Warroad’s Rodrick Jackson played a one-two with Gavin Andersen before slamming a shot off Hibbing/Chisholm’s goalie Gavin Lamphere. The rebound bounced to Mooney Shaugabay on the backside for the overtime winner.
Gloves flew, sticks soared, and the Warriors faithful reached a fever pitch inside Grand Casino Arena. Third-seeded Warroad upset No. 1 Hibbing/Chisholm 5-4 to snag its first Class A state championship since 2005 in an all-time classic.
Warroad head coach Jay Hardwick said overtime goals do not tend to be as well-worked as Shaugabay’s title-winning goal.
“It’s just a mess around the net or hits somebody’s skate and goes in,” Hardwick said. “It’s not always pretty like that. But we got it up the ice, and you put the puck in those guys’ hands, and they’re going to make plays.”
Shaugabay said this win is dedicated to all those who came before this team and “fell short” of winning a state championship.
“There’s no way to describe it,” Shaugabay said. “This community has been so good to us for all the years of struggling, and to finally get it done for them is absolutely surreal.”
Someone’s Class A title drought was bound to end in St. Paul. The last championship for the Warriors (25-5-1) came in 2005, with a roster that included Stanley Cup champion T.J. Oshie. The Bluejackets (26-3-2) topped the mountain last in 1973.
The foes met in the 1994 Class A championship game, when Warroad topped Hibbing, 5-3, and that was also the last time the Bluejackets were in the title game.
Warroad sophomore Conner Lund fired a shot from the top of the right circle, pinging off the post and in to give the Warriors the lead 74 seconds into the game. Lund’s father, Tom, was on the 1994 state championship Warroad team and scored in the title game.
Hibbing/Chisholm could not find a breakthrough against the Warriors’ senior goaltender Patrick Kennedy despite leading the period with 12 shots on net.
The Bluejackets received their reward for their offensive pressure with 8:36 left in the second period. Sophomore defender Whitaker Rewertz got the puck from his goaltender and made a sweeping solo move the length of the ice, beating Kennedy to tie it.
Warroad’s Ayven Hontvet provided an immediate response, 45 seconds later, to re-establish the Warriors’ lead. With just over a minute to play in the period, Shaugabay slid a perfect pass from the right-side corner across the crease where Andersen tapped it home to hand Warroad its first multi-goal advantage.
Kennedy became a brick wall in the second period following Hibbing/Chisholm’s goal, making 21 saves, including seven in the final minute.
The Warriors lost their starting goaltender, Finn Hanson, due to an injury in the section final. Hardwick said Kennedy is a “Cinderella story,” with the way he performed to not only get his team to the championship but in the biggest game of his life.
“He played unbelievable the whole tournament,” Hardwick said. “Today, especially the second period, I don’t even know how he made some of those saves.”
The middle period produced a track meet with end-to-end action, finishing with 34 shots on goal and three goals combined.
Bluejackets senior forward Isaiah Hildenbrand ditched his defender and drove to the front of the net. Kennedy repelled his first effort, but Hildenbrand recovered the rebound in a scrum around the crease and backhanded it in, making it 3-2 with 14:13 to play.
Rewertz, trailing the play, skated into the slot and went against the grain with a snipe to the top right corner, tying the game for the second time with 4:36 left in regulation.
Hibbing/Chisholm senior forward Benny Galli, 51 seconds later, had his first shot blocked. But his follow-up found the back of the net.
The Warriors pulled Kennedy with 1:13 left, Broden Hontvet made a brilliant setup pass to the front of the crease, where Andersen redirected it past Lamphere, tying it again with 46 seconds left in regulation time.
Warroad snapped its championship drought exactly 1 minute into overtime as Shaugabay put home a backside rebound.
Andersen said it will be the “best bus ride ever,” as the Warriors make the trek back to the top of Minnesota on top of the state of hockey.
Warroad’s Broden Hontvet carries the first place trophy to their fans after defeating Hibbing/Chisholm/VCA 5-4 in overtime to win the Class A championship game of the State Boys Hockey Tournament at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul on Saturday, March 7, 2026. (Craig Lassig / Special to the Pioneer Press)
Hibbing/Chisholm/VCA’s Aven Nickila, left, and Isaiah Hildenbrand take a moment together on the ice after losing to Warroad 5-4 in overtime during the Class A championship game of the State Boys Hockey Tournament at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul on Saturday, March 7, 2026. (Craig Lassig / Special to the Pioneer Press)
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