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.

No, she wasn’t talking about any of her hockey stats as a Minnesota Frost center. She was referring to her connections with the 2025 girls’ high school state hockey tournament champions: Class 2A Hill-Murray and Class 1A Dodge County.

“I did two captain’s practices, and one was with Hill (-Murray) and one was with Dodge County,” Heise said on Sunday afternoon following the Frost’s 2-1 loss to Toronto in St. Paul.

“So, 100% on my part,” Heise quipped.

The Frost returned to Xcel Energy Center on Sunday afternoon for a game against the Toronto Sceptres following a four-game road trip. Crews at the arena had the on-ice and board advertising changed over quickly for the 12:30 p.m. puck drop following the four-day girls’ state hockey tournament. Both Class 1A and Class 2A girls’ championship games were decided in overtime, a first in tourney history.

In Class 1A, top-seeded Dodge County – a co-op of Kasson-Mantorville and Byron in southeastern Minnesota – took a 3-1 lead before three-time defending champ Warroad tied the game with a pair of goals in 21 seconds in the middle of the third period by Vivienne Marcowka. In overtime, it took an official review to determine the puck crossed the goal line to give Dodge County the win. Zoe Heimer scored with 1 minute, 3 seconds left in the first overtime period to secure Dodge County’s first girls’ hockey state championship.

Red Wing’s Taylor Heise’s game-winning shot touches the twine as South St. Paul goalie Sydney Conley helplessly looks on in the Wingers’ 3-2 Class 1A girls’ state third-place game in 2013 at Xcel Energy Center. (MHM Photo / Mackenzie Marinovich)

Heise, a Red Wing graduate from southeastern Minnesota, watched the game online.

“I honestly turned the game off when it was 3-1 with about eight minutes left because I had to go do something,” Heise said. “And I came back and I saw it was 3-3.”

She flipped the game back on and saw the Wildcats earn their title, after getting second place a year ago against the same opponent. The championship was the first for a girls’ hockey program in southern Minnesota.

But Dodge County had to wait a few minutes to celebrate. The teams waited by their benches as officials reviewed the final play. When the official signaled “good goal,” the Wildcats rushed off the bench across the ice toward their ecstatic student section, traditionally tossing their sticks, gloves and helmets along the way.

“I love that for them,” Heise said. “You could see how excited they were. I saw girls crying. I would have cried if I made it there, too. But you could just see the pride in their eyes that they knew they could do it.

“They obviously got stuck in that championship game last year, obviously didn’t make all the way through that they wanted to. But I’m really proud of them. I’m proud of any of the teams that came there. State tournament’s a hard place to play. Playing in a big arena with your whole town watching you, I know the feeling. It’s not easy but really happy for them.”

Close connections to Dodge County hockey
Heise, the 2018 Ms. Hockey winner, played in four state tournaments during her high school career with Red Wing. But she never reached the state championship game. She helped lead the Wingers to three consecutive Class 1A third-place finishes in 2012-14 before finishing as the consolation runner-up in 2018.

Though Heise graduated from Red Wing, she called her connection to Dodge County “southeast Minnesota.” Since basketball was more the sport of choice where she grew up, she remembers playing hockey for Red Wing and going to Dodge County for scrimmages.

She also knows Dodge County coach Jeremy Gunderson and his staff well. Gunderson and her high school coach were friends, so the teams scrimmaged before the regular seasons started. She also gives lessons to Wildcats player Alexa Van Straaten, along with the captain’s practice. During last year’s state tournament, Heise also spoke with the Wildcats before their big game.

“Southern Minnesota pride,” Heise said.

Mercury Bischoff (left), the 2025 Ms. Hockey winner, and the Jori Jones Award recipient, Layla Hemp, watch the Frost game Sunday after receiving their awards at a banquet. (MHM Photo / Heather Rule)

During Sunday’s Frost game, an in-arena announcement and team championship photos shown on the videoboard recognized Dodge County and Hill-Murray. In the Class 2A title game, Hill-Murray upset top-seed and defending champion Edina with a 5-4 win in double overtime.

