ST. PAUL — The East Grand Forks Green Wave hockey team came home as the Class 1A state champions after defeating St. Cloud Cathedral at the Xcel Energy Center on Saturday, March 8.
The team was one of three representing rural Northern Minnesota in the tourney, with Hibbing/Chisholm and Northern Lakes Lightning also competing for top honors.
Thursday’s quarterfinals saw Hibbing/Chisholm advance to the semis, where EGF beat them 7-5 after defeating Northern Lakes in the quarters 3-0.
Hibbing/Chisholm went on to play in the third-place bracket, but fell to Orono 5-1. Northern Lakes advanced in the consolation bracket, but lost to Northfield 4-0.
Northern Lakes senior Wyatt Balmer was awarded the Class A Herb Brooks Award, given to the most qualified player in the tournament “who strongly represents the values, characteristics, and traits that defined Herb Brooks.”
According to a news release from the Minnesota State High School League, Balmer was selected for exceptional leadership in a time of adversity.
Balmer was frustrated with the way he was covered early in his career. But rather than focus on the negative, he found a way to cope and thrive.
“He learned, with the help of his coaches to learn to persevere and adjust to how teams played against him,” Northern Lakes head coach Mike Randolph said.
"He took the strength of his game and his mind to overcome some of the frustrations that can come with being a (really) good hockey player and helped his team get stronger throughout the season and the playoffs.”
“Wyatt is ‘other-centered’ not self-centered,” Randolph told the MSHSL. “The team is more important to Wyatt than individual accomplishments. Loyalty to his school and teammates is extremely important to Wyatt. He strives for the players on this team to become better. Whatever Wyatt can do to facilitate that growth is his contribution to the team.”
