Raiders Hockey Prepares for Hockey Day Minnesota

Greenway/Nashwauk-Keewatin will be making the trip to Lake Bemidji to battle Bemidji High School.

January 16, 2019

Claudia Chakamian,

COLERAINE, Minn. – After making it to the section finals last season, the Greenway/Nashwauk-Keewatin boys hockey team is off to a rough start. Despite a 6–12 record, the Raiders have been battling some of the top teams in the state early in the year.

“I think they’re resilient. I mean I definitely think that our team’s resilient and we have had a hard schedule and we’ve gone through the same adversity that a lot of other teams probably have with sickness and injuries. But they’re coming through it, they’re competing and we’re just trying to expose our weaknesses so that we’re ready at the end of the season for the playoffs,” head coach Grant Clafton said.

While the Raiders already have their sights set on the playoffs, they’re looking forward to this weekend. GNK will be part of this year’s Hockey Day Minnesota. While this is just the 13th year of the event, it’s has become a huge deal for hockey players across the state, and the Raiders feel the same.

“We’re all really excited. We’ve been watching it on TV for many years and we’ve been playing on ponds since we were kids and it’s just the big stage now. Not many people get to do it and we’re fortunate,” senior defenseman Cam Lantz said.

“Growing up all around the outdoor rink from a little kid all the way until now really, skating with my friends and going to be able to do it in front of a lot of people is going to be something special,” senior forward Donte Lawson added.

The Raiders program has come a long way over the past few years and that hard work is being noticed with the invitation to compete at Hockey Day against Bemidji High School.

“I think it’s definitely a culmination to all the people who put a lot of hard work into bringing the program back to all the kids who put all the time in to get where they’ve got and the success that they’ve had,” Clafton said.

The Raiders will take on the Lumberjacks on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. on Lake Bemidji.