Grand Rapids Boys Hockey Eyes Revenge Against White Bear Lake in AA Quarterfinals

White Bear Lake was able to get the best of Grand Rapids, 2 to nothing back in January.

GRAND RAPIDS, Minn.- The fourth time was the charm for the Grand Rapids boys hockey team as they were finally able to get past Andover in the Section 7AA tournament, winning a 3 to 2 double overtime thriller last Thursday.

The Thunderhawks are now state bound for the first time since 2017.

An impressive feat given it’s the first year under head coach Grand Clafton and the team also fielded a tough schedule.

Clafton admits it wasn’t always easy but his team’s ability to bounce back fast is a reason they are where they are today.

“With our strength of schedule, we knew we were going to have some lumps along the way. And a lot of our weaknesses would be exposed. And when you do that you really don’t have any other option. You either keep losing and keep making mistakes or you fix them and get better. I think our kids did a sensational job learning from mistakes, not getting down on themselves. After a loss it was a regroup, reboot, check it out, reset and go try it again on the next night,” said Clafton.

Grand Rapids matches up with a White Bear Lake squad that was able to get the best of them 2 to nothing back in January.

“We’re going to have to do a better job getting in front of their goaltender and fighting for rebounds and making it hard on him. With Roed, we’re going to have make sure where he’s on the ice and give him the respect he deserves,” added Clafton.

“If we come out strong and play physical, I think like Grand said, we have to respect them. We just have to come out with a higher intention of winning,” said senior forward Kyler Miller.

Puck drop between the Thunderhawks and Bears is set for 8 PM on Thursday.