Finlandia’s Rebecca Lilly defends against Concordia Wisconsin’s Madi Chapman during a game on Feb. 15, 2020, at the Houghton County Arena in Hancock. (Photo courtesy of Finlandia Athletics)

HANCOCK — As the Finlandia Lions women’s hockey team prepares for its exhibition game Saturday against the Northland Lumberjills at the Houghton County Arena, they are integrating seven new faces into the program. Coach Mike Kuruc believes that all seven could make an impact from the first drop of the puck this season.

The Lions’ incoming class features players from six different states, and most come from places that would not be normally considered “hockey hotbeds.” Yet, despite the widely varying backgrounds, Kuruc feels that the youngsters have already connected with their teammates in such a way that when he first met the team after arriving on campus, he could not tell which players were freshmen.

“I think that that’s very interesting in comparison to a lot of other programs I’ve been around,” Kuruc said. “The first couple weeks on campus (usually), (it) doesn’t matter if you’re a Division I athlete, Division III athlete, you kind of sit in the corner, and you’re texting mom and dad. You’re a little bit nervous.

“I showed up a week after school started and everybody was assimilated.”

The freshman class features a lot of skill, some tenacity, a large willingness to learn on the fly, and a lot of potential, according to Kuruc.

Kennedi Johnson is a forward with a hockey hockey IQ, says Kuruc. She played on the boys high school team last season as well as on the Park County Ice Cats 19U girls team. The Meeteesie, Wyoming, native is a tenacious forechecker, something the Lions will need to be successful.

“Kennedi has a high level of skill,” said Kuruc. “On top of her skill, she’s a player that is going to go 100 miles an hour, no matter the situation.

“She’s smart to the point where she knows when to be aggressive, and then hangs back, when she doesn’t need to be.”

West Salem, Wisconsin, native Tessa Deal is a forward who makes up for her small stature with a large willingness to crash into corners to help drive the forecheck. She played her high school hockey for Onalaska High School.

“She’s not the tallest kid in the world,” Kuruc said. “She’s 5-foot-probably-7, but plays like she’s 6-foot-5. I think that there’s probably guys on a lot of men’s teams in the country that don’t play as hard as her when it comes to getting into the corner.”

Lauren Lacroix, another forward with a high hockey IQ, grew up playing hockey in Omaha, Nebraska. Her father was her head coach growing up.

“Just a fantastic addition to this roster,” Kuruc said. “(She) does some great things. She’s going to have a lot of impact this year, when it comes to who she’s being paired with line-wise, the way that she plays center, her ability to win faceoffs.”

At 5-foot-5, Gracie Hall is used to being one of the bigger girls on the ice. The Watford City, North Dakota, native uses her size and her strength to her advantage.

“She’s a quiet kid,” said Kuruc. “She brings a quiet confidence with her…She brings a quiet confidence with her everywhere she goes.”

On the blue line, one name should be very familiar to Lions’ fans and families.

Brighton Wallin, younger sister of captain Aspen Wallin, will join her older sibling on a defensive pairing. The Providence, Utah, native, spent the Fall alongside her sister on the Lions’ women’s soccer team.

Kuruc likes what he has seen so far out of Brighton, and feels that the two work really well together.

“They’re a natural pair for each other,” he said. “They play incredibly well together. They do a lot of the same things. They’re relatively the same size. They have very similar speed. They have the same IQ and skill set.”

A converted forward, Bella DeLordo has impressed Kuruc with her willingness to take on a role she was not recruited for. The Carpentersville, Illinois, native asks the right questions at the right time, showing that she is embracing the challenge put before her.

“Bella is an awesome kid,” said Kuruc. “I think that my favorite part about her is the fact that she was willing to do whatever she needed to to play on this team.”

In goal, Lexi Holman is quickly adjusting to the college game. The Madison, Wisconsin, native is on the smaller side, but she works hard to move fast, to help make up for her lack of size.

“Goalies that don’t give up on rebounds are usually those people that go on to have success, no matter what they do,” Kuruc said. “It’s the mentality of I’m not going to stop until you stop.”

While the bulk of her classes are at Finlandia, she is also a part of the Michigan Tech ROTC program. Kuruc feels that she brings a lot of the discipline that comes from military training to hockey.

“I think that kind of that discipline relays back to her game,” said Kuruc. “(She’s) just a fundamentally sound goalie, lightning quick, does a lot of great things for us in the kind of the goaltender culture that I’m looking to build here.”

Kuruc feels that all seven incoming freshmen could have an impact immediately, and that they will be a big part of any success the Lions have this season.