Greenway at Grand Rapids
7:30 p.m., Friday, Jan. 27

This storied rivalry features two schools separated by eight miles on Highway 169 and also some of the highest per-capita hockey talent anywhere. Thousands from Itasca County and beyond are expected to pack Grand Rapids' IRA Civic Center this Friday night. 

Grand Rapids (12-4-1, 0-1) dropped from No. 4-2A to No. 9-2A in the state coaches’ poll after back-to-back losses last week to Hermantown (4-3) and Duluth East (5-0) before the Thunderhawks rallied to beat Cloquet and Hibbing/Chisholm by a combined score of 15-2.

Three big forwards are averaging more than two points per game for Grand Rapids. Micah Miller (15-31-46) leads the team in scoring, followed closely by Blake McLaughlin (15-23-38) and Gavin Hain (16-19-35).

Greenway (11-3-1, 4-1) has won a pair since opening the new year with a 11-2 loss to Class 1A, Section 7 rival Hermantown on Jan. 3. The Raiders aren’t scoring as consistently as they would like, though senior Taylor Lantz (18-19-37) is averaging nearly 2.5 points-per-game.