After an exciting victory over second-seeded Duluth East in the Class 2A, Section 7 championship Thursday night at Amsoil Arena, Grand Rapids will make a trip to the state tournament for the first time since 2007.

The teams set an explosive and physical tone in both zones from start to finish, but the top-seeded Thunderhawks prevailed with a 6-5 win when Alex Adams scored the game-winner with only six seconds left in the third period.

Finally.

In the previous three years, Grand Rapids ended its season with losses to Duluth East.

“It’s a phenomenal feeling,” Thunderhawks senior goalie Gabe Holum said. “I’ve seen so many Rapids teams lose this game, and it’s such a great feeling to finally win this one.”

The Thunderhawks were 18-6-1 in the regular season, success first-year coach Trent Klatt was proud to see his team continue on Thursday.

“It’s awesome, it’s a great feeling." Klatt said. “These guys worked hard all year long, they stuck to their game plan, and they can relish in their hard work tonight.”

Adams, a senior forward who finished the regular season second on the team in goals (16) and points (35), credited the win to a team effort.

“It feels really good, and that’s all I can say about my goal,” added Adams, who had five goals, four assists and nine points in the postseason. “We put six (goals) up on the board together. It was a good, hard battle by the team and it feels great.”

Grand Rapids (21-6-1) had strong presence in the stands, helping eliminate the hometown advantage of Duluth East (18-10).

Thunderhawks supporters flooded Amsoil Arena, turning sections of the upper and lower bowls solid orange.

“There are no emotions that describe how it feels. We have most of the town of Grand Rapids here right now, and to have the whole community supporting you in a game like this just feels unreal,” said senior forward Jonah Bischoff, who scored back-to-back goals in the third period to pull the Thunderhawks even at 5-5 with less than six minutes to play.

“Not only did we win this one for us, but we did it for the community that has been supporting us since Day 1," Holum said.

That community, along with the team, has been waiting eight years for another trip to state.

“We are definitely gonna celebrate this one for a little bit, but our season’s not over,” Bischoff said. “We still got three more games down in the Twin Cities, so we’re definitely going to keep working hard to succeed down there just like we did tonight.”

By securing a state bid, the Thunderhawks have achieved one of their season goals. They have another in their sights.

“At the beginning of the season, these guys decided that one of their goals wasn’t just to make it to the state tournament, but to win it,” Klatt said. “So we are going in with the intention of doing the best we can and hope to take home the title”.

Grand Rapids is heading to the Class 2A state tournament for the first time since 2007.

Alex Adams' late goal propelled the top-seeded Thunderhawks past second-seeded Duluth East 6-5 in the Section 7 championship Thursday night at Amsoil Arena in Duluth.

Ash Altmann scored twice for the Greyhounds, whose run of seven straight trips to state ended with the loss.

The game began with both teams starting strong and ready to battle, with aggressive play in both ends of the ice.

Grand Rapids came out ahead 2-1 in the first period despite being outshot by the Greyhounds 11-4.

The second period was scoreless until the last six minutes, when Duluth East netted back-to-back goals just 26 seconds apart.

Minutes later, Grand Rapids answered with a goal to tie the game 3-3 as the period came to an end.

The Greyhounds looked to take control with back-to-back goals less than 90 seconds apart in the third period, giving them a 5-3 lead.

But the Thunderhawks quickly erased the deficit behind two goals less than a minute apart from Jonah Bischoff, who chalked up his first two points in the playoffs.

With the score tied and just minutes remaining in the game, both teams played with electric momentum, forcing several turnovers in the neutral zone and racking up shots on goal.

The Thunderhawks finally capitalized with six second to play as Adams tipped in the game-winner, causing the team - and the fans - to go wild.

Grand Rapids earned the victory despite being outshot 34-29, and the teams committed a combined five penalties but neither were successful on the power plays.

Thunderhawks goalie Gabe Holum finished with 24 saves while Kirk Meierhoff made 23 for the Greyhounds.

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