Wanner Delivers in Double Overtime as Moorhead Repeats as State Champions

A third period comeback and an Evan Wanner double overtime winner deliver Moorhead its second straight Class 2A state title.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (KVRR) – An instant classic unfolded Saturday night at the Minnesota State High School League Class 2A Boys Hockey Championship.

On paper, it was the perfect matchup. The top two teams in the state. Moorhead at 26-3-1. Minnetonka at 26-2-2.

By the end of the night, it delivered everything.

In a game that swung wildly from one side to the other, the Moorhead Spuds completed a stunning comeback and defended their 2025 state title with a 5 to 4 victory in double overtime.

Moorhead entered chasing back to back championships in just the second title run in program history. Minnetonka was seeking its third state championship and first since 2023.

Early on, it looked like it would be the Skippers’ night.

Less than three minutes into the game, Minnetonka struck first on the power play. Jordan Johnson found himself staring at a wide open net and buried it to give the Skippers a 1 to 0 lead.

They did not stop there.

Ethan Sturgis doubled the lead, and later in the opening period Cash Hardie threw a puck toward the net that slipped past Moorhead goaltender Will Arnold. Just like that, Minnetonka carried a commanding 3 to 0 lead after the first period.

In the second, the Spuds finally found life.

Michael Herman located the puck behind Minnetonka goaltender Chase Jerdee and tucked it home to cut the deficit to two.

But Minnetonka responded again before the period ended. Max Aronson restored the three goal cushion, sending the Skippers into the third period with a 4 to 1 lead.

For many teams, that would have been the end.

Not for Moorhead.

Senior captain and Mr. Hockey finalist Tyden Bergeson said the belief in the locker room never faded.

“I think we have been there before. Even this year with the Andover game, we were down three going into the third. We have been in that situation before. We know what we need in our room to get back in the game. There was never a doubt that we were not winning this game. Never a doubt we were not going to get back into it and just play our best hockey and see what happens.”

What happened next became one of the most remarkable comebacks in championship history.

With under eleven minutes remaining, Moorhead struck on the power play. Brandon Mickelson threaded a pass through traffic to Joey Cullen, who finished it to pull the Spuds within two.

The pressure mounted.

With just under seven minutes left, Mickelson fired another puck toward the net. This time it was deflected by Zac Zimmerman, cutting the lead to one.

But Zimmerman was not finished.

In the final minute, Mickelson banked the puck off the boards from just inside the blue line. Evan Wanner gathered it and slipped it to Zimmerman, who snapped a shot into the corner of the net to tie the game at four.

Pandemonium.

Junior defenseman Drew Simonich joked about Zimmerman’s nickname afterward.

“We joke in the locker room that we have been saying ‘Zim St. Paul.’ After that game, yeah. He is such a good player.”

Still, the drama was not over.

Not after one overtime.

And not until deep into the second.

Junior forward Evan Wanner became the hero, scoring the championship winner in double overtime.

From his perspective, the moment happened almost too quickly to process.

“I kind of got through the blue line and had a lot of room. Their gap was not great and they were kind of tired. I just found a way to shoot it through them and it ended up going in. It was a pretty good shot, but then I kind of blacked out after that.”

He added that the celebration had crossed his mind even before the game.

“I do not even really remember what happened. I just remember going down and thinking, wow what a game. I kind of thought about it last night. I was playing it in my head in overtime, and throwing the helmet in the stands was one of my goals. I do not know how that one got back to me, but we will take it.”

The moment was something he had dreamed about long before stepping onto the ice.

“A lot of people have probably dreamed about that. It is kind of a childhood goal. Everyone thinks about it. When it happens, you do not know what to do. Visualizing that and kind of manifesting it is unbelievable. It was so special to do this and I am just so grateful for the team.”

Simonich revealed the moment had been oddly foreshadowed the night before the game.

“I am not making this up. Quinn Hughes and Jack Hughes said this in the Olympics, but I swear it was probably 1:30 in the morning. Evan and I are roommates and we both asked each other what we would do if we scored the overtime game winner. I swear he said he would throw everything into the crowd. And that is what he did. I cannot believe that happened. It was unbelievable.”

The final score read Moorhead 5, Minnetonka 4.

A championship secured in double overtime.

The victory gave Moorhead its second consecutive Class 2A state title. The only other program to accomplish in 2A with the current two class system was Edina in 2013 and 2014.

Head coach Jon Ammerman credited the character of the group.

“It is the second time Moorhead has won the state championship. Obviously the core group of players from both years is still intact. We lose some phenomenal players, no doubt, but we also have reinforcements coming from the Bantam team. Some players came back to finish their high school career. It is just a great group of hockey players, but more than that it is a group of winners.”

The Spuds trailed by three goals twice in the game. Yet they never lost their composure.

They simply kept coming.

Bergeson said that resilience is what he will remember most.

“The way we crawled back into that game, we deserved everything we got. I thought we fought really well as a team. We were just really resilient. What we will remember most is how we stuck together. The twenty guys in that room were all pulling on the same string. Everyone wanted the same goal. The way we stuck together and won as a team was unbelievable, and I am really proud of the guys.”

For Bergeson and several teammates, the title meant even more.

He, along with Brandon Mickelson, Zac Zimmerman, and Joey Cullen, were not even expected to be on the roster just weeks before the season began after considering junior hockey and other leagues. Instead, they returned to Moorhead for one more run.

And they finished the job.

“It is unreal,” Bergeson said. “You do not really have words for it. This is your last high school game ever, and you get to play it with your best friends from when you were rookies all the way to high school. This is the goal. To do it one more time with all my best friends is unreal. To come back for this community and put that Spud sweater on for another season means the world to me.”

The night capped one of the most memorable championship Saturdays in Minnesota high school hockey history.

Earlier in the day, Warroad captured the Class A title with an overtime victory over Hibbing/Chisholm. (CLICK to watch that recap).

Hours later, Moorhead delivered the final act.

A double overtime masterpiece.

Spuds 5. Skippers 4.

COURTESY:

Cover Photo: Warroad Hockey Company

Game Footage: 45TV/KSTP