A week ago, Greenway was hanging its head a little.

The Raiders were left smarting after a two-goal loss at home to Iron Range Conference rival Hibbing/Chisholm had snapped a six-game winning streak.

All the early season momentum could have been threatened.

But jump forward a week and three games later, all is right once again for Greenway as it rallied past Minneapolis 6-3 Wednesday at Ridder Arena to win the Open Division championship of this year's Schwan Cup tournament.

“It’s good for us to experience this kind of tournament,” Greenway’s first-year coach Grant Clafton said afterward. “For us to learn how to deal with the highs and the lows, and responding to the adversity that this kind of environment brings, is a real positive thing.”

Grant Troumbly finished with a hat trick and Taylor Lantz added a goal and three assists to lead the Raiders (12-2-0), ranked No. 14 in the Class 1A coaches’ poll.

Linemates Troumbly, Lantz and Nic Dulong all finished with a plus-4 in the victory as Greenway used speed and puck possession to frustrate Minneapolis.

It was by design, it was deliberate, and it was effective.

“If we are able to control the puck and outwork them with a strong forecheck, it makes a big difference,” Troumbly said.

The Raiders struck first, scoring twice in the span of less than 20 seconds early in the second period. A short time later, the Novas responded and leveled things at 2-2 before Troumbly scored his second goal of the day at 14:08 of the second period to give Greenway a lead heading into the second intermission.

The Novas routinely struggled to break the puck out of their zone and were left short on answers for the controlled game the Raiders employed.

“We just didn’t seem like we had our playmaking ability today, we were off a little with our passing,” Minneapolis coach Joe Dziedzic says. “But a lot of that is a credit to (Greenway). They played hard, they played well.”

Minneapolis (9-5) worked its way into the championship game with wins over Chisago Lakes and Simley. But against Greenway, Novas’ top scorer Jake Hale (14-5-19) suffered a shoulder injury early and never returned. After he exited, Minneapolis was never quite the same.

“It didn’t help,” Dziedzic says of losing Hale’s services. “Once we lost him, it took away a lot of our skill up front.”

The Raiders outshot the Novas 36-25 for the game.

Greenway improved its record to 12-2 with the victory, capping off a three-game run through the tournament that also included wins over Spring Lake Park and Princeton.

The Raiders will return north with their confidence back and eager to tear into January.

“It’s always good to respond to a loss with three wins like this,” Clafton said. “The Hibbing game was a tough loss, but it’s different because it’s an emotional environment against a rival in our house, the building is packed and the game is at prime time. Now, we come down here and we are facing quality opponents and the game times are scattered…it was just a great opportunity to work on our mental toughness and take a step in the right direction.”


Senior captain Max Kjome had a goal for the Novas midway through the second period. Photo by Nick Wosika

First Report

Greenway defeated Minneapolis 6-3 Wednesday afternoon at Ridder Arena to seize the Open Division championship at this year's Schwan Cup Tournament.

Junior forward Grant Troumbly finished with a hat trick and junior defenseman Dylan Sundquist finished with a goal and three assists to help lead the Raiders past the Novas, Greenway's third victory in as many days.

The Raiders' speed and puck movement caused trouble for the Novas, whose lack of depth became a liability at times. Greenway outshot Minneapolis 36-25.

The Raiders, ranked No. 14 in the Class 1A coaches' poll, improves their record to 12-2 with the win while the Novas' record drops to 9-5.

 

 

 

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