The Minnesota State High School League boys hockey state tournament begins today with the Class 1A quarterfinals.

Follow live scoring of each game on Strib Varsity. Here is the complete bracket for 2A, and here is the bracket for 1A.

Wednesday’s results

Hibbing/Chisholm 4, Dodge County 1

Mahtomedi 2, St. Cloud Cathedral 1

Delano 6, Mankato West 2

Warroad 5, Northern Lakes 0

Scoring summaries are here.

Warroad’s quick goal set the tone

Warroad coach Jay Hardwick knew his team, which was a little slow in the first period, needed to be better at capitalizing on its chances after the first intermission.

Gavin Andersen was definitely speedy at finding the net, scoring just six seconds into the second period.

“That might have been the quickest I’ve ever scored a goal into a period,” Andersen said. “So, that was pretty cool to get one, because I had a couple chances in the first where I couldn’t bury, so I knew I was due.”

His goal was the first in the 5-0 quarterfinal victory for Warroad over Northern Lakes in the last Class 1A quarterfinal Wednesday at Grand Casino Arena. Off the opening faceoff in the period, the Lightning defense had the puck, and Andersen helped create the turnover on a cross-ice pass.

“I kind of called for the puck there, and he listened and gave it to the middle,” Andersen said. “I decided to shoot it because the moves weren’t working.”

Six seconds is one off the state tournament record for the quickest goal to start a period. In the 2011 quarterfinals, Alexandria scored five seconds into the second in a loss to Hermantown. Hardwick couldn’t recall a quicker goal than Andersen’s at the state tournament. At least for Warroad.

“I actually saw one like that in the state tournament against us, unfortunately,” Hardwick said. “Any time you can jump out to a lead like that early in a period and kind of steal the momentum it obviously, it helps.”

Warroad made it 2-0 on Ryan Shaugabay’s first of two goals in the game, not long after Northern Lakes had a couple of great chances to tie the game. One with a shot that fluttered off the post.

“We had some great chances, and you have to score on those,” said Northern Lakes coach Thomas Klein. “The effort was there. There was some nice playmaking. And when you hit the pipe, or it just squirts wide, we keep playing. We keep going hard. These guys were really resilient that way.

“And at the same time, when they don’t go in, you only get so many chances in a game, especially against a team that’s pretty solid like that.”

Warroad senior goaltender Patrick Kennedy was pretty solid at keeping those chances out of the net, too. He made 24 saves for his third shutout of the season. He drew into the section final when Finn Hanson left injured. Hanson it out for the state tournament with a back injury, Hardwick confirmed.

Warroad will face No. 2-seed Delano in Friday’s Class 1A semifinals. The teams opened their season against each other on Nov. 21, a 3-1 win for Delano.

— Heather Rule

Final: Warroad 5, Northern Lakes 0

No. 3-seeded Warroad makes sure that the top four seeds advance to Friday’s Class 1A semifinals with a 5-0 win over 6-seed Northern Lakes.

Ryan Shaugabay had a pair of goals, and goaltender Patrick Kennedy earned the shutout victory with 24 saves.

Warroad (23-5-1) improves to 22-4 all-time in state quarterfinal games, while Northern Lakes (17-11-1) falls to 0-3 in quarterfinals.

Scoring summary

Third period: Warroad 3, Northern Lakes 0

Ryan Shaugabay scores his second of the night off a 2-on-1 rush. He pops the high shot past the goaltender to give the Warriors a commanding 3-0 lead.

Northern Lakes takes timeout with 5:36 to play still looking to get on the board.

— Heather Rule

Attendance update

The crowd count at Grand Casino Arena for the night Class 1A session was 6,155. The afternoon crowd count was 6,370.

The rink holds 17,954 for hockey.

End of two: Warroad 2, Northern Lakes 0

The Warriors gained a little separation on the scoreboard at the end of the period, holding a 2-0 lead.

But Northern Lakes has had its opportunities to cash in, too. Perhaps none better than a chance about halfway through the period when Griffen Hannah took advantage of a Warroad turnover in the Warriors’ zone. Hannah drove the net and flipped a backhand shot toward the cage.

