State boys hockey: Grand Rapids edges Bemidji in overtime – TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press

Stillwater coach Matt Doman was specifically looking forward to one Class 2A quarterfinal matchup in the boys state hockey tournament, other than the one his Ponies were playing in Thursday.

He had his eye on the Bemidji-Grand Rapids game.

For good reason.

The fifth-seeded Lumberjacks (23-3-2) and Thunderhawks turned in what was easily the game of the tournament to this point, going to overtime before senior forward Alex Adams scored early in the extra session to give fourth-seeded Grand Rapids a 3-2 overtime victory.

Grand Rapids senior forward Mitchell Mattson, a North Dakota commit, held the puck along the boards before dishing out to Adams in front of the net. It was the second straight game Adams played the hero. He scored the game-winner with six seconds left against Duluth East to get Grand Rapids into the state tournament.

“The last couple of games I’ve gotten pretty lucky coming up with the big goal,” Adams said. “It was a pretty hard goal not to put away.”

Junior forward Micah Miller put Grand Rapids up 2-1 in the second period with a shot that perfectly slotted into the top right corner. Miller looked to have extended the lead to 3-1 at the end of the second period. He charged past the Bemidji defensemen with Grand Rapids coach Trent Klatt screaming how much time was left, and he scored as the clock expired. The original call on the ice was a good goal, but replay showed the score occurred after the period ended, thus nullifying the goal.

“I knew as soon as he put the puck in the net it wasn’t a goal,” Klatt said.

That became a larger issue early in the third period, as Bemidji junior forward Alex Pollock scored a power-play goal – his second of the contest – 16 seconds into the third period.

The close contest shouldn’t have been a surprise to anyone. The teams played in the first game of the season in November. The result was a 1-1 tie.

“It’s exactly what I expected,” Klatt said. “We were just lucky to be on the right end of the score sheet tonight.”

Grand Rapids (22-6-1) will take on top-seeded Eden Prairie in Friday’s state semifinals.

Briefly

Grand Rapids sophomore forward Blake McLaughlin, a Gophers commit, was a healthy scratch. Klatt said he was told not to comment on McLaughlin’s absence, though he added Grand Rapids also wouldn’t be at full strength on Friday.