East Grand Forks senior forward Dixon Bowen said traveling long distances can influence how well the Green Wave play.

“Five hours on a bus, not moving your legs, and then going into a fast-paced game, it definitely has an impact,” Bowen said.

So it’s no surprise that the defending Class 1A state champions were sluggish early in their matchup with Totino-Grace at the Brooklyn Park Community Center on Friday night.

East Grand Forks fought through the slow start, relying on its physical play and Bowen’s hat trick to rally from a two-goal deficit and defeat the Eagles 6-4. 

Bowen, who has committed to North Dakota, has team-high five goals and eight point after two games. He finished with 13 goals and 14 assists in the regular season as a junior.

Being the defending champs and holding the No. 1 ranking in the latest Class 1A coaches poll may have put a target on the collective back of the Green Wave (2-0-0), but coach Tyler Palmiscno said the team isn’t straying from what’s worked in the past. 

That includes being strong on the puck, an asset that was on display throughout Friday’s game. The Green Wave continuously circled the Eagles’ offensive zone, refusing to be taken off the puck by bodychecks. 

Bowen showed his strength when he muscled off a defender to tap in a pass from junior forward Tanner Tweten to give East Grand Forks a 3-2 lead early in the second period. 

Bowen attributes the team’s physicality to its offseason workouts, which focused heavily on weightlifting. 

“We have a strength trainer during the summer,” Bowen said. “We take it very seriously, and that carries over into games.”

Senior defenseman Nathan Peabody, who had three assists in Friday’s win, said the entire team is committed to lifting weights.

“All the guys are pretty loyal (to the workouts),” Peabody said. 

Weightlifting during the season is hard work, but Bowen and Peabody aren’t afraid to have a little fun along the way. 

Bowen routinely performs what Peabody dubbed “Dixon moves” during the workouts, which helps keep the team loose. 

“(He just does) something silly or embarrassing,” Peabody said. “But it’s always fun.”


Totino-Grace forward Blake Vagle tries to tie up East Grand Forks center Dixon Bowen at center ice in a 6-4 loss by the Eagles. Photo by Rick Orndorf

First Report

Senior forward Dixon Bowen scored three goals and added an assist as defending Class A state champion East Grand Forks overcame a two-goal deficit to defeat Totino-Grace 6-4 at the Brooklyn Park Community Activity Center on Friday night. 

Totino-Grace took a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by senior forward Joey Brey and sophomore forward Cam Fagerlee, and the Eagles held that lead until Bowen and senior defenseman Sam Larson scored in the last 2:17 of the first period.

Bowen scored his second goal five minutes into the second period, tapping in a beautiful pass from junior forward Tanner Tweten to give the Green Wave a 3-2 lead. Bowen finished off his hat trick with an empty-net goal just before the end of the third period. 

Senior forward Jace Pesch scored a goal and had two assists for East Grand Forks.

Tweten and senior defenseman Nathan Peabody each had three assists, while junior forward Grant Loven scored for East Grand Forks (2-0-0), which is ranked No. 1 in the latest coaches poll. 

Senior forward Jacob Gunderson and junior forward Ryan Johnson scored for ninth-ranked Totino-Grace (0-1-0).

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