Acknowledgements: This story was submitted via the Contact Form on the Minnesota Hockey Magazine’s website by Jessa Preimesberger, a regional manager with Flag International, a global student exchange organization.  Additional information was provided by Maggie Vekich, a local coordinator with the same organization living in Minnesota and Jamie Nielsen, mom of the host family. Photos courtesy of  Jamie Nielsen.

It started with a love of hockey and ended with a moment that felt like fate.

My name is Jessa Preimesberger, and I am a Regional Manager with FLAG International, a nonprofit student exchange organization. Last year, we received an application from a student named Henri, a teenager from Germany. What made Henri unique was his passion for hockey, a sport not commonly played in his home country, but one he loved deeply.

As we learned more about his family, we discovered something interesting: Henri’s father had been an exchange student himself 38 years ago somewhere in northern Minnesota. The exact town was unclear, and the host family he had lived with had since passed away. There were no remaining ties to that event. Just memories.

One of our Local Coordinators, Maggie Vekich, who lives in the small Iron Range town of Bovey, felt strongly compelled to find Henri a host family in the area. She searched tirelessly across her region, driven by nothing more than intuition and hope.

Eventually, she found the Nielsen family in Bovey, MN.  The family immediately opened their home, excited to share their sport, their school, and their community. They had twin boys Henri’s age, Brayden and Bryce, and like Henri, hockey was their life. Henri was thrilled.

But nothing could have prepared him for what came next. When Henri received his school placement, he froze. He stared at the school name in disbelief.

It was Greenway High School. This was the exact same small, rural high school his father had attended as an exchange student 38 years earlier.

The same tiny school. The same tiny town. Two different host families. Two different generations. One incredible coincidence.

Without planning it. Without knowing it. Without any remaining connections tying them there, this small northern Minnesota community had welcomed both a father and his son, decades apart.

For Henri, it wasn’t just an exchange year anymore. It was a continuation of his father’s story.

Henri on his way with his dad to his first hockey game in Germany

Maggie continues – When placing Henri, all we knew was that his dad spent his exchange year in a small town of under a thousand people somewhere in Northern Minnesota. We didn’t know that it was Greenway until AFTER placing him with the Nielsen family!  

Henri reached out to Jamie (his host mom) and sent a picture of his dad’s letterman jacket from Greenway High School years ago – so you can imagine all of our shock and excitement when we realized he has been placed in the same exact small school as his father… not on purpose!

Henri arrived in Greenway on August 29^th, 2025.  He joined the football team in the fall (his dad had joined the football team and was the kicker while he was here at Greenway as well).

He was most excited to join the hockey team and indicated that it was quite a bit different from back home as he was in inline hockey there vs. ice hockey here. He said he was really excited to be part of a hockey enthusiastic family. 

His host mom, Jamie, adds that having twin host brothers share their love of the game really helped – we were able to make it to a couple of UMD Bulldog games, a couple World Junior games (USA against Germany being one of them and USA against Finland the other). They also attended the 7A & 7AA section finals games as well as the HS State games this year. You can ask him…but he may or may not say he’s “hockey’d out” for a bit, lol.

Henri, #35, same number as his dad when he played football for Greenway

Jamie continues that Henri has had a lot of firsts here.  Pretty much all the outdoor activities have been the first time for him: started out with his first day here on the pontoon, jet skiing and his try at water skiing.  Although hunting and fishing are not his favorite, he has participated and has experienced all these northland activities.

Maggie concludes that Henri became a GNK Titan when he first joined the football team as stated above. He then continued to play for the Raiders during hockey season – which was his childhood dream that came true because of the Nielsen’s. He truly got the best family to give him that MN experience

When I talk with Henri, all he talks about is how much he loves this community. He is truly so happy to be part of the Greenway community and wear the Titans/Raider gear. 

Final note: Henri is currently set to fly home to his family in Cologne, Germany on June 6^th.  He plans to attend college when he returns.  Truly a remarkable adventure Henri will remember fondly.

For more information on Flag International, check out their website at: 
https://www.flag-intl.org/

The post From Germany to the Iron Range: A Story 38 Years in the Making appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

What starts out with dreams of glory, scoring the game-winning goal to win the championship in overtime, is played out over and over in the minds of youngsters who will watch the games on TV, knowing someday, this dream may come true.

The television rights to The Tourney at one point were valued more than the rights to televise the Minnesota North Stars for the season. WCCO won the bid in 1985, paying $1.55 million for the next three years, which was about what the North Stars were paid for their season. At that time, the average TV viewership was 250,000 with another 100,000 in attendance for the three-day tourney. The WCCO broadcast team included the likes of Lou Nanne, Herb Brooks and Doug Woog.

It is in these broadcasts that youngsters begin to dream, from mites on up, that one day, they and their friends will be playing in St. Paul for the title. Tickets are willed down within families, with multiple years waiting list for those wanting tickets.

