Finlandia forward Abe Laggis skates into the offensive zone during a game against Hamline on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, at the Houghton County Arena in Hancock. (Daver Karnosky/Daily Mining Gazette)

HANCOCK — The Finlandia Lions men’s hockey team dropped a pair of games last weekend to the No. 3 Adrian Bulldogs on the road. This weekend, they return home to face the Lawrence Vikings, a team that sits fifth in the NCHA standings with 26 points on the season.

At the same time, the Lions are still in the discussion for the eighth and final playoff spot as they sit seven points behind Concordia Wisconsin and face a string of eight games against teams in the bottom half of the NCHA standings.

The Lions fell 6-0 and 7-1 to the Bulldogs, but things were much closer, especially Friday night, than it appears based on the final score.

Friday, the Lions trailed 1-0 going into the third period before the Bulldogs struck three times in 46 seconds to break the game open.

“The shots were probably a 2-to-1 margin, but Dakota (Meyer) was giving us a chance to win,” Lions coach Joe Burcar said. “We had scoring chances. In a game like that, we still had a chance, but against a team like that, we came out in the third and we were flat in the first minute. A team like that, in that minute, they scored three goals and that’s the difference in the game.”

As far as hockey lessons go, this one felt harsh.

“You just can’t take your foot off,” said Burcar. “You can’t let up for a shift because that’s what’s going to happen to you every single time. They’re proven. They won the national championship last year. They’re, they’re going to be a contender this year for it.”

Saturday night, the Bulldogs scored three goals in a span of 37 seconds in the first period and added another 44 seconds later to turn a 0-0 game into a 4-0 lead. They added three more in the second to jump ahead 7-0 before Lions captain Phil Schader struck at 14:15 of the third.

Burcar admits that the Lions have been doing a lot of learning and growing since coming back from the Christmas break.

“What I will say is that it’s been such a learning curve this year with this team,” he said. “They’re truly unique in a way, like from a coaching standpoint. There’s not a panic from myself and the coaching staff. We’ve been extremely patient with this group.

“They’re passionate about what’s going on here and they deeply care and, and they’re frustrated and they want to do the right thing.”

That desire is what keeps Burcar and his staff excited about coming to the rink every day.

“If we didn’t see that, it would be a major concern,” he said. “That’s why I’m saying we’re patiently grooming these guys, teaching these guys, and, honestly, I’ve seen it go the other way and you throw that concern right away.

“With this group, I truly can say, we can say as coaches, we like the direction they’re going. They’re frustrated and they want to win. They want to be better. They see what they can do and they understand the learning curve is taking longer than expected.”

Burcar feels that signs are showing that the team is making progress, even if the wins are not there yet.

“There’s improvement every single week, every game, every period,” he said. “Everybody has picked up their game, so that’s so positive for us right now.”

Despite the struggles in the win column, the Lions know fortunes can change quickly with some success.

“With the season coming down to four weeks, we have to get points every weekend,” said Burcar. “There’s six available points on any given weekend. We have got to get three or better to move up in the standings. We’re one of the eighth spot, but we don’t want to stay in the eight spot. Is it realistic to say we can move up? Absolutely.

“We control our own destiny. We match up well against our next four opponents.”

Scouting the Vikings

The Vikings are 2-13-2 on the season with wins against MSOE and Gustavus Adolphus and are coming off a loss and a tie with Marian that saw Marian earn the extra point in a shootout.

Senior Zach Lodes leads the team in goals (10) and points (15) in 17 games. He is the only Vikings player in double digits in goals and points.

Junior Cory Checco has also been good, scoring four goals and eight points in 17 games. Senior forward Ivan Galaguzov and junior defenseman Kyle Gierman are tied for the team lead in assists with six each.

In goal, freshman Owen Carlson has taken over the starting job, starting 12 of the 13 games he has appeared in. He sports a 3.21 goals against average and a .911 save percentage.

Game times

Friday night’s opening faceoff between the Lions and the Vikings is set for 7:15 p.m at the Houghton County Arena. Saturday’ game is set to start at 4 p.m.