Next door on Sunday, this year’s Ms. Hockey and Jori Jones Award for goaltender of the year award winners were announced. Mercury Bischoff, a Grand Rapids/Greenway forward who scored 58 goals and 86 points in 28 games this season, won Ms. Hockey, while Minnetonka goaltender Layla Hemp took home the Jori Jones Award. Bischoff is committed to play for Minnesota State next season, while Hemp is off to play for the Minnesota Gophers.

At a TV timeout in the third period, Bischoff and Hemp were acknowledged with an announcement and shown watching the Frost game from a suite. They were wearing their green Minnesota Wild jerseys, traditionally given to the winners of these annual awards. They received a round of applause from the season-high attendance mark of 8,770 fans, and Heise noticed them watching the game, too.

“Even before the game, I thought it would have been a great idea for them to get Frost jerseys,” Heise said. “To be here to see what it could be like for them later in life when they get through college and they get to see what we’re part of. It’s cool.”

The post Heise’s Southern Minnesota Pride appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Burrows put together an impressive rookie year with the Musketeers, racking up 22 points (9-13-22) over 25 games and helping Sioux City reach the Western Conference Finals.

That bookended a tremendous high school season, too, as Burrows recorded 59 points (19-40-59) over 28 games at Minnetonka. He was constantly regarded among the state’s top players and ultimately won Minnesota’s Mr. Hockey Award in March.

Despite that success, Burrows planned to return to northwest Iowa for a full year of junior hockey.

However, that plan changed in late June, as the right-shot forward received the opportunity to head west to the University of Denver.

“Some things moved around (at Denver), and the opportunity arose to come in here early, and I felt I was ready to make the jump,” Burrows said. “I really enjoyed my time in Sioux City and was looking forward to being back there, but I just felt being around the (Denver staff) and culture would be beneficial for my game in the long run, and I’m really happy with my decision so far.”

Hagen Burrows, an Orono native, is a finance major and one of five freshmen on DU’s roster. “He is fitting well into the culture of our team,” said Denver coach David Carle. “Hagen has tremendous skill and hockey sense, and he is adjusting well to the college level as an 18-year-old. There is a high ceiling for him, and we’re excited to help him continue to develop.” (Photo courtesy of University of Denver Athletics)

Burrows arrived on Denver’s campus in July and said that culture was evident from day one. It’s one of the factors that initially attracted him to DU; he committed to the Pioneers in April 2023. The other factors were Denver’s talent, coaches and 10 national championships – three of which have come in the last eight years.

He played his first two collegiate games earlier this month at Alaska-Anchorage, helping the Pioneers secure a season-opening sweep, and he hopes to make an impact throughout his rookie campaign.

At the same time, Burrows knows it’s a process and plans on taking his freshman season one day at a time – listening, learning and soaking up as much information as he can.

“Everyone has seen what they’ve done the last few years and the staff is one of the best, if not the best, in the nation when it comes to developing their players,” Burrows said. “Everyone here knows what it takes to be successful. So to learn from them each and every day is really exciting and is going to help me this season and moving forward.”

That feeling is mutual.

“We’ve grown our recruiting footprint in Minnesota over the years, and we’re always looking for the best players in the state that will fit into the culture here at Denver, and Hagen checked those boxes for us on and off the ice,” said Denver coach David Carle. “We’ve liked how he’s developed his game in Minnetonka and with Sioux City and believed he was ready for the college game this year.”

Success with the Skippers
Burrows played 86 games over his three seasons at Minnetonka and helped the Skippers win a Class 2A title in 2023. Burrows was also named to the 2023 All-Tournament Team.

Minnetonka looked poised for another deep run last spring but was upset by Chanhassen in the section final, which capped Burrows’ high school career. He finished with 135 points (58-77-135) over those 86 games.

Those who watched Burrows the past few seasons saw his game evolve, and they’re excited to see it continue at DU.

“I think we saw Hagen grow a lot, and the area where his game really evolved was his competitive nature, especially when the game got tougher. Because he was never afraid to go to the hard areas of the ice,” said Sioux City general manager Sean Clark. “Hagen’s a big body with a great IQ and a high skill level, and he’s got the ability to make a lot of plays all over the ice. And he was always a team-first guy.