Viewing now actually goes beyond state borders as people from around the country and in places around the world are drawn back to viewing on the internet. The Tourney is more than what you see on TV. It starts when a child first starts to skate, playing for his community, and stays with him long after graduation.

The actual tournament starts in sectional play featuring every team playing hockey and ends in St. Paul where the top eight teams in two classes vie for the championship. Just to get to The Tourney is a milestone that is highly sought. Once in St. Paul, the teams start with seeing each other at a banquet honoring them for being there. It is well deserved.

Some teams in the tourney this year arrived as No. 5 seeds in their sectional tournament. Rogers, who at the end of the regular season was top ranked in some polls, was eliminated by Wayzata. Another top sectional seed in Hill-Murray was upset by Gentry Academy. Both fifth seeds won their section but saw their championship dream end in the state quarterfinals.

From West 7 th Street, the bars and restaurants, as well as the hotels, all fill up, with fans from around the state gathering for a four-day hockey tournament that continues to grow and flourish. At the restaurants and bars, from Mancini’s to Tom Reid’s and Zamboni’s, the chatter is all hockey, with the talk of past games and players being replayed, as well as the games that are going on.

Up in the press box, the television and radio, as well as print publications are full speed ahead, trying to cover and share the game with their audiences. The officials from the tournament are also watching their colleagues who are now on the ice, keeping the game safe and in control.

One of the officials up top is John Boche, who has officiated at all levels, from his early days calling youth games, to Division I and Division III college playoffs. His son, Brenden, is now part of his crew, who last year were the officials for the Class 2A final that saw Moorhead hold on to beat Stillwater 7-6.

For both classes, in the quarterfinals, the higher-seeded teams didn’t disappoint, with top seeds advancing, setting up Hibbing/Chisholm vs. Mahtomedi and Warroad vs. Delano Class 1A semifinals.

The Class 2A tourney saw top-seeded Minnetonka take on Rosemount, with Edina and Moorhead battling in the late game of the semifinals. These two games were played with more than 20,000 in attendance.

Both Boches were on the ice for the semifinal between Rosemount and Minnetonka, where Minnetonka won a close battle, 4-3, coming from a 2-0 deficit, rallying and winning in overtime to get them to the championship. In the other Class 2A semifinal, Moorhead broke open a tough, physical game against Edina, winning 3-1.

Minnetonka coach Sean Goldsworthy, son of former Minnesota North Star legend Bill Goldsworthy led the Skippers to the title in 2018 and again in 2023 and was thankful to advance.

“This team plays its best hockey the back half of each period because other teams get tired,” Goldsworthy said.

Minnetonka player Ethan Sturgis noted that “our super-strong schedule during the regular season puts us in a good spot for overtime games.”

Moorhead coach Jon Ammerman recalled: “We were on our heals a bit to start the first five minutes, but not too bad, finished the first well, with the second period having the puck a lot but not getting shots on net, but loved the way we played, and in the third period we played outstanding from start to finish.”

Moorhead junior forward Zac Zimmerman noted after defeating Edina: “It feels great, just knowing how special it was last year with 20,000 people there playing for your community. I am ready to do it again.”

In Class 1A, 3-seed Warroad beat 2-seed Delano 6-3, with top-seeded Hibbing/Chisholm beating Mahtomedi 4-2. The championship finals did not disappoint, as both games needed overtime to decide a champion.

Class 1A: All North final for the ages
It’s only fitting that this year’s Class 1A final featured two northern teams, Warroad and Hibbing/Chisholm. It is well documented why Warroad in the state of Hockey is known as Hockeytown USA. Warroad is just six miles from the Canadian border and has less than 2,000 residents. Its ties to USA hockey is every team that has won the Olympic Gold medal for the United States has had a player from Warroad on its roster, with the Christian brothers Roger and Bill in 1960, David Christian in 1980 and Brock Nelson in 2026.

Cal Marvin, the brother not involved in the global Marvin Windows company and what drives employment with more people employed than the population of the town, is considered the Godfather of Warroad hockey. His passion for the game was evident in his Warroad Lakers Senior A Men’s hockey club that were one of the most famous amateur hockey clubs in North America and a major factor of Warroad becoming Hockeytown USA.

The Club was established in 1946 playing in the Manitoba Amateur Hockey Association, where they played for the Allan Cup. The winner of the Allan Cup, a Canadian nationwide hockey tournament, where the winning team represented Canada in the World and Olympic tournaments through 1960.

Warroad was the only club ever to win three-straight Allan Cups in 1994, 1995 and 1996, narrowly missing a fourth in 1997. The team folded after the 1997 season. This club built the tradition of hockey in Warroad with the Christians in Roger, Bill and Dave, along with former NHLer Henry Boucha playing for the Lakers.

