Greenway hopes to recapture magic

Surprising run to 2019 title game boosts Raiders heading into new season

By Rick Weegman rweegman@duluthnews.com

Bleak was probably a kind term for what faced the Greenway boys hockey team last Jan. 19 following a second consecutive shutout loss at the end of a dismal six-game stretch of road games, five of which were defeats.

The Raiders, full of talent and expectations, stood 6-13 and a long way from their eventual destination of Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

But in what was a Mighty Ducks-like revival, Greenway turned on the switch and won 11 straight games — knocking Hermantown off its perch atop Section 7A for the first time in 10 years along the way — before capturing the hearts of hockey fans statewide by upsetting two seeded teams in the state tournament, including No. 1

Mahtomedi, and reaching the Class A final.

“We just believed in each other, that’s a big part of being a team,” senior defenseman Christian Miller said.

“We paid the price and it just kicked in at the end of the year. There was definitely frustration, but as a team we got around that and played together. It eventually paid off. Once you start winning, it becomes a habit.”

Though the championship game did not have a Hollywood ending — St. Cloud Cathedral defeated Greenway 5-2 — the Raiders proved a lot to themselves in achieving what they knew was possible.

“Throughout the year we had a lot of injuries that we had to battle through, along with a tough schedule,” senior forward Ben Troumbly said. “We battled through a lot of adversity, but toward the end of the year we got healthy and started clicking.

“No one quit and everyone believed. We pushed each other in practice and it paid off. We never got down on each other and kept believing.”

Coach Grant Clafton said he was pleased with how his players kept their composure during tough times.

“We had a lot of expectations going into the season because of the talent we had,” Clafton said. “It was a bit of a conundrum for us to start out the way we did. Every team has the opportunity during the year when things are going poorly to blame, make excuses and point the finger at somebody else. The one thing that I thought was special about our group is that we overcame a lot of adversity that we had.

“They never looked to blame anyone else.”

That experience provided a big boost for a program that years ago was on the edge of a cliff as far as having enough numbers to continue. Wearing the color green became en vogue during those four days in March.

“It was huge for our program and huge for our area in general. We had a lot of support from the Iron Range communities and a lot of support from the whole State of Hockey,” Clafton said. “It shows that it doesn’t matter if you are a small or a big school, if you can overcome the adversity that comes at you during the season, then you can accomplish or achieve things that others think you couldn’t do.”

In order to repeat, the Raiders must find a way to overcome the loss of Donte Lawson, who had 10 goals and 10 assists in six magical playoff games.

Having Miller and Troumbly — both St. Cloud State commits — back is a good start. Players such as Mitchell Vekich, Micah Gernander and Brock Trboyevich will have a bigger role.

“We’re confident,” Miller said. “We lost a lot of great players but have a lot of skilled players coming back. We’re ready.”

Hermantown, which won nine consecutive section titles, again stands in the way of more good vibrations in the Coleraine area. The Hawks are sure to remember last season’s double-overtime section final loss.

“We know that we woke the giant last year, so we know that Hermantown is ready to go and will be the team to beat this year,” Clafton said. “We are not taking anything for granted. Last year was great … but it’s a forgotten season at this point as far as I’m concerned.”