The fluttering puck hit the right post to just stay out.

— Heather Rule

Delano’s victory is a family affair

It was the Halonen show when Delano beat Mankato West 6-2 in a Class 1A boys hockey state quarterfinal game.

Sophomore forward Lance Halonen had a six point game, scoring two goals and setting up four others. He opened the scoring three minutes into the first period.

His brother, senior captain Daniel Halonen, also had two goals and ended the scoring with six seconds remaining in the game.

Delano-Mankato West scoring summary

The record for points in a state tournament game is eight, by Eveleth’s John Mayasich in 1951 which he had seven goals and an assist against Minneapolis Southwest.

Daniel Halonen had the tie-breaking marker five minutes into the third period as the Tigers broke a 2-2 tie with four unanswered goals.

“I got that pass from Lance, I just saw the side of the net and put it there,” said Daniel.

After the tie was broken, the Tigers rolled into Friday’s semifinals.

“Once they tied up the game, it was impossible to not feel it,” said Delano head coach Gerrit van Bergen. “Our third period was absolutely incredible. … The energy and the pulse, the aggressiveness and the commitment that they showed was just incredible.”

Lance Halonen, who scored a hat trick in the Section 2 championship game on Feb. 26, stretched Delano’s lead to 4-2 with his second goal of the game at 7:54.

“He’s got a rocket of a shot, and he can put it where he wants it,” said Daniel. “So if we get him the puck off the rush, like we did with that first goal, it’s going in every time.”

Added senior forward Brady Kangas, who had a goal: “If we just find [Lance] in the right spot, he can rip it from anywhere. He’s got a nasty shot.”

With three Halonen families in Delano, van Bergen insisted there are plenty more scoring machines in the team’s future.

“Darn, right,” said van Bergen with a laugh. “They have another crop coming.”

— Olivia Hicks

Second period: Warroad 2, Northern Lakes 0

Right after Parker Fulton had a great look at the net, but hit shot missed the net, Ryan Shaugabay pounced on the loose puck near the Warroad blue line and went in for a breakaway.

He cut to the net with a nifty backhand shot to double Warroad’s lead with 4:27 to play in the second period. It’s his 22nd goal of the season.

— Heather Rule

Warroad strikes quickly in second

Six seconds into the second period, Warroad took a 1-0 lead.

Off the opening faceoff, the puck went to Northern Lakes in its own end. But a turnover put the puck right on Warroad’s Gavin Andersen’s stick, and he didn’t mess around, scoring an unassisted goal for his team-leading 31st goal of the season.

The goal came just six seconds into the period. That’s just one second off the state tournament record for the earliest goal by a team in any period. Alexandria scored a goal five seconds into the second period in its 5-1 loss to Hermantown in the 2011 quarterfinals.

After one: Northern Lakes 0, Warroad 0

One of the brightest things about that period might be the Warroad student managers in their dazzling gold suits.

Patrick Kennedy has 11 saves so far for Warroad as the Warriors remain in a scoreless game with the Lightning at the first intermission. Each team went 0-for-1 on the power play, with each generating a couple of shots on goal during the advantage.

Northern Lakes’ Parker Fulton had a good scoring chance on the power play, and Warroad’s Gavin Andersen had a shorthanded breakaway with a golden opportunity to take the lead but missed the net.

— Heather Rule

First period: Warroad 0, Northern Lakes 0

We’re still scoreless midway through the period.

Warroad gets the game’s first power play but isn’t able to capitalize. Northern Lakes also had a good shorthanded scoring chance, forcing Warroad goaltender Patrick Kennedy to make a pad save.

Some end-to-end hockey so far as the teams get settled in the first period.

— Heather Rule

Pregame: Northern Lakes vs. Warroad

The final game of the day to set the semifinal portion of the Class 1A bracket has No. 6 Northern Lakes Lightning (17-10-1) facing No. 3 Warroad Warriors (22-5-1).

Northern Lakes is making its third state trip in six years, still searching for its first quarterfinal win. It lost a quarterfinal game to the eventual state champions in 2021 (Gentry Academy) and 2025 (East Grand Forks). Northern Lakes includes Pequot Lakes, Crosby Ironton, Aitkin and Pine River-Backus.