Hibbing is no stranger to the state tourney, but has won just two titles, both when the tourney was a one-class tourney, the last being in 1973 and the first being in 1952, when they stopped Eveleth’s early dynasty of four-straight tournament crowns, winning in 1948, 1949, 1950 and 1951. Eveleth is now the home of the U.S. Hall of Fame.

Hibbing in 1973 were led by Joe Micheletti with seven goals and four assists in that tournament. He would later have a long NHL career with St. Louis and is now a well-known NHL TV Analyst. His teammates included George Perpich, who went on to coach the Hibbing team for almost three decades and had Frank Brimsek Jr. in net. Brimsek’s father was a star goaltender in the NHL from Eveleth, whose name is still honored with the top Minnesota goalie awarded the Frank Brimsek award.

Frank Brimsek was also involved in Eveleth’s run, as the NHL goalie, gave then Eveleth goalie Willard Ikola, a pair of goalie skates, and with these skates on, Ikola never lost an Eveleth game, winning back-to-back to back championships.

Warroad’s last state championships were in 2003 and 2005, where NHL and Olympic star T.J. Oshie led Warroad to two state championships.

The game was a rematch of the 1994 game with Warroad beating Hibbing 5-3 at the old St. Paul Civic Center. In that game, Tom Lund scored for Warroad, and his son Connor would get the Warroad Warriors on the scoreboard in the 2026 game. Hibbing/Chisholm had two family connections with Derek Gabardi being the uncle of Joe Gabardi and Eric Rewertz being the uncle of Whitaker Rewertz, who scored Hibbing/Chisholm’s first goal.

Warroad’s goalie, Patrick Kennedy, had to step up in the section tournament, where the team steamrolled it’s way into the state tournament with three lopsided wins.

He would be needed throughout the staet tournament,and in the state championship game he was peppered with 32 shots on goal in the first two periods, giving up only one to Rewertz in keeping Warroad in the game.

Isaiah Hildebrandt got Hibbing/Chisholm within one on the rebound of a scramble in front and on the 45th shot Hibbing/Chisholm tied it up on a Rewertz blast from the high slot with Kennedy screened. Less than a minute later, Hibbing/Chisholm scored to take the lead at 4-3 on a shot that rebounded off the back wall to the side of the net and Ben Galli quickly slid past Kennedy.

With 46 seconds left, Warroad tied the game upon a high tip from Gavin Andersen on a shot that was a deliberate pass from the top of the circle with the game going into overtime.

Both teams gave their all, and with the next goal being for a state championship, the players dug deep. Warroad ended the game 1 minute into overtime on a 3-on-2 rush which went from the left wing Rodrick Jackson to the high slot Andersen down low to Jackson and over to Ryan Shaugabay, with Jackson sliding the puck off the pad of the goalie onto the stick of Shaugabay, who buried his shot into the back of the net.

His fifth goal of the tourney was for the state championship, bringing tears of joy to Shaugabay and all of Warroad and would share his game-winning goal with his father, Son Shaugabay, who is an assistant coach.

Ryan Shaugabay noted, “We hadn’t won one since 2005, since T.J. Oshie, and this is a special feeling, everytime I looked up to the crowd, I started crying because this is such a special community, we live and breathe hockey, and it couldn’t have ended any better.”

Ryan had some huge footsteps to follow, as his brother Jayson won the 2023 Mr. Hockey Award and is a leading scorer in college hockey playing for the University of Minnesota Duluth. When asked if he had ever dreamt of scoring the overtime winner playing pick-up hockey, Ryan noted “so many times, when I scored the overtime winner, I slid into the corner and just started to cry, it was just an unbelievable experience.” 

Shaugabay noted that the team’s defense was the strength, giving up just four goals in the team’s last seven games entering the tournament. Kennedy played well, being called upon to be the team’s goalie after finding out late in the season Finn Hanson, the regular-season goalie, would be unavailable after getting injured late in the season. In the championship game, Warroad was outshot 47-33 with Kennedy keeping them in the game until the overtime winner.

In a game where it was sad to see one of the teams lose, Hibbing/Chisholm saw the agony of defeat, as they played hard and could have easily been the winner. They finished the season 26-3-2. The last loss being one that none of these players will forget.

With 10,518 in attendance, those in the building witnessed a game that will be talked about for years to come, with two historic programs battling to the end.

Class 2A: A classic double-overtime thriller
Minnetonka will also feel the pain. The Class 2A championship game, ending the four-day tournament, was even more painful for the Skippers. To recap, they had the game in control, up 4-1, when Moorhead put on a frantic finish, scoring three goals in the game’s last 10 minutes, with the last being with just 36 seconds left and their goalie pulled.

Minnetonka was playing in its seventh tourney, while Moorhead, the defending state Class 2A champion making its 18th appearance. Both teams were highly rated throughout the year and heading into the tournament were a toss-up for the rating and deserved to be in the title game.

