Cody Aarvig classifies himself as a "grinder," hockey-speak for a player who is physical and concentrates on defense.
But Tuesday, Aarvig's two goals put him in the spotlight. It was excellent timing for his second two-goal game of his career, as Grand Forks Central's senior captain led the way in a 5-2 win against the short-handed, yet pesky, Devils Lake Firebirds in the first round of the East Region playoffs.
"Aarvig has been a quiet performer for us," GFC coach Grant Paranica said. "He's steady and consistent. He may not be noticed much by others, but he's noticed by the coaches."
The third-seeded Knights will play No. 2-seeded West Fargo at Purpur Arena on Friday for a guaranteed spot in the state tournament. The loser of that game will get another shot in the double-elimination format on Saturday to reach the tournament next week at Engelstad Arena.
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"We have to stay out of the penalty box because having (six) penalties will kill us if we do it again," Aarvig said.
Aarvig scored on a backhander from the slot for a 2-0 lead in the first period and on his centering pass on a rush that went into the net off a Firebird defenseman's stick for a 3-1 advantage.
His second goal was emblematic of GFC's win, which didn't receive many style points.
"It was not one of our best performances," Paranica said. "We got away from the things that have gotten us success-working for offense, sharing the puck and staying out of the penalty box. The penalties took away any momentum we could generate."
The Knights defeated Devils Lake by 7-0 and 4-0 scores during the regular season. The Firebirds hung in Tuesday despite injuries sidelining defenseman Matthew Boren, the team-leader in points, and all three forwards on its top-scoring line.
"We played pretty well given the circumstances," Devils Lake coach Jens Stokke said. "We played a hard-fought game. Take away their first two goals, which shouldn't have happened, we played pretty well."
Nick Lund, Grant Johnson and Boe Bjorge scored the other goals and Kaleb Johnson made 14 saves for the Knights (16-5-1).
Wyatt Ness made 34 saves and Cody Wren and Cooper Knoke scored for Devils Lake (8-14-0), which will play Grafton-Park River Friday afternoon at Purpur Arena in an elimination game.
