Trent Klatt had a plan for overtime, and fortunately, Gavin Hain ruined it.

Hain scored just 11 seconds into overtime to give Grand Rapids a 3-2 victory over Minnetonka in the Thunderhawks season-opener on Friday night at Minnetonka’s Pagel Ice Arena.  

The Grand Rapids coach planned on dividing his top line for the game’s extra session, splitting Hain, Blake McLaughlin and Micah Miller equally across his forward lines.

“We had all of our eggs in one basket for the better part of the game,” Klatt said of his decision. “We thought in overtime we would split it up a little bit, see if we couldn’t keep someone on the ice at all times.”

Hain, McLaughlin and Miller are all Division I commits, to North Dakota, Minnesota and St. Cloud State respectively, and had skated effectively together for much of Friday’s game.

“I’ve got a few of ‘em that have the ability to do that,” Klatt said, referring to scoring a clutch goal. “(Hain) has got a lot of hockey sense and a lot of ability to make plays like that,” Klatt added. “He’s got good instincts.”

Those instincts were the key reason Hain scored the game-winner, jumping a Minnetonka defender at the Skipper blue line, stealing the puck, and beating goaltender Matt Muller top shelf.

The Thunderhawks (1-0-0) celebrated once more in front of the Minnetonka student section, the type of competitive gesture that only adds to a game’s luster.

“Wherever the crowd is, they’re always rowdy,” Hain said after the game with a grin. “You just feed off that energy wherever you are.”

The junior forward also scored the tying goal to open the third period, burying a shot in the Skipper slot. Fellow junior McLaughlin scored the other goal for the Thunderhawks, ranked No. 3 in the latest Let’s Play Hockey Class 2A poll.

Minnetonka (0-2-0) entered Friday’s game as the No. 8 rated team. Junior forwards Luke Loheit and David Andes scored in the loss for the Skippers.  

Hain and McLaughlin were both invited to the U.S. National Team Development Program’s Under-17 tryout last spring, and Hain says that it gave him a taste of what type of competition is to come in the next stages of his career.

Hain also spent time this fall in the USHL with the Sioux Falls Stampede, the team that took him with the No. 1 overall pick in last May’s Phase I Draft.

“Now I know what it takes to play at the next level,” Hain said. “You gotta play the (defensive) zone. You gotta do everything.”

Teamed with Division I talents on either side of him, Hain is pleased to be back with his high school teammates after his time with Sioux Falls and a pair of games with the NTDP.

“It’s awesome to be back in high school,” Hain said. “It’s a great time with the buddies.”