar expects that to remain the case in his fourth season with the team. He is coming off a season that saw him go 3-12-2 overall with a 3.62 goals against average and an .896 save percentage.

“It just speaks volumes of the character of Marcus and his commitment to helping us build a program, his commitment to making himself a better goalie year in and year out,” said Burcar. “A guy like Marcus, the character of him, it shines through.”

In front of the goaltenders, the Lions will lean heavily on junior Dylan Paavola along with sophomores Lucas Patton and Mikko Surekin, who all return. Surekin was limited to three games last season as he broke his wrist in just his second game for Finlandia.

Paavola, a Hancock native, continues to improve every season for Burcar’s squad. He will serve as assistant captain this season, and should factor in more offensively for the Lions.

“We sure are lucky to have him,” Burcar said. “He’s just consistent. You know what you get with Dylan every given night. He stands up for his team. He fights for his team. He’s a quiet leader, but his play speaks volumes.”

The Lions will feature several new faces on their blue line as well, none with a more fascinating story than that of Smolensk, Russia, native Andrei Rubstov.

Rubstov attempted to get to Hancock in time for the Fall Semester, but ended up in a situation where flights from Russia to the U.S. were canceled due to the pandemic. He attempted to fly through the Czech Republic, but was stopped by what Burcar described as border security and escorted back to his native Russia. He finally arrived in the U.S. during the Christmas break, and is excited to get into the lineup with his new teammates.

Up front, the Lions will miss the skill set of Teddy Randell, who left the team to focus on his studies. Without Randell in the lineup, the team will lean more heavily on junior center Tyler Watungwa. An Ottawa, Ontario, native, Watungwa struggled to find ice time as a freshman before developing into a consistent scoring threat as a sophomore, scoring seven goals and 14 points.

“He’s worked himself, I would almost say, like the old-school way,” said Burcar. “He’s earned the captain this year. He leads by example. Nobody outworks Tyler in a weight room, in a classroom or on the ice.”

Senior winger Cale Markham and sophomore Tyler Vanuden will also be expected to help lead things offensively for the Lions. Markham, a Houghton Gremlins product, scored six goals and 14 points last season. He will serve as an assistant captain this season. Vanuden struggled to score as a freshman, but Burcar feels that he is more confident this season in practice, and he expects the second-year forward to step up.

Two other players who Burcar has high hopes for in chipping in offensively are a pair of former Gremlins in defenseman Kevin Bostwick and forward P.J. Donnelly. The two had very successful careers in high school together before playing for the Soo Indians AAA team in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Given that Burcar and his staff have put a premium on building a close-knit locker room, adding a pair of players who have grown up together and are best friends is a nice bonus for the Lions.

“They’re their best friends,” Burcar said. “They actually kind of got lucky as freshmen in the locker room. They have a stall next to each other. So I think when once one committed to Finlandia, I think the other one was a few days behind.

“It just speaks volumes of Kevin Bostwick and P.J. Not only are they really good friends, but they’re here for an education. They want to play hockey. We’re extremely happy because they are two local kids that have done well.”

The 2020-21 season will be unlike any Burcar and the Lions have faced. They will be playing an eight-game schedule starting with a Friday night game against Marian at the Houghton County Arena at 7:15 p.m. Saturday, they will then travel Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, for the rematch. In total, the Lions will play four games at home and four on the road, all within the new-look North Division that features the Panthers, St. Scholastica, Lawrence, and Concordia Wisconsin.