Cloquet-Esko-Carlton boys hockey is just two goals short of being undefeated.

Falling in the Section 7A semifinal last season, Cloquet-Esko-Carlton has come back with vengeance this season. Sitting at 12-1 with an average of over five goals scored per game, the Lumberjacks have turned the page on last year, and are letting this year speak for itself.

An underrated part of this teams chmeistry is that this senior group made a bantam state tournament together.

“We had a good group in bantams, we were all friends,” said Senior center Grady Knutson. “We made it to the state. So, we’ll try to carry it out this year.”

Any of the Jacks would tell you that this team should probably be undefeated – their only only loss coming in late December, losing 2-1 to St. Cloud.

That loss has fueled them, and made them want to work harder, and closer together.

“We leave the door open for them,” said head coach Shea Walters. “They have freedom to be at the rink whenever they want and they enjoy it. They come here as much as they possibly can. I think that leads to, you know, a good bond between all of them.”

“Everyone likes each other in the locker room,” added Knutson. “It’s a good place, you know. Just everyone loves each other. You got to play for the guy next to you, so it’s good.”

For a team that went 13-14 last season, this team has what it takes to get the job done. But, don’t look too far ahead.

“Obviously, we’ve got some stuff to work on still and there’s a lot of season left,” said Walters. “Our schedule is going to continue to get harder as the season goes on towards the end of the season. So I like our start. Now we’ve got to see how we’re going to finish.”

CEC (12-1) next hosts Duluth Marshall (8-2-2) Thursday, January 9 at 7 p.m. at the Cloquet Area Recreation Center.