After Strong Finish to Regular Season, C-E-C Boys Hockey Preps for Section Tourney

The first round game between Coon Rapids and C-E-C will take place on February 21st. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 PM in Cloquet.

CLOQUET, Minn.- The Cloquet-Esko- Carlton boys hockey team closed out the regular season strong, winning six out of their last eight games.

It’s the first time since the 2017-2018 season that C-E-C has finished with 15 or more wins. It’s also a bounce back season from a year ago, in which the Lumberjacks were only able to capture eight victories.

Senior center Patrick Dunaiski says it feels good to be in the spot where they are thanks to that crucial stretch towards the end of the season.

“We started playing a lot more physical. And we were able to get some pretty big upset wins over city teams. They’re not used to that type of hitting. So it really helped us take advantage of the game overall,” said Dunaiski.

Dunaiski and C-E-C will now shift their focus to Section 7AA play as C-E-C earned the 4th seed and will play the 5th seed Coon Rapids in the first round.

Senior defenseman Lucas Rauner remembers the first time the two teams met in the regular season.

“They’re dynamic through the neutral zone but they love to take a lot of risks. So just limiting their opportunities all over the ice and then turning those opportunites for us is where we could really shine,” added Rauner.

The first round game between Coon Rapids and C-E-C will take place on February 21st. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 PM in Cloquet.