During the hottest week of the year to-date, refuge from the July sun could be found at Yanmar Arena this past Friday thru Sunday where the Grand Rapids-Greenway Lightning put opponents on notice before the upcoming season.
The team hosted their annual GRG Lightning tournament, welcoming seven teams to Grand Rapids from around the state for a weekend of summer hockey. GRG looked fantastic on Friday showing few signs of rust as a combination of youth and upperclassmen dominated Rogers on the ice in all black uniforms.
The Lightning have been participating in their summer camp this month under longtime head coach Brad Hyduke, who said they just want to keep the summer simple while the team is allowed to gather during the summer contact period.
“You never want to read too much into summer games as part of the summer training programs,” says Hyduke. “It’s always a mix of established varsity athletes, players who have predominantly played JV and new incoming players from the youth programs - more about fun and camaraderie than strategy and systems.”
Hyduke says the annual tournament is an opportunity for the team to get together and enjoy some friendly competition as they prepare for the upcoming season. A new year means opportunity, especially for the young players who use this ice time as a chance to prove themselves. GRG will miss goaltender Riley Toivonen and forward Molly Pierce and others to graduation but the door opens up for a new team-dynamic as players look to fill the void left behind. Mira Rajala looks to be an intriguing fit on the first line with Mercury Bischoff and Kyle DeBay, and will compete along with Reilly Sherlock and Opal Anderson, who have “put in their time and will look to take on a bigger role this season,” according to Hyduke. Claire Tobeck and Teegan Christy will challenge each other in net to be the primary replacement for Toivonen, who won 16 games for the Lightning last season and 11 the year before.
The team made an impression in the tournament because Hyduke liked what he saw from the Lightning over the weekend, going 4-0 at Yanmar Arena.
“We were able to essentially play 12-13 forwards and seven D per game with our two goalies,” Hyduke said. “We finished with the Rogers win, 5-1 over Bemidji on Saturday and 9-1 and 6-2 over Brainerd and Thief River Sunday - it's obvious to us coaches that our athletes are dedicated to off season training and have added strength and speed.”
Apart from the return to the ice, the teams enjoyed the weekend overall. Hyduke says the visiting teams made it a full weekend in Grand Rapids when not at the rink.
“All of those coaches from the seven other competing teams loved the experience. They did picnics, swimming, camping, team building and of course some coaching!”
GRG will continue a summer camp through the end of July, and will make their official return to the ice October 28.
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