The game itself started with Minnetonka taking a quick three-goal lead, as Moorhead sophomore goalie Will Arnold struggled in what seemed to be a bad case of nervousness and an unfortunate cross-checking penalty giving the Skippers the power play. They cashed in with senior center Jordan Johnson one timing a cross-ice pass from Danny Browing just 2:45 into the game.

A few minutes later, the Skippers added to the lead as right wing Ethan Sturgis carried the puck into the zone and drove toward the net and slid the puck from a very sharp angle toward the net. The puck went five-hole, between the skates of Arnold, and found the back of the net. The soft goal put Moorhead down 2-0 with 9:28 still remaining in the first period.

Arnold’s low point of the night was after giving up the third goal on another stoppable shot by
Minnetonka sophomore Cash Hardie, as he took the puck off the boards at center ice and beat Arnold with a wrist shot, with this being Hardie’s fourth goal of the tourney.

Down three goals, Moorhead would need a monumental effort, against a strong defensive team known for its defenders, and goalie Chase Jerdee with a season save percentage of .922. The Spuds have the offense to do that, and they started to mount a comeback midway through the second period as Micheal Herman found the back of the net with Tyden Bergeson’s 52nd assist of the season and 81st point, with Max Cullen adding his 34th assist of the season.

Late in the second period, Minnetonka made it 4-1 on Max Aronson’s goal. The momentum swung back to ‘Tonka, and with a comfortable three-goal cushion, time now matters as the Skippers are one period away from the crown.

Moorhead starts it way back with under 10 minutes to play with a power-play goal by Joey Cullen. The sophomore took a pass from Zac Zimmerman and snapped the shot past Jerdee to get Moorhead within two with under 10 minutes to play. Four minutes later, Zimmerman tipped a shot past Jerdee making it a one-goal game. Zimmerman was playing in the USHL for the Fargo Force to start the school year but returned to his team, to see if they could repeat.

With just 36 seconds left, Zimmerman scored to tie the game at 4, sending the arena crowd into a frenzy. The play became even more intense, with the crowd now standing for both overtimes. The teams opened up and raced up and down the rink, until Max Cullen sent in Evan Wanner who snapped a wrist shot past Jerdee to retain the Class 2A crown.

Moorhead Coach Jon Ammerman noted: “It was a tough start, no doubt about that, but just incredible character from the kids, there was never a murmur of doubt on the bench.”

Bergeson noted in the press conference that “never a doubt that we weren’t winning this game, never a doubt that we weren’t going to get back into the game, play our best hockey, and see what happens.”

Wanner noted this was a childhood dream, “A lot of kids dream about that, the title goal, OT winner, kind of unbelievable, and when it happens you don’t know what to do.”

His roommate, Drew Simonich, had the conversation the night before, at around 1:30 a.m., asking Wanner: “What would you do if you scored the overtime game winner, and I remember him saying ‘I would just throw everything into the crowd.’”

It happened just as they thought, with Wanner getting the OT game winner and equipment ending up in the crowd.

The attendance was 19,648 to go with Friday’s semifinal Class 2A session of 20,350 had a combined attendance of 40,000 for Friday and Saturday evening. Combined with Thursday’s two quarterfinal sessions, and the Class 1A total of 37,485, the tournament again exceeded more than 100,000 in attendance.

The Tourney is alive and well, but is now faced with challenges that have crept in, some within the last few years. Minnesota and its community-based model have worked well for more than 80 years, but the landscape is changing.

Several of the top players in the state are no longer choosing to stay playing for their high school teams, with the pull for the next level of junior hockey being too strong. With the advent of junior Canadian hockey now recruiting Minnesota players, offering more games and other perks, and with these players now able to play college hockey with the NCAA’s recent rule change, we need to be aware of the competition for the best of the best and what is at stake.

For now, we will relish where we are at, with two of the best hockey games in recent memory played for the 2026 State Championships. Congratulations to both Warroad and Moorhead, you worked overtime.

The post A Class Of Its Own appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

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The post MHM March 2026 H/S Tourney Guide appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

The senior lit the lamp 49 times and racked up 83 points over his 31 games, and Simpson was named a Mr. Hockey Finalist for his efforts. His 49 goals were the most in the state, and Simpson helped the Sabers win 24 total games – including their first section championship in Class 2A.

While his jersey and surroundings have changed, the production hasn’t, as Simpson has made an immediate impact with the USHL’s Tri-City Storm.

Simpson has scored in three straight games, five of his past six and for a team that’s hoping to make a deep playoff run, the left-shot forward has been a welcomed addition.

“I’ve just been super excited to do what I can and help make our team better,” he said. “I knew some of the guys from my time here last year, which helped, but everyone has been super nice and super helpful, and I’m just really excited to be here.”