Warroad is no stranger to the state tournament, making its 26th trip and its fifth in seven years. The Warriors are 4-0 in quarterfinal games in that recent stretch. Actually, they haven’t lost a state quarterfinal game since 2004, when they fell in overtime to Orono, 2-1. Since their first state tournament in 1948, Warroad is 21-4 in quarterfinal games, with two of those losses in overtime.

Warroad’s No. 1 goaltender, junior Finn Hanson (16-5-1), was injured and had to leave the section final game. According to Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald, Hanson is out for the tournament with the injury.

Senior goaltender Patrick Kennedy is expected to get the start. He’s 6-0-0 with a 0.65 goals-against average and a .956 save percentage this season.

— Heather Rule

Final: Delano 6, Mankato West 2

Lance Halonen had two goals and four assists as the second-seeded Tigers advanced to Friday’s semifinals.

Lance’s brother Daniel scored his second goal of the game with 10 seconds remaining.

— Olivia Hicks

Third period: Delano 5, Mankato West 2

Senior forward Brady Kangas taps a shot past Scarlets goaltender Blake Brekke to stretch the Tigers’ lead to 5-2 with 4:49 left in the period. Lance and Daniel Halonen assisted.

Delano is outshooting Mankato West 49-22.

— Olivia Hicks

Third period: Delano 4, Mankato West 2

Delano is breaking the game open, thanks to the Halonen brothers.

Daniel Halonen scored on a wrist shot from the right circle with assists to his brother Lance and first cousin Bennett for a 3-2 lead with 12 minutes remaining in the third period.

Then Lance Halonen scored three minutes later on a rebound. Senior forwards Jacob Perlich and Brady Kangas assisted.

Shots are 40-18 for No. 2 seed Delano with nine minutes remaining in the period.

— Olivia Hicks

After two periods: Delano 2, Mankato West 2

The Tigers and Scarlets ended the second period in a standoff.

Mankato West tied the game with junior forward Brodie Cox’s shot between goaltender Evan Geyen’s pads 43 seconds into the period.

Shots are 31-13 in Delano’s favor.

— Olivia Hicks

Crowd count

Attendance for Wednesday’s afternoon session at Grand Casino Arena was 6,370 for the two games.

That’s an increase from last year, when the first session of the state tournament drew 5,046 to what was then Xcel Energy Center.

Second period: Delano 2, Mankato West 2

Forty-three seconds into the second period, Mankato West junior forward Brodie Cox slid a shot between Delano goaltender Evan Geyen’s pads to even the score.

Brooks Baukol assisted on the goal.

— Olivia Hicks

After one: Delano leads Mankato West 2-1

Shots are 17-7 in favor of Delano, which got goals from Lance Halonen and Dylan Nelson to head into the first intermission with the lead.

Brooks Baukol scored for Mankato West.

Tigers scoring leader Daniel Halonen had three shots turned aside by Mankato West goalie Blake Brekke late in the period. Daniel and Lance Halonen both had five shots in the period.

— Olivia Hicks

First period: Delano 2, Mankato West 1

Mankato West’s Jakobe Tosch fed a pass to freshman defenseman Brooks Baukol, who slipped a shot past Delano goaltender Evan Geyen’s glove with 6:23 left on the clock in the first period.

Delano leads in shots on goal 12-6.

— Olivia Hicks

First period: Delano 2, Mankato West 0

We’re halfway through the first period and the Tigers are off to a quick lead.

Lance Halonen opened the scoring with a tidy shot into the right upper corner of the Mankato West net at 3:24, assisted by his brother Daniel Halonen and senior defenseman Connor Oja.

Slightly more than a minute later, junior defenseman Dylan Nelson found the back of the net for Delano.

— Olivia Hicks

Pregame: Delano vs Mankato West

The seats at Grand Casino Arena are filling up with neon orange and scarlet red as the Delano Tigers (22-4-2) prepare to face off against the Mankato West Scarlets (19-7-2) in the Class 1A boys hockey state tournament quarterfinals.