Hagen Burrows was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the fourth round (128th overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft after an impressive 2023-24 season. “That’s something you dream about as a kid, and to be lucky enough to have it happen to you is super surreal,” Burrows said. “I got to go out to Vegas and was at the Sphere, so I was fortunate to share that moment with my family and some friends and it was such a great moment.”(Photo courtesy of Sioux City Musketeers)

“We saw that right from the start last season and his ability to impact a game when the puck is on his stick is special. So, I think if he just continues to be himself he can have success at the next level, and he’s a kid that only continues to get better.”

Minnetonka coach Sean Goldsworthy said Burrows has continued to excel.

“I believe he’s ready,” Goldsworthy said. “It’s really hard to come through a program and be the marked guy and still produce at the level Hagen did for us. He saw every team’s best defensemen and received plenty of attention, and I think that’s one of the things that impressed me the most last season.”

Goldsworthy added that Burrows is one of the best leaders he’s coached, and he was impressed, but also not surprised, by how well Burrows handled splitting last season between the two teams.

The opportunity to join Denver early “says a lot about Hagen’s character,” too, and he’s simply a “selfless person,” Goldsworthy said.

“He’s obviously got the skill – great vision, deception, a quick release, good hands – and can play off other high-end players,” Goldsworthy said. “But what I think is so special about Hagen is he doesn’t cheat anything in life or hockey, and he makes his teammates around him better. And he also has the ability to self-correct and make adjustments to his game.

“I’m very confident that he’ll figure things out and, let’s be honest, I don’t think there are too many places that are better from a development standpoint either. So, I’m confident that staff will put him in a position to succeed.”

Hagen Burrows grew up rooting for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Minnesota Wild and said he tries to model his game after Sidney Crosby, along with Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele. “We first got to work with (Burrows) as a sophomore, and his puck skills and vision were already elite, and he had some of the best hockey IQ I’ve been around,” said Minnetonka coach Sean Goldsworthy. “We’ve seen his body catch up to that over the last couple years and his whole game has come together into the player he is today.” (Tim Kolehmainen / Breakdown Sports)

Back to Tonka before Denver
As for Burrows’ decision to return to Minnetonka last season, it ultimately boiled down to his friends and family back home – which he joked is the “typical Minnesota answer.”

“It was definitely tough, especially with the way we started (in Sioux City),” Burrows said. “But I think it ultimately came down to the people and the tradition we had at Minnetonka. In the long run, I thought going back and playing one more year (with his childhood friends) would be something that was more important to me, and I’m glad I got the chance to continue playing in the USHL after the season, too.

“I got the chance to play with so many good people though, and overall I got a lot of experience that I think will help me in the future.”

Now he hopes that experience will parlay itself into the start of a successful college career.

He joins a Denver team with plenty of motivation, too, as the Pioneers look to defend their national championship. They’d be one of just two teams in the last 20 years to win back-to-back titles – UMD (2018-19) being the other – and certainly have the pieces to do so.

It’s a shared goal in the Mile High City, and similar to his new teammates, Burrows wants to help make that goal a reality however he can.

“Everybody is bought-in every day, and there’s a reason Denver has been one of the final teams there at the end (of the season), so I just want to help wherever I can,” Burrows said. “Everybody knows the amount of skill and talent that exists here, plus the coaching and culture.

“So, I’m just really excited to be here and it’s a really special group, and we want to go back-to-back.”

The post Change Of Plans appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

The University of Minnesota hockey programs are no stranger to those high expectations, especially the women’s program, which has seven national championships and three national runners-up finishes in 24 seasons up until 2023-24.

Those standards, though, don’t preclude the team from having any fun. That couldn’t be demonstrated any better than with the team’s leader, junior captain Peyton Hemp, engaging in a bit of fun with her younger sister and fellow teammate, Josie, on occasion.

“There’s times I’ll walk into the dressing room or the conference room on the road and see them horsing around and wrestling and things like that,” Gophers head coach Brad Frost said. “So I certainly think they have fun.”

On top of Frost’s view of his players’ lighthearted antics, when brought up to the players themselves, the discussion was met with a few laughs.

“I think that’s like a part of our relationship,” Peyton said. “Obviously, there’s so much love there, but we definitely get on each other’s nerves, but it’s all on the love, so it’s super fun.”