The North Dakota commit played 31 games for the Storm last season, which bookended his high school season.

Simpson had just three points (1-2-3) over his first 12 USHL games but returned in March and finished strong. He potted six goals and added four helpers over his final 17, along with two assists in the playoffs.

Cooper Simpson was the 67th-ranked North American skater on NHL Central Scouting’s Midterm Rankings. The Minnesota native started skating around age 2 or 3 and began playing hockey as a 5-year-old in Shakopee. “The guys love him and his opponents hate playing against him,” said Shakopee coach Calvin Simon. “He’s irritating, he scores goals and he’s so smart offensively, and he’s got a little bit of Matthew Tkachuk to his game. He’s still got some more maturing to do, but he’s already grown a lot and the sky’s the limit for him.” (MHM Photo / Christine Wisch)

That experience gave Simpson an idea of what all the USHL entails, and combined with another year of high school hockey, it’s paying dividends now.

“You can tell he’s way more mature and he just knows what to expect, and you can tell he’s playing with more confidence because of it. But I also think it’s a testament to some of the hard times he went through last year,” said Tri-City coach Marco Trevino. “Even from the start of last season to when we got him back after his high school season, he was a much better overall player. He was much stronger and his growth and development were evident.

“Then you look at this season, he was a leader for Shakopee and he’s someone that his teammates respect. That leadership has definitely shown through here, and when you combine that with the type of player he is, we’re definitely excited.”

Immediate impact
Trevino took over for the Storm in early December and was an assistant last season. Tri-City started this season with Mark Abalan behind the bench, who was fired after 24 games.

Despite spending last spring with the Storm, Simpson opted to stay in Minnesota this past fall and prepare for his high school season. However, getting him back for the stretch run was one of Trevino’s top priorities.

Cooper Simpson is averaging 0.86 points per game, which ranks third on Tri-City’s roster. The 18-year-old forward continues to impress with his offensive instincts. “Coop had a great high school season and he developed so much at Shakopee, and that’s been great for his career. But we’re really happy to reap the benefits here down the stretch,” said Tri-City coach Marco Trevino. “We know he wants to be here, we know he wants the puck on his stick and we know he wants to win.” (Photo courtesy of the Tri-City Storm)

Simpson’s return came at a good time too, especially for a team that’s scuffled offensively. Tri-City (28-28-3-1) has since clinched a playoff spot and, individually, Simpson has points in six of his first seven games.

“We feel he’s a weapon and he’s added an instant scoring threat to our lineup, which has been much needed,” Trevino said. “It’s almost like we added a bonus player after the deadline, and Cooper is just such a gifted player.

“He can hunt pucks, he can knock guys off the puck, he plays with speed, and he’s a very competitive kid. So he’s someone we’ve been able to insert in our top six and adding him to the lineup has helped some of our depth scoring too. We’ve wanted to put him in a position to be comfortable and have success, and his confidence level is through the roof right now.”

Tourney success leads to playoff push
Tri-City enters the final week of the regular season with 60 points, two behind Fargo for fifth in the USHL’s Western Conference. The Storm will open the playoffs on the road next Monday at either Waterloo or Sioux City.

After winning their first-round series against Sioux Falls last spring, there’s a desire to go even further this time around. Especially for returning players like Simpson.

However, a playoff run would be a cherry on top of what’s already been a tremendous winter for Simpson.

The Sabers finished the regular season with a 19-5-1 record, won their section final and advanced to the state tournament for the second time in program history (Class 1A in 2005). Shakopee fell in the state quarterfinals to St. Thomas Academy at Xcel Energy Center but beat Andover and Lakeville South in the consolation bracket.

Cooper Simpson, shown here playing on Hockey Day Minnesota, grew up a Wild and Penguins fan, and he’s idolized Sidney Crosby. Simpson labeled himself as a “dynamic offensive player,” but he’s also tried to focus on his overall game this season. “I can make a play out of nothing, I can shoot to score and I can make a pass anywhere, but I can play defense and shut guys down too,” he said. (MHM Photo / Christine Wisch)

Results aside, it was a tremendous year for Shakopee, which also hosted Hockey Day Minnesota and was featured on Dream State.

“I’d say this was probably the most special team Shakopee’s ever had and the most special season I’ve ever been a part of,” said Simpson, who was both the Sabers’ leading scorer and captain. “Obviously, we wish we could’ve gone a little further and won (a state title), but it was just a special season and we had a lot of accomplishments as a group.”

Added Shakopee coach Calvin Simon: “It’s been really special seeing everything manifest for him this season. He prioritized his hometown, he prioritized playing with his childhood buddies and putting our program on the map, and he rose to the occasion over and over again. He’s what I’d call a trailblazer for a program, and he was such a good leader and brought so much to our team beyond being a pure goal scorer.

