Moorhead captured the Class 2A state championship with a 7-6 victory over Stillwater at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Photo by Jeff Lawler, LegacyHockeyPhotography.com
Quick Recap
ST. PAUL - Mason Kraft scored four goals to lead top-seeded Moorhead to a 7-6 win over No. 2 Stillwater in the state Class 2A championship game Saturday night at the Xcel Energy Center.
The title is the first for the Spuds, who had previously lost all eight of their state championship game appearances.
Moorhead came out flying, scoring three times in the opening 2:24 and building a 5-1 first-period lead.
Kraft — who finished with nine goals in the tournament and 46 on the season — netted all four of his championship-game tallies in the opening period.
Brandon Mickelson, Zac Zimmerman and Brooks Cullen also scored for Moorhead (28-2-1), while goaltender Charlie Stenehjem made 26 stops.
Trey Fredenberg paced paced Stillwater (24-7-0) with two goals and five points; Luca Jarvis and Matthew Volkman also had two goals for the Ponies.
Cal Conway — who entered the championship game with back-to-back tournament shutouts — had 22 saves.
Key Moment
Stillwater scored twice in a 90-second span midway through the second period to pull within 5-3. The momentum had shifted, and the grumbles from the Moorhead crowd were growing.
Spuds coach Jon Ammerman called timeout. The rest is history.
Brandon Mickelson scored immediately following the timeout, giving Moorhead all the cushion it would need en route to its first-ever state title.
By the Numbers
1-8: Moorhead’s record in state championship games
4: Most goals scored by a player in a single period in a state tournament game (Eveleth’s John Mayasich vs. Williams, 1st period, 1951; and Moorhead’s Mason Kraft vs. Stillwater, 1st period, 2025)
7: Most goals scored in a state tournament game (Eveleth’s John Mayasich in 1951)
17: Most combined goals scored in a state tournament game (Roseau 9, Burnsville 8, 1984; Moorhead and Stillwater combined for 13 on Saturday)
20,491: Attendance for Saturday’s Class 2A championship game
They Said It
It's a sensation that I haven't felt. You just feel on top of the world.
— Moorhead's Mason Kraft on his emotions when the final buzzer sounded in Saturday's championship game
They Said It, Part II
They announced the attendance at 20,000, and when has a high school kid played in front of 20,000 people?
— Stillwater coach Greg Zanon on explanations as to why there are so many state tournament momentum swings, including several in Saturday's championship game
Brooks Cullen scans the ice on his way into the offensive zone during the Class 2A state championship against Stillwater. Cullen had a goal and an assist in the Spuds 7-6 victory over the Ponies. Photo by Jeff Lawler, LegacyHockeyPhotography.com
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