Grand Rapids Boys’ Hockey Returns to State Tourney After 7-Year Hiatus

Grand Rapids boys’ hockey is back at the state tournament for the first time since 2017, the same year they took home their fourth state title. After falling to Andover in the Section 7AA tournament the past four years, the Thunderhawks finally punched their ticket by way of a 3-2 overtime win over the 11th-ranked Huskies in the title game.

Their road to a fifth championship doesn’t get any easier, though, as they drew a rematch in the quarterfinals with White Bear Lake, a team they lost to back in January. But the Thunderhawks aren’t focused on the past – they’re looking forward to getting down to the X and enjoying everything that comes with it.

“It’s a great opportunity for them, and they’ve worked so hard,” said head coach Grant Clafton. “And right now I think the biggest thing is just going down there to enjoy it, but with a goal of going down there and making some noise.”

“I think obviously we have to get pucks to the net, get guys in front of the net,” explained senior defenseman Bauer Murphy. “I think we’ve really just got to get a lot of shots, really just gotta get the whole team together and know that we’ve got to make a push here.”

“We’ve got young kids that have played really good this year,” added senior forward Gavin Forrest. “We’ve got our seniors stepping up. We had a new coach come in, he’s been pushing us to be our best, so it’s going to be a great experience, it’s going to be very fun.”

5-seed Grand Rapids will be playing 4-seed White Bear Lake in the last game of the quarterfinal round. They’re playing at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Mar. 7.