Finlandia’s Dylan Paavola defends in the neutral zone during a game at the Houghton County Arena in Hancock. (Photo courtesy of Finlandia University)

HANCOCK — In 2018-19, the Finlandia Lions men’s hockey team had seemingly turned a corner. The team opened the season with a pair of wins and then had a stretch of seven games in the second half of the season where they went 5-1-1 to earn a place in the NCHA playoffs for the first time since 2006-07, during coach Joe Burcar’s first tenure with the program.

Since that season ended at St. Norbert, the Lions have been dealt blow after blow. First COVID, then injuries, some relatively minor, others career ending.

Through it all, there were two constants, Burcar and goaltender Marcus Gloss. Gloss has exhausted his eligibility, but he will remain around the program as a goaltending coach.

“Marcus was a luxury for us, let’s be honest,” Burcar said. “Marcus played five years here. He had the extra year because of COVID, and he earned two degrees out of it, so, well-educated, great athlete.

“He wants to coach. He had a choice to play pro, but he’s actually here as our full-time goalie coach. He has taken the reins and he’s in 100%.”

As for Burcar, he has watched his team suffer trying to navigate the uncertain horizons that a worldwide pandemic brought with it. In 2020-21, the team played in just eight games, not nearly enough time for freshmen to get their feet wet, let alone adjust to the speed of college hockey, even at the NCAA Division III level.

rior to those eight games, team meetings had to be held virtually over Zoom, because having student athletes gather in person could have been catastrophic. For that freshmen class, it was hard for any of them to keep their mental focus as well as their athletic focus.

Last season, the Lions played a whole season, going 2-23-0, but struggled to gain footing throughout the season.

Burcar has reason to believe that this season will be one of improvement. For the first time since he was named head coach for the second time in school history, he is returning 17 players who saw varying amounts of action over the past three seasons. He has just one senior, center Phil Schader, and a junior class excited to take the next step.

“With 17 guys coming back, from a coaching standpoint, you can do so much more,” Burcar said. “You’re not starting over. I would not say we’re ahead of the game, but we’re up to par with the game right now.”

Burcar is proud of his team for showing a willingness to battle all of the elements his team has had to deal with, and he believes they will be stronger for the experience.

Having a healthy Schader will be key. The Klagenfurt, Austria, native has struggled through lower body injuries from the time he arrived on campus, but after off-season surgery, Burcar feels that Schader is playing with a confidence he has not seen before.

“It’s nice to see kids, for four years, mature, develop,” said Burcar. “He’s come a million miles.

“He’s finally healthy. You just see a different mindset with him…There’s just so many positives that developed through him.”

Schader has seven goals and 15 points in 51 games prior to this season, but he will be leaned upon to help lead the Lions through the season.

Joining Schader as expected leaders heading into this season are former Houghton Gremlins Kevin Bostwick and P.J. Donnelly. The duo are best friends on and off the ice.

Bostwick has played in 25 games through his first two seasons with the Lions and has shown flashes of what he is capable of. Burcar feels he will lean heavily on the right-handed puck handler as he has the ability to push the puck up the ice quickly.

Donnelly suffered through an injured shoulder last season that required off-season surgery to repair. Now recovered, Burcar feels that Donnelly is positioned to take on a Top 6 role in the Lions lineup and lead through example.

“He’s taking on a bigger role,” said Burcar. “He wants a bigger role…He wants that role. He wants more responsibility. He’s ready to take it.”

Two more returning players who Burcar expects to take on expanded roles are sophomore defenseman Brendan Erickson and sophomore winger Max Messier.

Erickson, who played on the Gremlins alongside Bostwick and Donnelly, struggled early last season with the speed of the college game. As the season went along, he caught up, and scored his first career goal on Jan. 29 against the Milwaukee School of Engineering. Four games later, he closed out his first season with two assists at Concordia Wisconsin.

Messier, who stands 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, was instrumental late in the season in the Lions second win when he scored two goals and added an assist in a 3-2 overtime win over Concordia Wisconsin. He finished his freshman year with five goals and eight points in 23 games.

Burcar has been impressed with the leadership Messier has shown throughout the off-season, and expects him to take strides this season as well.

“I think Max is just a person who is very mature,” Burcar said. “He’s just had a point where he’s a very mature young man. He understands the game. He understands his role, and he’s excited.”

Goaltending

In goal, sophomore Dakota Meyer, who saw limited action as a freshman, has been out to prove he deserves a chance to earn the starting role. Standing 5-foot-10, he has gotten used to, over the course of his career, experts telling him he is too small. Burcar feels that has motivated him to work hard to prove himself.

“He didn’t pick the perfect day to train, he picked every day,” said Burcar. “‘I have to do this to be ready every day.’ He’s done that for years, ao he’s ready to take on this role.”

Season schedule

The Lions are set to open their season on Friday, Oct. 28, at home against Bethel. The Lions gave Bethel two tough games last season and are hoping to flip the home series into a pair of victories this season.

Finlandia will play 15 home games this season, which is something that Burcar is very excited about.