Delano has more school appearances on the sheet of NHL ice with four previous visits, but the Tigers haven’t been to state since 2021. It’s been even longer for two-time tourney visitor Mankato West. A Scarlets team last skated here a decade ago.

Delano, holding the second seed, will attempt to repeat its 6-2 Section 2 championship-winning performance against Blake on Feb. 26 with help from top-scoring brothers Daniel and Lance Halonen.

But No. 7 seed Mankato West’s Jakobe Tosch and Grady Schmidt are sure to put up a fight — just as the duo leading in goals and assists did in a 2-1 section win against Luverne.

Stay tuned for updates as the player introductions begin with a flip of hockey hair and the action commences.

Mahtomedi’s Fuerst talks about game-winning goal

Mahtomedi senior captain Brayden Fuerst was as surprised as anyone Thursday when he scored the tiebreaking goal that gave the Zephyrs a 2-1 triumph over St. Cloud Cathedral in the Class 1A state quarterfinals.

“I don’t score on many of those shots, but I’m glad it went in,” Fuerst said in the postgame news conference at Grand Casino Arena.

With each team’s goalie playing lights-out, it looked like a game headed to overtime. But with about 3:05 remaining in regulation, Fuerst picked up the puck near the red line and used his speed to beat one defender going down the left side. He tucked a backhand shot through the legs of Cathedral goalie Hunter Moreland.

Surprise?

“That is just him being humble,” Mahtomedi coach Jeff Poeschl said of Fuerst, who has eight goals in 29 games this season. “He probably scores the most goals in practice. … On that particular play, he used his feet and he really, really motored to get around the [defender].

”After seeing the goal lights go on, Fuerst skated across the entire rink to celebrate near Mahtomedi’s student section.

“Our community is awesome,” Fuerst said. “They support all of us, and you can see out there, like our whole community was here. The whole school was, so it’s just great that everybody was here to watch us.”

— Joe Christensen

Final: Mahtomedi 2, St. Cloud Cathedral 1

Brayden Fuerst scored the tiebreaking goal with less than three minutes remaining in regulation, giving Mahtomedi the win and a date with Hibbing/Chisholm in Friday’s semifinals.

Both goalies were terrific. Cathedral’s Hunter Moreland made 27 saves, and Mahtomedi’s Jackson Chesak had 34.

— Joe Christensen

Third period: Mahtomedi 2, St. Cloud Cathedral 1

Mahtomedi pulled in front with 2:59 remaining in regulation on a goal by Brayden Fuerst, who picked up the puck at mid-ice and somehow snuck the puck past goalie Hunter Moreland.

— Joe Christensen

Third period: St. Cloud Cathedral 1, Mahtomedi 1

This one’s still tied with 9:45 remaining in regulation. Both goalies have been terrific, as Cathedral leads in shots 26-25.

— Joe Christensen

End of second period: St. Cloud Cathedral 1, Mahtomedi 1

Wow, if the first part of that period was ho-hum, the end was electrifying.

First, Mahtomedi knotted the score at 1-1 when Vinny Redpath passed from behind the net, and Will Seevers kicked the puck onto his stick and shot past goalie Hunter Moreland.

Cathedral had a breakaway toward the end of the period, when Talen Ruprecht rang a shot off the pipe.

Mahtomedi came back down the ice and scored, but time had expired.

— Joe Christensen

Second period: St. Cloud Cathedral 1, Mahtomedi 0

The game’s first power play was a few seconds old when Cathedral scored a beauty. Griffin Sturm made a no-look pass from the point to freshman Brandan White, who dished from one circle to the other, where sophomore Bo Schmidt was waiting to blast a one-timer past Mahtomedi goalie Jackson Chesak with 7:41 remaining in the period.

— Joe Christensen

Hibbing/Chisholm, Rosemount without key players in first-round games

Hibbing/Chisholm played its quarterfinal, a 4-1 victory over Dodge County, a little shorthanded.

Sophomore wing Cole Swanson, who led the team in goals entering the tournament, sat behind the glass near the Hibbing/Chisholm cheering section, wearing a sport coat and tie.

He was forced to sit out one game after making an objectionable gesture following their 3-2 overtime victory over Cloquet/Esko/Carlton.