It’s just sisterly love, right? Once you are around someone long enough, you can be just a bit more comfortable. No matter if it’s in the locker room, in the hallways around Ridder Arena, or in the team areas of rinks around the WCHA, the pair can be found often wrestling with one another.

Peyton Hemp has 10 goals and 23 points in 26 games so far this season. (Photo courtesy of University of Minnesota / Gopher Sports and Brad Rempel)

While there is no one who is the instigator to all of the friendly bouts, at least some of them can be attributed to the younger sister.

“After practices sometimes, I’ll literally just out of nowhere kind of jump on her,” Josie said. “We’ll literally just start tackling each other, so there’s that. Sometimes in the locker room before practice, we will just randomly, it’s not actually a fight, but we’ll randomly just start wrestling each other, literally just like out of nowhere.”

Andover to Minnetonka to Minneapolis
This pair of sisters from Andover, Minn., being two years apart, have had quite the experience playing together growing up. From being little kids all the way to high school to play hockey together, it ended up being a little weird to the duo when Peyton was at Minnesota and Josie still had two years of high school left. While those high school memories were fleeting at Andover, as Josie transferred to Minnetonka for her final two years of high school, Peyton and Josie reached the ultimate goal while playing together.

In 2020, they helped Andover to a Class 2A state championship with a victory over Edina.

“I think the one that sticks out the most with her and I was in my junior year and [Josie’s] freshman year at Andover when we won the state tournament,” Peyton said. “I think that’s probably like the biggest one. That was just super fun to win that with her and it was super special too, but there were so many moments growing up.”

That success in the state tournament propelled Peyton to be the state’s Ms. Hockey in her senior season in 2021 before joining the Gophers. Josie played the remainder of her two years of high school without her older sister, but with her younger sister, Layla, at Minnetonka.

A junior at Minnetonka this season, Layla is also committed to Minnesota, but she’s a goaltender. She also recently helped backstop the United States to gold at the 2024 U-18 Women’s World Championship.

“I’m sad we don’t all three get to play with each other, but it’s super cool obviously for me being in the middle,” Josie said. “Being able to have Layla and Peyton and then getting to play with the both of them for two years in high school [was really special].”

Josie Hemp is a 5-9 defenseman in her freshman season at the University of Minnesota, joining her older sister, Peyton Hemp. (Photo courtesy of Bjorn Franke)

Three sisters, three roles
Funny enough that the trio each plays their own position, but it was Josie who actually played forward instead of defense until high school. When she was a forward, she was linemates with Isa Goettl, now a teammate on the Gophers. Josie said that her dad helped bring it up once about potentially making the switch in positions. Then, in high school, after getting some shifts on the back end, she realized she really enjoyed playing defense and stuck with it ever since.

Using that experience as a forward, Josie said it has helped her understand her role as a defender. While she said she views herself more as an offensive defender, and Frost also says she has good offensive instincts, she values the experience of knowing how to play up front to better understand her own responsibilities on the ice on defense.

Josie is looking to redshirt the 2023-24 season and compete for a spot in the Gophers’ defensive corps next season, and through a large part of a season of practices in her first year with the team, she said she’s learned the most about speed and size at this level of competition.

“The transition [from high school] was definitely big, with the speed,” Josie said. “Even though I haven’t gotten to play in a game, I definitely think I’ve learned so much in practice because of adjusting to the speed, as I would say, speed is the biggest thing for me.”

Going against older sister Peyton in practice has to be a tough assignment for anyone, considering the complete game she produces for the Gophers every night. Both Frost and Peyton said that she brings a consistency to the game that coaches and teammates alike really appreciate. From the penalty kill to the power play, her competitiveness and consistency have been making an impact.

That also helps Peyton’s role as the team captain, to set an example for the rest of her teammates to look to in the long grind of the season.

With the competitive angle she helps represent on the team now, to the little competitions that both Peyton and Josie had with together with older sister Catalina in their garage as kids, Josie and Peyton are as close as can be.

“Honestly, I feel like it’s just great to have, like obviously you’re friends with everybody on the team, like you love your teammates and stuff, but it’s such a blessing to have that one person that can just be your go-to,” Peyton said. “[Someone] that knows you truly, they literally grew up with you, so they pretty much know everything about you.”

