Boys Hockey: Park Rapids receives No. 8 seed, home playoff game to begin Section 8A playoffs

The Panthers' Wyatt Tischer (21) battled along the boards to control the puck during the regular season finale against Greenway on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022.

By Vance Carlson

February 17, 2022 at 11:58 AM

PARK RAPIDS – The Park Rapids-Menahga-Walker-Hackensack-Akeley boys hockey team will have one more home game.

The Panthers received the No. 8 seed for the Section 8A tournament and will host No. 9 Bagley/Fosston in a play-in game at the Ted O. Johnson Ice Arena at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 22. Park Rapids (10-14-1) and Bagley/Fosston (12-11-1) split games during the regular season with Bagley/Fosston winning the first game 3-2 and the Panthers winning the second game 6-4.

The other play-in game has No. 7 Crookston (6-17-1) hosting No. 10 Lake of the Woods (7-12-1).

The section quarterfinals will be played on Thursday, Feb. 24. No. 1 Warroad (19-3-1) will host the winner between Park Rapids and Bagley/Fosston while No. 2 Thief River Falls (13-11) draws the winner between Crookston and LOW. No. 3 Detroit Lakes (17-4-1) will host No. 6 Kittson Central (8-15-1) and No. 4 East Grand Forks (8-16) will host No. 5 Red Lake Falls (16-7-1) in the other quarterfinals.

East Grand Forks will host the section semifinals on March 1 and the section championship game on March 3.

Conner Hanson carried the puck out of the Park Rapids zone during a game against Greenway on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022.

Park Rapids closed out the regular season with a 4-2 loss to Greenway at the Ted O. Johnson Ice Arena.

Greenway claimed a 4-0 lead behind first-period goals by Joe Herfindahl at the 13:26 mark and Jace Kammeier at the 7:54 mark and third-period goals by Aden Springer at the 12:11 mark and Kammeier at the 8:42 mark. Springer’s goal was on the power play.

The Panthers concluded the scoring on goals by Nash Mitchell and Conner Hanson. Jaxson Lund and Sam Meier assisted on Mitchell’s goal with 7:49 to play while Liam Torola set up Hanson’s goal with :45 remaining.

The Raiders held a 38-21 edge in shots on goal as Park Rapids goalie Sawyer Torkelson made 34 saves. The win gave Greenway a 12-10 record.

Greenway 2 0 2…4

Park Rapids 0 0 2…2

FIRST PERIOD: 1, Greenway, Herfindahl (Jorgenson), 13:26. 2, Greenway, Kammeier (Villeneuve, Thorson), 7:54. Penalties: Greenway 1, Park Rapids 1.

SECOND PERIOD: No scoring. Penalties: None.

THIRD PERIOD: 3, Greenway, Springer, 12:11. 4, Greenway, Kammeier (Thorson), 8:42. 1, Park Rapids, Mitchell (Lund, Meier), 7:49. 2, Park Rapids, Hanson (L. Torola), :45. Penalties: Greenway 1, Park Rapids 1.

GOALIE SAVES: Greenway (Ambuehl) 6-5-8–19. Park Rapids (Torkelson) 14-13-7–34.