Wayzata at Grand Rapids
7 p.m., Friday, Jan. 22

In a meeting between two talented but inconsistent Class 2A teams, Grand Rapids hosts Wayzata Friday night, giving each a good opportunity to test itself against a top-tier opponent from outside the section with the playoffs just around the corner.

Moreover, this matchup offers a contrast in styles, as Grand Rapids relies on its offensive punch while Wayzata gets it done with defense.

The No. 12-2A Thunderhawks have won four straight and six of their last seven dating back to Dec. 29. Grand Rapids is coming off a big 3-0 victory over No. 4-1A Hibbing/Chisholm in which the Thunderhawks outshot the Bluejackets 42-22.

Grand Rapids is led in scoring by North Dakota commit Mitchell Mattson, who enters the week with 14 goals and 33 points.

The No. 15-2A Trojans (10-6-1) have had their share of up-and-down performances this season.

Wayzata has wins over quality teams like No. 7-2A Edina, No. 2-1A Breck, No. 4-4A Holy Family Catholic and No. 10-1A Hill-Murray, though the Trojans' offense has been silenced too many times in frustrating losses.

As a team, Wayzata is barely in the positive when it comes to averaging goals-for (2.53) and goals-against (2.47) as the team has relied heavily on its goaltending.

Senior Alex Schilling has done the bulk of the heavy lifting and has a 6-5 record, a 2.75 goals-against average and a .873 save percentage to show for it, while his backup, junior Reid Waszczenko (3-1-1, .924, 1.81), is developing as a strong No. 2 goalie.