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After a historic season for the Minnetonka Skippers, the team reached its ultimate goal of capturing their first state championship with a 5-2 win over the Duluth East Greyhounds in Class AA.

A fast start and a fortunate bounce helped the Skippers hold off the Greyhounds despite Duluth East outshooting Minnetonka 23-14 over the final two periods.

Long Time Coming

After finishing as runner ups in 2010, third place in 1990 and a consolation championship in 2006, the Minnetonka Skippers finally have their long awaited state championship. Skippers coach Sean Goldsworthy – who is in his first year as head coach – was a member of the 1990 team that finished third, and the start of tonight’s game gave the coach an eerie feeling.

“I played in that third (place), semi-final game in game and lost it,” Goldsworthy said. “We fell behind early, and it felt pretty similar, we were down two zip right away to Roseau. But these guys have conviction. They really believe each in each other, we came back and I really felt we were going to get back in that game and take over.”

Which is why it meant so much for the coach to win the title in his first year.

“To come home and win a title in your first year, I’m pretty realistic I don’t know if that’s going to happen every year.”

Goldsworthy also took time to thank his seniors and reminded everyone else in the room that he hopes this group can stick together and build something special for years to come.

“So maybe follow my lead, we got some good kids. I’m really happy for my seniors. They mean a lot. These kids are special and they’ve blessed me.”

Exciting Start

After both teams felt each other out, it was Duluth East who netted the game’s first goal at the 7:11 mark when junior Ricky Lyle took a beautiful centering pass from senior Austin Jouppi and Lyle found the back of the net. The Greyhounds lead wouldn’t last long, though, as they received a tripping penalty and were forced to go on the penalty kill.

Initially, goaltender Parker Kleive made a barrage of saves but Jouppi, who had an opportunity to clear the puck down the length of the ice, elected to just throw it behind his own end line giving Minnetonka more time to hold the zone. Seconds later, Bobby Brink tied things up on a rocket shot from the slot which beating Kleive .

The Skippers continued to buzz after their power play and just over 90 seconds later, senior Matt Koethe streaked in untouched, threading a shot on the short side of Kleive giving Minnetonka the 2-1 heading into the first intermission. Koethe’s goal turned it out to be the game-winner.

Minnetonka celebrates on the ice after capturing their first championship in school history. (MHM / Jonny Watkins)

Molenaar’s Hop

Skippers senior Joe Molenaar came into the tournament pacing his team with 29 goals but only having eight assists in 28 regular season games. However, Molenaar took more of a distributing role in this year’s tournament. He assisted on two of the first three goals Minnetonka scored in the championship game and had two other helpers in the games leading up to matchup with Duluth East. Yet, when you have a natural goal scorer like Molenaar, he’s eventually going to cash in. Even when the puck happens to go off his skate and into the back of the net giving the Skippers a 4-2 lead with 14 minutes to play. Molenaar said those are the kinds of bounces that team has earned all season.

“[Grant] Docter made a nice look down low and it happened to go right off my foot,” Molenaar said. “I think with this group, stuff like that seems to happens to us. We are always working, we’re the hardest work of guys I’ve ever been around. I think at the end of the day that’s reason all these bounces go are way because good things happen to teams where everyone is one the same page and rolling together.

Molenaar was also rewarded as the 2018 Herb Brooks Award for representing the values, characteristics, and traits Brooks embodied to keep his legacy alive.

Stick Tap from Duluth East

Minnetonka was the No. 1 seed in this year’s tournament going 24-2-2, meanwhile Duluth East was seeded third at 23-2-3. The parity was insanely close and, ultimately, there has to be a winner and there has to be a loser –  which is why Greyhounds coach Mike Randolph gave credit to the Skippers.

“At the end of the day, we lost to a heck of a hockey team,” Randolph said. “They’re a great team, they’re a great champion and I’m happy for Goldy. He’s done a heck of a job there and I’ve got a lot of respect for him.”

