East Grand Forks Mayor Lynn Stauss offered a couple of history lessons Sunday at a welcome-home celebration for the Senior High Green Wave, the Minnesota state Class A hockey champions.
“These kids are flood babies,” he said, referring to the flood that devastated the cities of East Grand Forks and Grand Forks 17 years ago. “They had to work hard early in life as we rebuilt. And they’ve been working hard ever since.”
A near-capacity crowd was on hand at the Senior High gymnasium to honor the team, which beat Hermantown 7-3 on Saturday to claim the school’s first-ever state hockey title.
“We’ve been waiting for this for 57 years,” Stauss said, recalling the petition drive in the late 1950s that launched the East Grand Forks hockey program.
The celebration actually started late Saturday night, as the bus carrying the team and coaching staff was greeted on its return to town by a police escort and a street lined with fans.
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On Sunday, the mayor, Senior High activities director Jim Scanlan and head coach Tyler Palmiscno saluted not only the players, but the fans, the pep band, cheerleaders and youth hockey coaches and boosters.
“This is a very talented group of young men sitting here today,” Scanlan said. “A coach has to articulate his vision and the players have to buy into it. It was always so impressive to me to see how this group has gone about its business.”
They also offered congratulations to the girls hockey team, which made it to the state hockey championship game this year, to the boy’s basketball team, which advanced Friday to the state tournament in Minneapolis, and to the girls basketball team, which will play for the Section 8AA north subsection championship Tuesday against Pequot Lakes.
Eddie Eades was one of three teammates to address the crowd.
“First, we’d like to thank our parents,” he said, referring to years of commitment, travel and other expenses. “Hockey sticks don’t come cheap.
“Coaches? It’s been an honor to play for them. And thanks to all you youth coaches, too, for teaching us to play hockey.”
The mayor summed up the occasion.
“What a year,” he said. “We’ve never had one like this in the history of the community.”
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