Warroad wins instant classic to capture Class A state title

Late equalizer and overtime winner lift Warroad past Hibbing/Chisholm in state championship thriller.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (KVRR) – Hockeytown USA has another championship.

History was bound to be made Saturday in the Minnesota Class A Boys Hockey State Championship. Warroad was looking to win its first title since 2005, while Hibbing/Chisholm was chasing its first since 1973. In what could easily be called the game of the year, it was Warroad that came out on top.

It did not take long for the Warriors to strike. Just 1:14 into the game, Conner Lund sniped a shot into the corner to give Warroad a 1 to 0 lead.

The Bluejackets got that goal back in the second period on the power play, courtesy of Whitaker Rewertz.

But less than a minute later, Ayven Hontvet, near right dot, sent a rocket to put the Warriors back out in front.

Then, with just over a minute left in the second period, Warroad added another. Ryan “Mooney” Shaugabay set up Gavin Andersen for a back door finish to give the Warriors a two goal lead.

“I just put my stick down back door and I saw it hit my stick, but I do not know where it went,” junior forward Gavin Andersen said. “But it went in five-hole and I was so jacked to see it at the back of the net.”

Hibbing Chisholm refused to go away.

After cutting the deficit to one in the third period, the Bluejackets caught fire. Rewertz scored his second of the game to tie it at three. Then, with under four minutes to play, Ben Galli gave Hibbing Chisholm its first lead of the afternoon.

“The wheels were falling off there,” Warroad head coach Jay Hardwick said. “So that is why I called timeout, just to try to calm us down and refocus. I just told them there was still a lot of time left. There was still 3:45 on the clock and nothing needed to change. We just needed to make some plays.”

The Warriors did exactly that.

With 46 seconds left in regulation, Broden Hontvet found Andersen in the slot and the junior buried his second goal of the game to tie it at four and send the game to overtime.

“It felt amazing,” Andersen said. “I have never been that excited in my life. I was just standing in the slot with my stick down and Broden made a nice tip pass and it went in.”

Overtime did not last long.

Shaugabay found himself at the doorstep and buried the game winner to deliver Warroad its first state championship in two decades.

“The pass went right on my stick and it went in,” Shaugabay said. “I do not remember anything after that. I was actually FaceTiming my brother and Dane was on the ice too. My dad goes, ‘It had to be the littlest one, huh?’”

The Warriors’ championship run also would not have been possible without goaltender Patrick Kennedy.

Kennedy entered the section final as a backup but due to an injury to starter Finn Hanson, Kennedy stepped into the spotlight during the postseason. In the title game, the senior turned aside 47 shots to keep Warroad alive.

“I mean we needed all of them for sure,” Kennedy said. “I just tried to keep our team in it and it was huge.”

“If you ever wanted a Cinderella story, there it is,” Hardwick said. “He comes in during the section final and finishes it off. Most teams would not think they are coming to the state tournament to win with somebody that was not necessarily the starter. He played unbelievable the whole tournament and today especially. It is a testament to him stepping in and playing his heart out. We would not have done it without him.”

Warroad had come painfully close in recent years, finishing runner up in both 2022 and 2023. This time, the Warriors finished the job and brought their fifth state championship back to Hockeytown USA.

“This is one of the best Warroad teams I have ever not only seen but been a part of,” Shaugabay said. “This win goes out to all those guys who fell short. There is no way to describe it. This community has been so good to us through all the years of struggling and to finally get it done for them is absolutely surreal.”

“You know we work so hard and we have been so close,” Hardwick said. “Mooney’s brother was here and he saw his brother lose in double overtime. His dad has coached with me for close to 10 or 11 years and he has seen the heartbreak we went through. It means so much to me and my family and all the players and their families and the whole community. I think the last time I checked I had about 120 text messages. I have not even gotten to them yet. The support we get from everyone is tremendous and now they can share that state title with the rest of us.”

At the end of an unforgettable afternoon, the Warriors did what 20 other Warroad teams dreamed of, bringing another state championship home to Hockeytown USA.

COURTESY:

Cover photo: Warroad Hockey Company

Game Footage: 45TV, KSTP, MSHSL