A giant target fixed to its back, it looks like Moorhead is the team everyone else will chase this winter.

The defending state champion returns some big names and big numbers from last year’s historic Spuds team, which has now assembled perhaps the best two lines in the state.

Captain Tyden Bergeson was averaging a point per game this fall in the USHL at Madison, and linemate Zac Zimmerman, the state’s top returning goal scorer from last year, was a mainstay in the lineup for the USHL's Fargo Force.

They might be the flashiest weapons in the Moorhead arsenal, but at the center of the line incubates the Spuds’ next big thing.

Junior Max Cullen stood out with his play Friday at the Turkey Trot at the Plymouth Ice Center, providing a blanket of grit, a goal and an assist in the Spuds' 6-3 victory over Edina in a meeting between the state’s last two Class 2A champions.

“Max goes into the dirty areas and does all the small things,” Bergeson said. “He has a knack for going into the corners and feeding you the puck in the slot. He’s gritty, but he’s also a power-play guy who distributes. 

“Max is so much fun to play with. Just everything you would want in a center.”

A blazing first period for the Spuds cooled in the second. Edina had pulled even after trailing by three early in the second. In the third, Cullen and crew took charge. Bergeson scored a minute-and-a-half into the period, and then helped set up Cullen’s goal midway through as Moorhead looked every bit the part of the state’s top team, according to all the early rankings. 

Cullen, a Minnesota Duluth commit listed at 6-foot-0, 175 pounds, added 10-15 pounds of muscle from a year ago, and Moorhead coach Jon Ammerman said it’s made him a different player. A better player.

“He’s grown into his body,” Ammerman said. “That’s the biggest difference.”

Cullen started his sophomore season in a more limited role, but was handed more responsibility as the season wore on. He finished with 11 goals and 28 points, the seventh-most points on the team. It’s been a notable development trajectory, but the Moorhead coaching staff might have seen it coming from their assistant captain.

“By the end of the year, we knew we had something pretty special with Max,” Ammerman said. “He’s spent the offseason building up his body, and he’s turned into quite the player. He had a great finish last year, and we can’t wait to see where this goes.”

Cullen spent hours in the weight room and began taking nutrition more seriously. His frame grew quickly as a Bantam, but left him long and lean. 

Now, with growth and physical maturation, Cullen is developing into a double-edged sword for the Spuds with his increased two-way presence. 

Friday, Moorhead swung that sword through Edina. 

Cullen embraces the challenges, both physical and mental. It’s no secret what Moorhead brings and the attention it now draws.

“We know everyone we play will be ready for us,” Cullen said. “We will control what we can control, and that's to play our brand of hockey."

Mike Herman scored twice, and Tyden Bergeson finished with three points as defending 2A state champion and top-ranked Moorhead sacked Edina 6-3 Friday evening in the Turkey Trot at Plymouth Ice Center.

The Spuds started fast and led 3-0, then survived a rocky second period that saw the Hornerts pull even, only to deliver the knockout punch in the third with three unanswered goals.

Moorhead's top line of Bergeson, Zac Zimmerman and Max Cullen combined for three goals and seven points. 

Tucker Johnson scored twice for Edina, less than 30 seconds apart, midway through the second. 

Edina, ranked No. 5 preseason, fields a talented but young team with eight sophomores or freshmen on the varsity roster. 

In the third, Will Arnold replaced Nolan Cook in net for the Spuds, and stopped in nine shots he faced to secure his first varsity win. 

Moorhead outshot Edina 33-25.