The last time East Grand Forks and Grand Forks Red River faced off in boys hockey, the Green Wave dominated play and doubled the Roughriders in shots during a four-goal victory.
In the rematch, the young Roughriders showcased their improvement from their first game of the season.
But a 37-second stretch of the third period made the final result the same as the first meeting.
The Green Wave popped in two goals in the 37-second span to claim a 2-0 victory over Red River on Thursday night at the Civic Center.
“I thought we could’ve played better but good teams find a way to win in the end,” said East Grand Forks senior Tanner Mack.
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After two scoreless periods, Mack gathered a puck in the slot, chipped it around a defenseman, deked the goalie and scored his team-leading 12th of the season to give the Wave a 1-0 lead with 4:09 left in the game.
“It happened fast; I just had to react,” Mack said.
Moments later, Jake Hjelle scored his ninth of the year to give East Grand Forks breathing room.
East Grand Forks, the No. 4-ranked team in Minnesota Class A, improved to 11-1 and pushed its winning streak to seven games.
“I thought we played OK,” EGF coach Tyler Palmiscno said. “It looked like we were off for two weeks but so was Red River. I thought Red River did a good job not allowing us to sustain our offensive zone time. They were much better than the last time we played them and it was a battle.”
When the Wave beat Red River 4-0 on Nov. 27, the Riders were outshot 32-16. This time, shots were 22-22.
“As far as team defense, we’re getting better,” Red River coach Bill Chase said. “We’ve got to find a way to get the puck in the net. That’s the name of the game for us right now.”
Red River dropped to 4-4 and lost its third in a row, although Chase is trying to remind his inexperienced squad it is making strides.
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“I told them I know you’re looking at the results and just lost but look at what’s happening as we’re doing it,” he said. “It’s not easy. But we’re limiting people. We just have to find ways to do the little things, and we will.”
Both teams play again Saturday. East Grand Forks hosts undefeated North Dakota state hockey tournament favorite Grand Forks Central, while Red River hosts Devils Lake.
