Records take a beating in Class 2A boys hockey championship game

The Moorhead Spuds didn’t just rewrite their own history in Saturday’s Class 2A state championship win. They rewrote state hockey history.

A lopsided first period in the Spuds’ favor turned into a thriller with a late Stillwater surge. The final 7-6 scoreline, Moorhead winning, matched or broke multiple state championship records and provided the Spuds' first title.

“It was kind of a roller coaster of a game,” said Moorhead senior Brooks Cullen. “We just had to keep playing the way that we play.”

Spuds senior Mason Kraft etched his name in the record books first, scoring all four of his goals in the first period as the Spuds jumped out to a 5-1 lead.

Only Eveleth’s John Mayasich had netted four in a single period in a state tournament game, back before he was a U.S. Olympian. He did so in a 1951 quarterfinal win over Williams — also setting the record for goals in a tournament game, seven.

“It’s obviously a really special thing, but I came here to win a state championship, and it was a full team effort,” Kraft said.

A Minnesota State Mankato commit and Mr. Hockey finalist, Kraft finished his season with a team-high 46 goals and state-high 95 points.

“I hope an NHL team takes a chance on him,” junior defender Brandon Mickelson said after the championship game, calling Kraft “the best player in the state.”

“Thanks, Mick,” said Kraft, smiling.

Even in defeat, Stillwater set a record of its own, scoring the most goals in a championship game by a losing team. The Ponies, also seeking their first state title, surpassed the five goals scored by runners-up Maple Grove in 2022 and Warroad in 2023, both in double-overtime losses.

“[We had] that never-quit, never-say-die type mentality,” Stillwater head coach Greg Zanon said. “Going in after that first period, there was no doubt in my mind that we’re going to claw back some way.”

It took some teamwork between the opposing sides, but Moorhead and Stillwater combined to tie the record for most goals in a state championship game. Warroad set the record when the Warriors beat Red Wing 10-3 in 1996.

The Spuds won their first title on their 22nd trip to state, in front of a record-breaking championship crowd of 20,491 at Xcel Energy Center. The figure edged out the attendance record of 20,346 set last year.

“When has a high school kid played in front of 20,000 people?” Zanon said when asked about the atmosphere. “The things they are going to take away from these moments for the rest of their lives are going to be amazing, whether they go and they’re an electrician or a rocket scientist, or they go and play hockey.”

“There’s no better place in the country to play hockey,” Kraft said.