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Orono claims first-ever state title with 2-1 win over Alexandria

Lucky 13

Wittenberg (No. 13) skates away with arms raised after his game winner. (MHM Photo / Jonny Watkins)

Orono junior forward Landon Wittenberg, who wears jersey No. 13, defied his perceived unlucky number to score the biggest goal of his life and his community’s hockey history. Wittenberg’s first goal of the tournament and 11th of the season with 10:43 to play stood up as the game winner to give Orono its first Class A state championship in eight tournament appearances.

A shot from the left point by defenseman Jack Kubitz missed wide left but the carom off the end wall went right to Wittenberg near the right post. Alexandria goaltender Jackson Boline, who lunged at Kubitz’ shot, had no time to recover before Wittenberg banged home the game winner with 10:43 remaining in regulation.

“I was so surprised that the puck just popped right out on my stick and it was just like, no way I can miss this, I just hammered it as hard as I could and left no doubt,” Wittenberg said. “I’d say the boards here are definitely more lively than any other rink we’ve played in, so shooting it wide is most of the time a good play.”

Wittenberg said he wore number nine throughout his youth career but it was taken when he arrived at Orono as a freshman. He took one of the only numbers left and is proud to put it on when he gets the opportunity.

“Everyone knows about Jack Jablonski and I think it’s an honor to wear that number. Every time you put that jersey on you should go out there and kind of think of him and you should work your butt off because he did and he’s done so much for this game.”

Alexandria’s Jack Westlund scored the Cardinals’ lone goal in Saturday’s Class A state championship game. (MHM Photo / Jonny Watkins)

How we got there

Thomas Walker got the Spartans got on the board first at 7:18 of the opening period on a nifty backhand feed from Lucas Jorgenson. Jorgenson carried the puck from the corner to Boline’s left and found  Walker near the right post who buried it for his fourth of the tournament and 22nd of the season.

The Cardinals drew even at the 15:07 mark of the first period when Ben Doherty’s clean faceoff win found Jack Westlund whose quick wrister from the top of the left circle beat Babekuhl high for his second of the tournament and 16th of the season.

Walker took responsibility for the goal.

“He was my guy, I was hustling out there and he shot it right through my legs and I think it kind of screened Evan.”

Alexandria wins special teams battle but not the war

The Cardinals played with fire in the second period but managed to escape getting burned, potentially badly. Alexandria was called for four second-period penalties, two of which overlapped resulting in a 20 second 5-on-3 for Orono near the 16 minute mark.

While the Cardinals managed to hold Orono to just three shots in its 7:05 of power-play time, playing half of the period shorthanded made it tough for Alexandria to generate any offense as the Spartans outshot the Cardinals 10-1 in the second.

“It’s just part of the game,” Alexandria coach Ian Resch said. “When you’ve got to kill, it taxes your top D, your top forwards and your goalie’s stressed a little bit.”

On the other hand, Alexandria’s penalty killers were outstanding in holding the Spartans to 0-for-5 with the man advantage. Orono was fortunate that its failure to capitalize on those man advantages did not come back to haunt them.

“The funny thing is we went and practiced on Thursday and worked on the power play for about a half hour and they were whipping it around and it was great,” Scholz said. “On the big stage, we didn’t quite do it today but they’re resilient, they work hard and they don’t get rattled to often.”

Been there before

Orono’s seniors, including goaltender Evan Babekuhl who finished with 15 saves, won a Minnesota State Bantam A state championship together in 2015. Three years later, the Spartans are celebrating once again, time as Class A state champions.

“I think that just made the senior group even more hungry,” Walker said. “We tasted a little piece of cake, now we want the whole thing so that was kind of our mindset throughout the whole year.”

Boline takes loss hard

An obviously devastated Boline, who finished with 25 saves, was flooded with teammates consoling him in the crease after the final buzzer. Westlund was one of them and said Boline was the reason the Cardinals were even in the game to the end.

“He had nothing to be ashamed of, he played unbelievable all year, especially in the playoffs,” Westlund said. “Without him we wouldn’t have been in this game tonight.”

Boline, who was named the recipient of the Herb Brooks Award after the game, clearly appreciated the support.

“I wouldn’t be here without these guys. Most of these guys – all of these guys – on this team are my family. I love them all… Just a tough way to go out.”

