Elks boys hockey advances to Section 8-2A semifinal

Elk River to face Moorhead on Saturday, Feb. 24

by Erik Nelson

Sports Reporter

Goals were at a premium in the Section 7-2A quarterfinal between Bemidji (9-16-1) and Elk River (16-9-1), as both Elks junior goalie Gavin Greniuk and Lumberjacks junior goalie Tate Metcalf were on top of their game on Tuesday, Feb. 20. The Elks survived a late power-play opportunity from Bemidji and advanced to the Section 7-2A semifinal with a 3-1 win in front of the home crowd at Cornerstone Automotive Arena.

Elks head coach Ben Gustafson said both teams played well and gave great efforts.

“I thought it was a really good hockey game,” Gustafson said. “Any time you get to section playoffs, both teams are going to play desperate. It’s the most special time of the year for Minnesota high school hockey. This time of year, you rely on your seniors. I could not be more proud of those 10 seniors in that locker room. You rely on their maturity. You rely on their leadership. I’m proud of our entire team. They’re resilient. They never quit. Their backs were against the wall when they were down 1-0. They kept working and believing in themselves.”

Neither team scored in the first period. Elk River controlled the play for most of the opening 17 minutes, as the Elks outshot the Lumberjacks 13-9.

In the second period, Elk River senior defenseman Hayden Jasper took a penalty for charging at 7:39 of the period, putting Bemidji on its first power play of the evening. The Lumberjacks made Jasper pay for it, as junior defenseman Nick Johnson’s slap shot from the blue line beat Greniuk and gave Bemidji a 1-0 lead.

Despite trailing 1-0, the Elks still had faith they could win. After Bemidji turned the puck over in the neutral zone, Elks senior forward Kole Mears grabbed the puck and skated on a breakaway toward Metcalf. He then fired a wrist shot through Metcalf’s five hole to tie the game at one at 13:10 of the second. The game remained tied 1-1 at the second intermission.

In the third period, facing the prospect of it being his last high school hockey game, Elks senior defenseman Cooper Anderson blasted a slap shot from the point into the Bemidji net as Elk River took a 2-1 lead at 9:17 of the period.

Late in the game with the Elks ahead 2-1, senior forward Dylan Peterson took an interference penalty at 15:37 of the third. Bemidji had already pulled Metcalf for an extra attacker, so the teams would play 6-on-4 hockey for the rest of regulation unless the Lumberjacks scored.

Thanks to key saves from Greniuk and shot blocks from Elk River’s penalty killers, the Elks were able to gain control of the puck. Senior forward Braden Hansberger glided the puck into the empty net with a long shot from his own defensive zone with 36 seconds remaining in regulation, sealing the win for the Elks.

“Penalty killing is all about effort, grit and blocking shots,” Gustafson said. “We blocked a couple in the end. They had one power-play goal, but penalty killing’s about heart.”

Offensive Player of the Game

Anderson’s goal was his eighth of the season. It extended his point streak to four games, tying a season high.

“Our game plan all night was to throw pucks on net,” Anderson said. “I found a lane, so I took it and scored. I was thinking about the team [and] thinking about Grenny [Greniuk]. We had to win it for him. I’ve been here all 13 years I’ve played. It’s special to win the last one at home.”

Defensive Player of the Game

Greniuk stopped 27 of Bemidji’s 28 shots for his 14th win of the season.

What’s next

The Elks travel to Moorhead to battle the No. 7 Spuds (13-12-1) in the Section 7-2A semifinal on Saturday, Feb. 24, at 7 p.m. at the Moorhead Sports Center. If Elk River can pull off the upset, it will face either Buffalo (9-16-1) or St. Cloud (11-14-1) in the Section 7-2A championship game on Wednesday, Feb. 28. The winner of the championship game will advance to the 2024 MSHSL Class 2A boys hockey tournament March 7-9 at Xcel Energy Center. The Elks haven’t made the Class 2A state tournament since 2005.

Gustafson said the Elks will have to outwork the Spuds if Elk River wants to advance to the section championship.

“We’re going to have to play good defensively,” he said. “We’re going to have to play to our identity, keep the game simple and score on our opportunities. In the section playoffs, anything can happen. We’re looking forward to the challenge and the opportunity.”