“So, to see him have success in high school and now continue to have success in the USHL, it’s great seeing a kid like him get rewarded. But honestly, I’m not surprised, and I believe he’ll continue that in the NCAA and beyond. He’s just a special kid, a special player and a great teammate, and he’s had an incredible season.”

At the same time, Simpson hopes his season is far from complete, and he returned to Kearney with the goal to win.

“Our No. 1 goal right now is to win the Clark Cup,” Simpson said. “I think the experience we gained here last year has helped a lot, and we’ve been in this environment before. But we believe in the group we have and our goal is to go on a run here.”

The post Scorin’ Simpson appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

It was the eighth runner-up finish – with zero state titles – in Moorhead program history.

“The toughest thing of anything,” Ammerman said that night, as he spoke between long pauses and offered his words through tears, “is now that team’s done. I’m not much of an emotional guy. But tonight was going to be sad either way.

“I’m glad our kids got the opportunity. They deserve it.”

Jump ahead to the 2025, and Ammerman was back at that same table in a similar moment on Saturday. But this time, the mood was celebratory as he sat with players Mason Kraft, Brooks Cullen and Brandon Mickelson after they defeated Stillwater 7-6 to win the Class 2A state championship.

What were Ammerman’s emotions this time around once the final horn sounded?

“Relief,” Ammerman quipped. “We’ll enjoy it as it comes here. This isn’t something that I did. I thought our coaching staff did a phenomenal job this week of preparing these kids.”

Ammerman was calm and humble as he answered questions after one of the biggest moments in program history. He offered praise to the team, coaches and others in the community.

“I’ll have time to reflect as a coach, but we’re excited for them to go celebrate with our families,” Ammerman said. “This isn’t about something that I did, or isn’t about something that one individual did. It was a collective effort.”

The Class 2A championship game ended in victorious fashion for the Spuds (28-2-1), though there was danger in it becoming an epic collapse had Stillwater (24-7-0) completed its comeback effort after being down by multiple goals for most of the night.

From the jump, the Spuds were pumped
The announced record crowd of 20,491 at Xcel Energy Center was treated to three periods of momentum-turning, goal-scoring excitement to finish off the high school season.

The game included record-tying efforts, both head coaches using their timeouts prior to the third period to calm their teams down, highlight-reel goals and ultimate resiliency from players on each bench.

Mason Kraft scored four goals in the first period. The celebration of his fourth goal was more subdued than the first three.(MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Where to begin? Two words: Mason Kraft.

The senior and Minnesota State commit scored on the first shots of the game for Moorhead, tallying goals 12 seconds apart less than two minutes into the game. Senior Brooks Cullen made it 3-0 only 2 minutes, 24 seconds into the game, so Stillwater coach Greg Zanon called a timeout and told his team to “calm down.”

“It’s a big game,” Zanon said. “When has a high school kid played in front of 20,000 people?”

Kraft had a hat trick 12 minutes in – at least one hat made it onto the ice from the stands – before adding his fourth goal with 40.6 seconds left in the first period to make it a 5-1 lead. He skated to the bench, where Moorhead players mob each other for their goal celebrations, with body language that seemed to say: “What else is new?”  

Four goals in a period ties a tournament record with John Mayasich, who scored four in the 1951 quarterfinal first period against Williams. Kraft’s performance was also reminiscent of three years ago when Prior Lake’s Alex Bump pumped in five goals in the state quarterfinals, though he only scored three in a period. Kraft nearly had a fifth goal in the game later, but his shot hit the pipe.

‘It’s not over’
Stillwater’s Trey Fredenberg made it a 5-2 game with 9:51 left in the second period just after a TV timeout. About 30 seconds later, the Stillwater student section led a “It’s not over!” cheer. That generated a “Yes, it is!” response from another section of fans, though not the main Moorhead student section at the other end of the arena.

The Stillwater students were onto something, because less than a minute after their encouraging words, the Ponies scored again on a top-shelf snipe from Luca Jarvis for a 5-3 game. That caused Moorhead to burn its timeout, after allowing two goals in 1:30 of game time.

It must have been a motivating discussion at the bench, because Mickelson scored 20 seconds later to regain the three-goal lead, and the Spuds led 6-3 through two periods.

Matthew Volkman scored a pair of third-period goals to cut Stillwater’s deficit to 7-6. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

The Ponies kept galloping and wouldn’t let these three-goal deficits stand. Fredenberg tallied his second of the game early in the third period. But sophomore Zac Zimmerman had an absolute snipe of a shot on the power play to make it 7-4. Stillwater’s Matthew Volkman scored a pair of goals later in the period, eventually getting the contest to a one-goal game with 3:20 to play.

The entire lower bowl of fans stood for the final minute as the Ponies tried to tie the game with the extra attacker. But they couldn’t complete the comeback, and once the horn sounded, the Spuds celebrated one more time. Although this celebration might go on for a while.

