Duluth East Greyhounds Win 3-2 Overtime Thriller Over Elk River to Earn Trip to State [PHOTOS]

In a game that promised plenty of excitement, the Duluth East Greyhounds and Elk River Elks met at AMSOIL Arena Thursday night, competing for the Section 7AA Title and a trip to the Minnesota State Class AA Tournament.

The Greyhounds entered the game looking for revenge after falling 3-2 to the Elks in the regular season, as well as a chance to earn their sixth straight trip to State.

The first period of play saw both teams remain quiet on offense; but Elk River maintained heavy pressure during the period, leading East in shots 10-5. Only 15 seconds into the second period, Elks junior Reggie Lutz earned the first tally on the scoreboard for the night. East's Bryton Lutzka answered back with under a minute left in the second period, but Jake Jaremko broke the tie 14 seconds later, giving Elk River the 2-1 advantage going into the second intermission.

With just over 2 minutes left in regulation, Greyhounds sophomore Alex Spencer scored a power play goal that would tie the game at 2-2 and ultimately send the two teams into overtime. Duluth East junior Nick Altmann found the net just over 2 minutes into the overtime period, giving the Greyhounds the 3-2 win and their sixth consecutive trip to the state tournament.

The Greyhounds will have to wait until Saturday, when the Minnesota State High School League will announce the brackets and seeding for the tournament. Duluth East joins Hermantown as the Twin Ports representation at this year's tournament.