Moorhead High boys hockey heads back to state
March 4, 2019
For the 19th straight year the Moorhead Spuds played in the Section 8AA boys hockey final. And once again the Spuds are headed to the Minnesota boys hockey state tournament. This will mark the 16th state appearance for Moorhead.
The Moorhead Spuds hosted the Brainerd Warriors at the Sanford Center in Bemidji for the Class 2A, Section 8 championship game on Feb. 27. This game did not look like the previous two games when the teams battled earlier in the season. The Spuds had played commanding hockey, winning 5-1 early in the season and again 5-2 late in the season.
Both teams came out skating hard, but neither team was able to put the puck in the net through the first period. It took 9 minutes, 22 seconds into the second period before the Spuds opened the scoring when Nolan Westra picked off a pass and fired one in past the Warriors’ goalie.
In the next 25 seconds Moorhead had a goal waved off and one more in the net when Thomas Horan wrapped around the net to sneak the puck in while the goalie was on the other side. Just over two minutes later Horan got his second goal, putting the Spuds up by three.
With 1:59 remaining in the second, the Warriors scored their first goal, which was the first goal scored on goalie Hudson Hodges for the section tournament. In the third period another Warrior goal cut the Spud lead to one. But that was all the scoring the Spuds would surrender. Even with six Warriors knocking at the door after Brainerd pulled its goalie in the final minute of play, Hodges and the Spuds shut down the Warriors 3-2. Hodges had 10 saves in the third period.
Carter Johnson got the assist for the second goal, and Cullen Gess got the assist for the third Spud goal. Hodges blocked 24 of 26 attempts. The Spuds shot 30 times at the Warriors net. And it was a cleanly played game with only one visit to the penalty box by either team.
Moorhead will face top-rated Edina at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 7 at the Xcel Energy Center in first round action in the boys hockey state tournament.
UPDATE: The Spuds lost 2-4 to Edina. They will play Duluth East at noon March 8 at Mariucci Arena.
Photo: Moorhead High’s Thomas Horan wraps around the back of the net and pops one in against the Warriors during the Class 2A, Section 8 championship game Feb. 27 at the Sanford Center in Bemidji. Photo credit: Renée Grover
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