Kraft, who had a five-point game and finished the season with 46 goals and 95 points, was poised and articulate in the postgame press conference. He said the reaction to winning the championship was “like a sensation that I’ve honestly never felt,” adding that he felt on top of the world.

“It’s the greatest feeling ever,” said Kraft, who was crowned Mr. Hockey on Sunday. “And I just want to say, if you ever have the option to stay or leave, I think you should always come back and play high school hockey and play one more year with your buddies.

“You never get this time back ever. There’s no better place in the country to play than Minnesota.”

Finally, Moorhead
Moorhead’s storyline was well known heading into the tournament; it came in as the top seed this year. Before Saturday’s game, Ammerman referred to the history as “the elephant in the room” and said it’s been addressed with the team. They all knew the history, even if it wasn’t this year’s roster who’s responsible for that 0-8 state championship-game streak.

Moorhead goaltender Charlie Stenehjem tosses his helmet and celebrates after the game was over. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Moorhead finished as state runner-up eight times starting more than 30 years ago: 1992 (Tier I), 1994, 1995, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2009 and 2017. Ammerman, a 2005 Moorhead graduate, played on the 2004 and 2005 teams.

“As a coach, part of your job is to set your kids up for hopefully some success, to put things in place for them to reach their goals and dreams,” Ammerman said. “I think that these guys had everything in place. And that doesn’t mean that it was going to work out.

“I’m happy that they got to experience something that I didn’t. I’m just happy for them.”

This year was the first time since 2017 that the Spuds reached the state title game, despite making the state tournament five times from 2019-23. But the Spuds went 0-5 in those state quarterfinals, losing in double overtime in 2022 and 2023 to dash any championship hopes. Last season, the Spuds failed to reach its Section 8 title game for the first time in 23 years.

But the 2024-25 team responded well. The Spuds were undefeated in regulation this season, with its two overtime losses bookending the regular season to Wayzata 3-2 and No. 1-ranked Hill-Murray 8-7 in a battle between the top-two ranked teams in the state, according to Let’s Play Hockey.

The state championship obviously means a lot to the Moorhead community, too. Brooks Cullen, who’s dad Matt Cullen, Stanley Cup Champion and a Spud alum who’s now an assistant coach, talked about the tight-knit hockey community.

“It’s unbelievable to get the first championship for this town,” Brooks said.

Added Kraft: “You could see their emotion on all the parents tonight after the game. It’s something that you can’t really put into words.”

Assistant coach Matt Cullen celebrates the state championship for Moorhead that eluded him as a player for the Spuds. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Kraft’s dad, Ryan, and Matt Cullen played for the Spuds in the early 1990s.

This year’s Spuds wrote their own chapter in tournament history, though the road wasn’t easy.

First, they had to weather the storm against No. 8-seed Lakeville South in the quarterfinals. The Cougars scored only 1 minute, 37 seconds into the game and took 3-1 and 4-2 leads in the game before the Spuds rattled off five unanswered goals for a 7-4 win.

The semifinals set up a meeting with defending champion, 5-seed Edina. The Hornets can never be counted out at the state tournament, regardless of seeding. Edina’s Mason West tallied a hat trick in the first period for a 3-2 lead at intermission. With the game 3-3 late in regulation, Zimmerman scored a power-play goal with under a minute remaining to send Moorhead to the state title game.

The championship game included a record-tying 13 combined goals in the 7-6 game. The only other boys’ hockey state championship game with that many goals was in 1996 when Warroad defeated Red Wing 10-3 in the Class 1A final.

The Stillwater team embraces following the state championship loss to Moorhead. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Unfortunately for Stillwater, six goals also marked the most ever scored by a losing team in a championship game. But the attitude on the Stillwater bench never faltered, Zanon said.

“The never-quit, never-die type mentality,” Zanon said. “Being down 5-1 wasn’t ideal, but going in after that first period, there was just no doubt in my mind that we were going to claw back some way.

“We could easily have quit and fold up the tent and it could’ve been 12-1, especially with the way they can score goals. We put our foot down and tried to claw back.”

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His message to his team was the same in 2015 as it was this past Saturday when the Green Wave’s 1-0 lead turned into a tie game in the final minute of regulation.

“I told them, ‘if we would’ve said at the first meeting of the season that you are headed to overtime with an opportunity to win a championship, would you take it? … You would’ve,’” Palmiscno said.

Like 2015, the 2025 East Grand Forks team won the state championship in overtime, beating St. Cloud Cathedral, 2-1.

The overtime hero – “East Grand Forks hero for life,” as Palmiscno put it – was senior forward Jace Van Eps, scoring 1 minutes, 46 seconds into overtime to upset the No. 2-seed and defending champion Crusaders. East Grand Forks (16-13-2) is the first 4-seed to win the Class 1A state title since Mahtomedi in 2020.

