Evan Wanner received the puck in the neutral zone and raced across the blue line, with the championship on his stick, the junior forward produced a moment of magic that will last a lifetime. Wanner’s shot whizzed past Minnetonka goaltender Chase Jerdee, and mayhem ensued as he sprinted the length of the ice to the Spuds student section. He ripped off his helmet and hurled it into the crowd, having just secured Moorhead’s second consecutive state title. Moorhead forward Evan Wanner (20) celebrates after scoring the winning goal past Minnetonka goaltender Chase Jerdee (31) in double overtime of the Class 2A championship game of the State Boys Hockey Tournament at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul on Saturday, March 7, 2026. Moorhead wins 5-4. (Craig Lassig / Special to the Pioneer Press) Wanner said he visualized scoring the overtime winner last night and tossing his helmet into the stands. “Just kind of blacked out after I don’t even know what happened,” Wanner said. “Remember going down and thinking, ‘wow, what a game.’” Drew Simonich said he’s been roommates with Wanner throughout the tournament, and the pair asked each other this morning at 1:30 a.m. ‘What would you do if you scored the overtime game winner?’ Simonich said Wanner’s response was “I would just throw everything into the crowd,” and that’s what he did. The Spuds withstood an offensive onslaught from the Skippers and prevailed in double overtime, 5-4, in the Class AA state championship Saturday night at Grand Casino Arena. Moorhead head coach Jon Ammerman said his team displayed incredible character and that doubt never seeped into the psyche of any of the Spuds players. “The plays that were made and the goals that were scored were phenomenal,” Ammerman said. “It would have been easy to pack it in.” Moorhead’s offense came into the night scoring 5.83 goals per game. The Spuds needed that production and then some to recover from a three-goal third-period deficit. Moorhead entered in search of back-to-back Class AA titles after coming up short in all eight of its trips to the championship game before 2025. Minnetonka arrived as winners of eight straight state tournament games, having won the championship in each of its last two appearances: 2018 and 2023. The Spuds put themselves behind the eight ball because of a Drew Kortan penalty for cross-checking, which took place after the whistle. It resulted in a Skippers’ power play 1:16 into the title game. Moorhead forward Michael Herman (10) celebrates after scoring a goal against Minnetonka in the second period of the Class 2A 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) Minnetonka capitalized on the early gift on a Danny Browning cross-ice pass to Jordan Johnson, who placed the puck into a wide-open left side of the net. The Skippers scored a second midway through the first period via Ethan Sturgis, whose shot a foot above the goal line slid right through the legs of Will Arnold. Skippers’ sophomore Cash Hardie skated into the zone, gliding left, and whipped a shot toward the far corner that beat the glove of Arnold. Minnetonka, 11 minutes into the championship, had lit the lamp three times on seven shots. An efficient, clinical start to the night for Minnetonka, while it took until the 8:37 mark in the first period for Moorhead to get its second shot on goal. The Spuds were handed a lifeline early in the second period as Sturgis went into the box for hooking. On the power play, Joey Cullen fired a quick cross-ice pass to Zac Zimmerman for a Grade-A chance he could not convert, hitting side netting, and the Skippers killed off the penalty. Undaunted by the deficit, Moorhead’s Max Cullen probed the Skippers’ defense, played a pass back to Tyden Bergeson, who ripped a shot on net. Jerdee was unable to squeeze the shot, saw it sit in the crease, where Michael Herman’s quick stick slapped it home halfway through the second period. The Spuds’ glimmer of hope was short-lived as the Skippers added to their tally before the frame concluded. Hardie chipped it into the slot where Max Aronson was wide open and zipped it by Arnold to restore Minnetonka’s three-goal lead with 1:26 to go in the second period. Bergeson said the team knew they could come back from three goals down because they had done it against Andover on Jan. 17. “We’ve been in that situation before,” Bergeson said. “We know what we need in our room to get back in the game and never a doubt that we [weren’t] winning this game.” Moorhead forward Zac Zimmerman, left, and Minnetonka defenseman Tate Hardacre skate to the puck in the second period of the Class 2A 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) The Skippers were their own worst enemy in closing out the title game, as Liam Schultz was penalized for roughing with 11:00 to play in the contest. Moorhead quickly shifted the puck around Minnetonka. It was Bergeson whose backdoor pass cut open the Skippers’ defense as Joey Cullen swept it into an open net for the Spuds’ first power-play goal of the tournament. Momentum had completely shifted as Moorhead sustained extensive offensive zone pressure as the clock ticked under 7:00 in the championship. It was a shot from the point by Brandon Mickelson that got rerouted out in front by Zimmerman’s stick, giving Jerdee no chance and pulling the Spuds within a goal. The Skippers handed Moorhead a prime opportunity to complete the comeback with its second penalty of the period, as Cameron Merrick was penalized for hooking. The Spuds did not score on the power play, but after pulling Arnold with 1:37 to go, Moorhead cashed in via Zimmerman, who slotted home the tying goal with 35.6 seconds left, his second of the game. Both teams managed three shots on goal in overtime, but did not do enough to beat either goaltender, so a full-intermission and ice resurfacing took place before double overtime. Jerdee was tested twice in the first three minutes of the second overtime and answered the bell with two crucial saves. Bergeson said the period break between overtimes was huge to recharge and get fluids into the team. Evan Wanner walked off the Class AA state championship in double overtime with a swift wrister past Jerdee, returning Moorhead to the summit of Minnesota high school hockey. The only other time in state tournament history both state title games went into overtime was in 2011. In Class AA, Eden Prairie defeated Duluth East, 3-2, in triple overtime, and in Class A, St. Thomas Academy bested Hermantown, 5-4, in overtime. Related Articles Girls hockey: St. Croix Valley runs out of time in state title game Boys hockey Class A championship: Warroad beats Hibbing in OT Wisconsin boys hockey: Amery falls in Division 2 final Boys hockey: Moorhead takes down Edina, heads to Class AA title game Boys hockey: Minnetonka rallies in Class AA semis, defeats Rosemount in OT ...read more read less