Don’t wait on a high school sophomore for understatement again. Nobody has that kind of time. But late Thursday night, one of them made an understatement. It’s recorded here for posterity.
Grand Rapids’ Nathan Garski on last-second winning goal at boys hockey tournament: ‘I just tucked it in’
Nathan Garski, a sophomore, handled the late-night heroics when Grand Rapids and White Bear Lake seemed headed to overtime.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
March 8, 2024 at 9:31PM
“I just tucked it in,” Grand Rapids’ Nathan Garski said.
He just tucked it in, all right. In the final ticks of the final game of a giant day in Minnesota’s famed high school boys hockey state tournament, he tucked himself into hockey history.
Garski scored with 1.6 seconds left in the game, giving Grand Rapids a 2-1 victory over White Bear Lake and a spot in Friday night’s semifinals against Edina.
Grand Rapids led 1-0 until Jack Stanius tied it with a shorthanded goal at 15:26 of the third period. Overtime was bearing down, and midnight was a pending concern, until Garski saw a chance after he tipped a puck to himself. He said he noticed 6.5 seconds on the clock when he did that.
“We made a quick transition, and Will [Shermoen] made a great pass, and I just tucked it in,” he said.
White Bear Lake was seeded fourth to Grand Rapids’ fifth. The victory means the next stop is another late-night game Friday, this one against top-seeded traditional power Edina. The Hornets didn’t endure the stress Thursday that Grand Rapids did. They defeated Elk River/Zimmerman 6-2 in the earlier evening Thursday.
The Hornets lead the tournament in appearances (32) and titles (10).
“We might just leave,” coach Grant Clafton said postgame Thursday.
He reconsidered, of course.
“We’ll give it our best shot.”
Six players plus head coach Garrett Raboin and assistant coach Ben Gordon are from Minnesota. The tournament’s games will be televised starting Monday.
