ST. PAUL via MSHSL – In 21 previous state tournament trips to the Minnesota State High School League’s Boys Hockey State Tournament, Moorhead returned home on Interstate 94 with just one championship in tow and that happened a year ago. With the way the Spuds played in their first step toward a possible repeat, another trophy could be in the offing.
Moorhead, the No. 2 seed in the Class AA field, played dynamically on offense and staunch defensively in recording a 4-1 victory over No. 7 Lakeville South on Thursday, March 5 at Grand Casino Arena. Junior forward Max Cullen scored two goals while senior forward Tyden Bergeson added a goal and assist to power the Spuds (25-3-1) into the semifinals.
Sophomore forward Joey Cullen and Bergeson had goals just more than three minutes apart late in the third period to fuel Moorhead’s surge in the convincing victory. The Spuds finished with 33 shots on goal while the Cougars (14-12-3) mustered 24.
The game’s pivotal moments came in the third period when the Spuds killed off a Cougars’ 5-on-3 advantage. While the Cougars did have four shots on goal, Moorhead’s defense stood firm with key deflections that knocked the puck out of the zone and forced Lakeville South, which was looking for the equalizer, to regroup.
But instead of forging a tie, Lakeville South saw the Spuds regain a two-goal lead on Joey Cullen’s nifty goal with 6:01 remaining in regulation time. He scored his 18th goal of the season when he took a backhand pass from junior forward Evan Warner while just outside the crease. Upon receiving the pass, he deked Lakeville South goalie Keaton LeGrande and slid a shot into the left side.
But Moorhead wasn’t done.
Bergeson, a Mr. Hockey Award finalist, pushed Moorhead’s lead to three goals after receiving a rink-wide pass from senior forward Seamus Campbell. He waited patiently to shoot. When LeGrande committed and was fully sprawled, Bergeson easily tucked the puck around the near post.
Lakeville South, the Section 1AA champion, trimmed a two-goal deficit in half when senior forward Tristan Lawrence slipped the puck past sophomore goalie Will Arnold.
