MARQUETTE – The wait is finally over for Marquette hockey fans.

The Marquette Iron Rangers will reintroduce some old-time hockey to the community when they hold their home opener with special events this weekend.

Iron Rangers owner Bob Airaudi says that the organization is looking forward to hosting its first game and to showcase the team’s skills for the surrounding community.

“We’re excited for the whole weekend,” he said. “We have lots of special things planned and we are looking forward to a great turnout. We have a lot of tickets sold and we’re hoping to be sold out by Saturday night.”

To help showcase the event, the Iron Rangers will have special guests joining them. The famous Hanson Brothers from the 1970s-era cult hockey movie “Slap Shot” will be on hand to join in the festivities and will participate in a meet-and-greet before Saturday’s game at 5 p.m. in Lakeview Arena.

The threesome, who are actually the Carlson brothers from the Iron Range in Minnesota, used to play for the Iron Rangers and will be honored with the retiring of their former numbers.

“It’ll be a great start to our season,” Airaudi said. “I contacted them and they are very excited to come here. They used to play for the old Iron Rangers in the early ’70s, so it’s kind of a homecoming. They are also excited that we’re going to be retiring their jerseys. After I talked to them about that, they were more than willing to come up here.”

For those who do not know, Airaudi wanted to bring back a team that he liked to watch growing up and in the process help Marquette become the hockey town that it once was.

“I started watching them when I was 4 (years old), so for me, I had a special interest,” he said. “This is such a hockey town and together with Lakeview Arena and the city here, we want to bring Marquette back to being the hockey mecca of the Midwest that it was.”

Airaudi says that the majority of the team is made up of players in their early to mid-20s, but some of their goaltenders are in their early 30s. He also says that the roster is almost full (27 of 30 spots) and that his team will be focused on helping the community.

“These guys work in the community, they pay taxes in the community and they volunteer in the community,” he said. “That’s one thing that we’re really about. We’re going to be doing other events as well.

“We’re going to have a Skate for Life for organ donation and we’re going to do something with the steelworkers. The Iron Range started in 1844 in Negaunee where it was founded in the Upper Peninsula and we have a lot of ties to the iron ore community.

“I’m very honored to support them and the whole industry up here that has supported this area to what we are today.”

As far as how the team looks in its inaugural season, Iron Rangers player-coach Hayden Rajala says that they have a wide range of talent and that the current focus is on the defense.

“We’ve got a lot of guys ranging in mobility levels based on whether they’ve played recently or starting to get back into it,” he said. “So for us, we’re struggling in our D-zone and we’re trying to figure out what to do.

“We’re really strong offensively. When we do get that puck, we can transition well offensively into scoring opportunities. Our offense is there, but defensively, we need to work on things.”

Although Rajala doesn’t have any coaching experience, he is eager to learn and hopes to continue coaching as the years go on.

“I have a really good passion for the sport and I don’t have a problem taking the initiative,” he said. “I’m going to do this as a career when I get older and I’m really excited to show everyone what I’ve got.”

As the home opener approaches, Airaudi is feeling positive and thinks fans will have a good time watching the Iron Rangers.

“We had a preseason tournament down in Fond du Lac (Wisconsin) for our first game ever a couple of weekends ago,” he said. “It was really exciting then. Now the real season starts this weekend and the players are just excited to get out there on the ice. It is a tough league and especially these teams from the U.P.”

“We’re a new team, but we’re learning fast and we’re going to continue to get better and better. I think you’re going to see some great hockey and hopefully we’ll come out all nights on top.”

With Lakeview Arena serving as their home base, the Iron Rangers face the Calumet Wolverines at 8 p.m. Friday before taking Saturday’s Hanson Brothers showcase features the Portage Lake Pioneers as the opposition in another game beginning at 8 p.m.

Ryan Stieg can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 246. His email address is rstieg@miningjournal.net.