Moorhead lands top seed in Class 2A boys hockey state tournament

The Spuds have reached the final eight 21 times but have never won. Hibbing/Chisholm is seeded No. 1 in Class 1A.

The Minnesota Star Tribune
March 1, 2025 at 4:43PM
Moorhead, with forward Brooks Cullen among its standouts, is the top seed in the Class 2A boys hockey state tournament. (Anthony Souffle/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Moorhead, seemingly always in the state’s final eight but never a champion, is the top seed for the Class 2A boys hockey state tournament.

The seeds for the Class 2A and Class 1A tournaments were revealed Saturday morning by the Minnesota State High School League. The Class 1A tournament begins Wednesday and the Class 2A tournament Thursday, both at Xcel Energy Center.

Moorhead (25-2-1), champion of Section 8, has played in the past five state tournaments and in 21 overall and has lost in the championship game eight times. The Spuds will play eighth seed Lakeville South (18-9) in the first round. The MSHSL is seeding the teams 1 through 8 this season instead of seeding the top five and assigning the bottom three positions via random draw.

Moorhead is ranked second in the Minnesota Top 25 and in Let’s Play Hockey’s Class 4A rankings. The Spuds are led by Mason Kraft, son of former Gophers player Ryan Kraft, with 37 goals and 87 points.

Stillwater (21-6) received the second seed after defeating Hill-Murray in overtime of the Section 4 final Friday. Hill-Murray was ranked first in the Minnesota Top 25 and in Class 4A. Stillwater will open against seventh seed Andover, which qualified with a 15-13 record by defeating Grand Rapids (16-9) and Rock Ridge (22-4-2) in the Section 7 tournament.

St. Thomas Academy (23-5), also an overtime winner Friday, against Cretin-Derham Hall in Section 3, is the third seed in Class 2A. Its first-round opponent will be sixth seed Shakopee (22-5-1).

Rogers (23-3-2) received the fourth seed and will face defending champion Edina (20-6-2) in the first round.

Hibbing/Chisholm (19-9) is the top seed in Class 1A. Defending champ St. Cloud Cathedral (18-8-2) is No. 2 and Northfield (22-4-2) No. 3.

Schedule

Class 2A

11 a.m. Thursday: [7] Andover (15-13) vs. [2] Stillwater (21-6)

1 p.m. Thursday: [6] Shakopee (22-5-1) vs. [3] St. Thomas Academy (23-5)

6 p.m. Thursday: [8] Lakeville South (18-9) vs. [1] Moorhead (25-2-1)

8 p.m. Thursday: [5] Edina (20-6-2) vs. [4] Rogers (23-3-2)

Class 1A

11 a.m. Wednesday: [7] Mahtomedi (11-15-2) vs. [2] St. Cloud Cathedral (18-8-2)

1 p.m. Wednesday: [6] Orono (15-10-3) vs. [3] Northfield (22-4-2)

6 p.m. Wednesday: [8] Luverne (22-4-2) vs. [1] Hibbing/Chisholm (19-9)

8 p.m. Wednesday: [5] Northern Lakes (19-8-1) vs. [4] East Grand Forks (13-13-2)

Semifinals, Friday

Class 1A: 11 a.m., 1 p.m.

Class 2A: 6 p.m., 8 p.m.

Championships, Saturday

Class 1A: noon

Class 2A: 7 p.m.

about the writer

about the writer

Kevin Bertels

High school sports team leader

Kevin Bertels has led the Minnesota Star Tribune’s high school sports coverage since fall 2021. Before that, he spent 23 years as the newspaper’s night Sports section coordinator, placing him in charge of the Sports copy desk.

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