From underdogs to Cinderella story

A the third seed in the Section 6A playoffs, Alexandria scored upsets against two higher-seeded teams to reach the state tournament for the first time since 2011.The Cardinals shut out second-seeded Sartell-St. Stephen in the semifinals and shocked No. 1 St. Cloud Cathedral in the championship game, 3-2.

Alexandria followed that up by beating Thief River Falls for its first-ever quarterfinal win before blowing out top-seeded Hermantown 6-1 in the semifinals.

Resch said he couldn’t be more proud of his underdog Cardinals.

“It’s going to take a couple days but the guys will be able to reflect and realize what they accomplished,” Resch said. “Right now, they’re in the middle of it, it stings, it hurts but they’ll be talking about this and they’ll remember this for the rest of their lives.”

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Notes and quotes from Day 2 of the Class AA state tournament

No. 2 Edina vs. No. 3 Duluth East

Greyhounds top Hornets in state semis for for third time since 2011

Fluke goal, stellar goaltending the difference as Greyhounds head back to title game

Luck of the Hounds

For a game that more than lived up to the hype, the game-winning goal did not quite measure up.

Duluth East junior defenseman Frederick Paine’s wrist shot from outside the blue line near the Edina bench deflected off Edina goaltender Garrett Mackay’s blocker and straight up in the air. Mackay lost track of the fluttering puck and it dropped harmfully behind him across the goal line for a 3-1 East lead 9:08 into the third.

“My coach (Dylan) Mills always tells me to put shots on net, so it’s like why not put a shot on net from the red line and it worked,” Paine said.

“That puck is round but it doesn’t always bounce round,” Edina coach Curt Giles said. “It was one of those flutter balls. You talk to any goaltender, they’d much rather have a direct shot shot at them than have a knuckleball come at them.”

Duluth East goaltender Parker Kleive congratulates teammate Frederick Paine on his third-period goal which turned out to be the game winner in the Greyhounds’ 4-2 CLass AA state semifinal win over Edina. (MHM Photo / Jonny Watkins)

Kleive vs. Walker: Advantage Kleive

Duluth East goaltender Parker Kleive came up big early, late and everywhere in between, finishing with 24 saves. Edina’s Samie Walker, a Minnesota Mr. Hockey favorite and Gopher recruit, factored in several of them, but a few stand out. 

The Hornets nearly got on the board just 2:36 into the game when Walker fed Jett Jungels for a breakaway opportunity, but Kleive was equal to the task and made a huge early save.

Kleive’s biggest save, however, came just over two minutes into the third period when Mason Nevers found Walker all alone just to Kleive’s right. Walker tried to wrap the puck around the sprawling goaltender but Kleive made a diving save to keep it a 2-1 game.

“He definitely played a good game,” Walker said of Kleive. “We had a ton of chances that we could have capitalized on that we missed and just a couple of bounces that didn’t go our way.”

With just over two minutes to go, after Nevers closed the gap to 3-2 for the Hornets, Kleive denied Walker once again from point-blank range and Nevers’ rebound attempt was shoved underneath the backside of defenseman Carson Cochran.

“It was just like a flash, like the time went by so fast. Just a bunch of people on top of me and I couldn’t even see the puck. I saw it hit my toe and it like bounced over a little bit … it’s always nice when the D try to help out and stop the pucks.”

Rapid Fire

The opening period was marked by a flurry of goals just past the midway point as the teams combined for three goals in a 2:08 span which ended with the Greyhounds holding a 2-1 lead.

Edina took the game’s first lead when Evan Shoemaker made a nifty move through the left circle and tucked the puck past Kleive just inside the far post at the 9:24 mark.

Nevers nearly made it 2-0 Edina when his shot from in close clanged off the left post. The missed opportunity hurt more when the Greyhounds tied it up 17 seconds later on Garrett Worth’s fourth of the tournament.

The Greyhounds weren’t done, taking their first lead just 55 seconds later on a goal by Ian Mageau. The senior forward carried the puck up the left wing boards and made a strong move cutting to the net around an Edina defenseman before shoveling the puck past Mackay.

More than Worth it

Worth added an empty-net goal, giving him five for the tournament and a Class AA leading 47 on the season. Remarkably, the senior has yet to receive a Division I college offer, much to the bewilderment of his coach Mike Randolph.