Sophomore forward Jace Panzer took the initial shot from near the blue line on the winning play, and Van Eps raced into the corner after the puck kicked out wide.

“Just try to beat the guy to the puck, and then saw out of the corner of my eye, the goalie was a little out of position,” Van Eps said. “Thought I could kind of just bank it off his leg there and see what happens. It was a win in our favor, for sure.”

Van Eps took a sharp-angle shot from behind the goal line in the corner. It seemed to fulfill the old hockey cliché: Put pucks on net, good things happen.

St. Cloud Cathedral’s Mason Layne (5) in front of the net while the puck gets past goaltender Keaton LeGrande in overtime. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

“I don’t really talk to these kids about throwing it on net from the corner of the rink, Jace,” Palmiscno said, in a bit in jest at the postgame press conference before turning serious. “Just get pucks on net. Panz did a really good job. Shoots it low on net from the corner of the O zone.”

The goal secured the first state championship for the Green Wave since it won back-to-back titles in 2014-15. East Grand Forks also avenged an 11-5 loss to Cathedral on Jan. 31.

The championship-winning goal was the 14th of the season for Van Eps, but he saved up most of his scoring for the postseason, scoring six goals in six games across the section and state tournaments.

For Van Eps, he said he “wasn’t too happy” with himself throughout the regular season. He also knew the gravity of the season possibly coming down to one play ending a high school career in earlier postseason games.

“Obviously, this is how we want to end it,” Van Eps said. “I think us seniors really started to realize that, just like coach said. Couldn’t be happier now.”

Tough schedule prepared EGF for the state tournament moment
Two of the past three Class 1A championship games have been decided in overtime. Mahtomedi defeated Warroad 6-5 in double overtime in 2023. East Grand Forks was battle-tested in overtime this season, too. Including Saturday’s victory, the Green Wave finish the season with a 4-2-2 overtime record. They also won their Section 8 championship in overtime, upsetting Warroad, ranked No. 1 in the season’s final Let’s Play Hockey rankings.

East Grand Forks senior Cooper Hills (15) skates by the bench to get congratulations after his second-period goal made it a 1-0 game.(MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

The Green Wave were a sub-.500 team at points during the season, starting 0-3 and then 2-5-1 in their first seven games of the season. They had another stretch from mid-to-late January when they went just 1-6. East Grand Forks faced strong competition throughout the season, facing teams like Orono, Mahtomedi and Warroad, plus Class 2A foes St. Thomas Academy, Class 2A champion Moorhead and Wayzata, which ended up as three losses during the January stretch.

“Our schedule was difficult,” Palmiscno said. “Our No. 1 goal every day is just to be the most competitive team in the state of Minnesota.

“That doesn’t mean we’re the most skilled. That doesn’t mean we’re the fastest. But we’re going to be the best version of ourselves, and we’re going to work to beat our opponent, bar none.”

The playoffs were a different beast for the Green Wave as a 10-13-2 team. A section title needed three victories, and then three more wins for a state title. They rolled to a perfect 6-0 to finish the season. Their previous season-long winning streak this season was four games in December and early January.

At the state tournament, East Grand Forks shut out Northern Lakes 3-0 in the quarterfinals. Then it pulled off an epic comeback in the semifinal, knocking off top-seed Hibbing/Chisholm 7-5. The Green Wave was down 5-2 in that game before scoring four goals in a 2:45 span on the game clock at the end of the second period and start of the third period.

St. Cloud Cathedral John Hirschfeld (6) celebrates Bo Schmidt’s (17) game-tying goal late in regulation. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

They finished off with another upset of St. Cloud Cathedral (20-9-2), also looking for its third overall championship. Cooper Hills gave East Grand Forks a 1-0 lead at 7:16 of the second period.

They held onto that until the final minute of regulation when Cathedral freshman Bo Schmidt tied the game with his third goal of the tournament. Cathedral outshot the Green Wave 38-31 in the game, with sophomore Noah Schindele tying his season-high mark with 37 saves.

“That was awesome to see them push through a little adversity and tie it up at the end,” said Cathedral coach Robbie Stocker. “Ultimately not enough in the end but great resilience by our group to fight back.”

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Heather Rule has a recap of the Class 2A girls’ state hockey championship.

This story was originally published in the 2025 MN State High School Hockey Tournament Guide.

The post Girls Class 2A: Comeback Kids appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Heather Rule has a recap of the Class 1A girls’ state hockey championship.

This story was originally published in the 2025 MN State High School Hockey Tournament Guide.

The post Girls Class 1A: ‘Be Legendary’ appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

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Heather Rule writes about the Shakopee girls’ hockey team and its tributes to teammate Mikayla McCarvel.

This story was originally published in the MHM February 2025 HDM Shakopee Recap.

The post Shakopee Girls: Teammate Tribute appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.