“I’m really frustrated because there’s not a lot of goal scorers around and I don’t get it,” Randolph said. “This guy knows where to go. Put him with the right people and he’s going to score goals. He’ll score at every level.”

Putting on the hits

Mike Randolph-coached teams are known for their physicality and this Greyhounds squad lived up to the reputation of their predecessors. Duluth East hit Edina early and often and did not allow the speedy Hornets to fly through the neutral zone as they are accustomed to doing.

The hit that drew the most fan reaction came less than four minutes into the second period when Duluth East’s Ricky Lyle read Walker’s drop pass to Jungels in the left offensive circle and the junior forward leveled Jungels with vicious open-ice check.

Hounds and Hornets History

Friday’s meeting between the two storied programs was the first since March 6, 2015 when Nick and Ash, the Altmann brothers, banded together for a pair of goals to lead the unseeded Greyhounds to a 3-1 win over then No. 2 seed, and two-time defending champion Hornets.

The teams have met five times in the state tournament since 2011, with four of those coming in championship play. Edina’s lone win in that span was a 3-2 state semifinal win in 2013 en route to capturing the first of the Hornets’ two straight titles.

No. 1 Minnetonka vs. No. 5 Centennial

One night after battling back from a two-goal deficit to eliminate St. Thomas Academy in the quarterfinals, Centennial jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Hayden Brickner and Jack Menne just 4:19 after the game’s opening faceoff. Like the Cadets, however, the Cougars watched the lead, and ultimately a Class AA title game berth, slip out of their grasp.

Bobby Brink and Josh Luedtke each scored twice for the Skippers in a 6-2 win, a hard-earned win considering the 54 shots Minnetonka fired on Centennial goaltender Travis Allen.

“We know it’s a 51-minute game,” Minnetonka coach Sean Goldsworthy said. “That’s kind of how we treated it. First four minutes didn’t go the way we wanted it but we had a lot of hockey left.”

Centennial goaltender Travis Allen makes one of his 48 saves against Minnetonka in the Skippers 6-3 Class AA state semifinal win over the Cougars. (MHM Photo / Jonny Watlkins)

The Travis Allen Show

Like Philadelphia goaltender Ron Hextall winning the Conn Smythe Trophy in a losing cause against the Edmonton Oilers in the 1987 Stanley Cup final, Allen was the MVP of this game with his 48, often spectacular, saves. Allen even had the hat to show for it, donning winter headwear straight out of the movie Fargo, a donation from the Lino Lakes police department with the city’s crest affixed to it. The Cougars bestow it on the player deemed to be Player of the Game.

Allen, who as made 81 saves through two games of the tournament, said he thrives on all the action.

“I was having a blast out there, it’s not often you get shelled like that and can keep the game tied,” Allen said. “It’s my dream game, I just love getting shelled.”

“It’s not my dream game,” Menne interjected.

Scary moment

Centennial star Lucas McGregor struggled to leave the ice under his own power late in the second period after a collision at center ice with a Minnetonka player. McGregor got back on his feet and hobbled to the bench, immediately taking a seat in the back where he was examined by a trainer. 

McGregor returned to the ice following the second intermission and scored his first goal and second point of the tournament with 3:51 to play.

Tonka on the Brink

Minnetonka is in a position to win its first-ever boys’ Class AA hockey title thanks in no small part to star forward Bobby Brink. Only a sophomore, Brink led the Skippers in assists with 49 and, with four goals so far in the state tournament, has reached the 20-goal plateau. 

Brink scored twice against Centennial, getting the Skippers on the board in the first period and notching the go-ahead shorthanded goal just 59 seconds into the third period. Brink’s follow through on his third-period shot hit the post, knocking his stick out of his hands. The lack of lumber had no effect on his goal celebration, though.

Despite a mounting shots advantage with little to show for it, Minnetonka simply kept coming with the knowledge it was just a matter of time. David Andes scored what turned out to be the game winner 5:48 into the third and Luedtke put the game away four minutes later with his second of the game and the fifth point of the tournament for the Skippers defenseman.

“I think what you’re seeing is that we don’t have any panic,” Goldsworthy said. “We believe we played the toughest schedule in the state this year and, when you do that, it galvanizes you and it prepares you to be in situations like that.”

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