“Everyone knows he made a mistake,” said Tate Swanson, his older brother. “It’s not the type of person he is. He’s learned from it.”

A representative from the MSHSL shut down the questioning after that.

This is not the first time an unfortunate gesture to the fans in the aftermath of a passionate section championship victory had arisen in relation to the tournament.

Rosemount will be without one of its goaltenders at the start of its Class 2A quarterfinal game Thursday against Grand Rapids. Drew Sherman will sit for at least the start of the game, Rosemount coach Ricky Saintey confirmed Wednesday, after making a gesture directed toward fans following Rosemount’s 3-2 victory over St. Thomas Academy in the Section 3, 2A final. Saintey declined further comment.

— Jim Paulsen

End of first period: Mahtomedi 0, St. Cloud Cathedral 0

Fans who headed over to West 7th for lunch between games missed very little if they were late settling back in for the second quarterfinal of the day.

Two good teams looked like they were trying to figure things out in a scoreless first period.

There was a humorous moment when Mahtomedi junior Will Seevers, lying face-down on the ice, used his right hand to move the puck into the net, like someone playing air hockey. That was an easy one to overturn. Cathedral’s Griffin Sturm had a nifty end-to-end rush late in the period, but his pass near the crease didn’t lead to a goal.

— Joe Christensen

Pregame: St. Cloud Cathedral vs. Mahtomedi

Today’s top state tournament matchup, on paper, comes next, as No. 4 seed Mahtomedi faces No. 5 seed St. Cloud Cathedral at Grand Casino Arena.

Mahtomedi defeated Cathedral 4-3 on Feb. 13, in the final regular season game for both teams.

These fan bases have had it pretty good in recent years. Mahtomedi won Class 1A titles in 2020 and 2023, and Cathedral won it all in 2024 before losing to East Grand Forks in last year’s championship game.

This time, the winner will face No. 1 seed Hibbing in Friday’s semifinals.

— Joe Christensen

Final: Hibbing/Chisolm 4, Dodge County 1

Hibbing/Chisholm’s redemption tournament started a little slowly, but the No. 1-seeded Bluejackets took control on a goal by Tate Swanson early in the second period, added two goals late in the frame and held on for 4-1 victory.

Hibbing lost in the semifinals in 2025 and dedicated this season to redeeming themselves.

— Jim Paulsen

Third period: Hibbing/Chisholm 4, Dodge County 1

Whit Rewertz picked up a stray puck in the slot and wristed a laser over the Dodge Count goalie’s shoulder to bump the lead to 4-0.

Dodge County got on the board on a slick piece of stickhandling by Nolan Steele, deflecting a pass between his legs and directing it home.

— Jim Paulsen

Start of third period: Hibbing/Chisholm 3, Dodge County 0

Those two late-second period goals took the edge off for Hibbing/Chisholm fans. The Bluejackets outshot the Wildcats 22-4 in the period (33-12 in the game) but led by just a single goal until their last period explosion.

Meanwhile, Cole Swanson is not playing for Hibbing. The sophomore is sitting out a one-game suspension for gesturing to the fans in the aftermath of their overtime victory over Cloquet/Esko/Carlton.

— Jim Paulsen

End of second period: Hibbing/Chisholm 3, Dodge County 0

Two goals in the final two minutes of the period put Hibbing/Chisholm in control.

Isaiah Hildenbrand walked off the dasher board, through the Dodge County defense, deked Dodge County goalie Wes Wegner and found a wide-open net at 15:34.

A minutes later, after steady Hibbing/Chisholm pressure in front of the net, Joe Gabardi knocked in a rebound for the Bluejackets’ third goal at 16:31.

— Jim Paulsen

Second period: Hibbing/Chisholm 1, Dodge County 0

Tate Swanson took the lid off the goal, converting a pass from Hunter Gustavson on a 2-on-1 break for the first goal of the game at 5:01 of the period. Beautiful passing play.

— Jim Paulsen

Star Tribune writer Joy Summers rounded up a list of the best restaurants, sports bars, coffee shops and diners within walking distance of Grand Casino Arena.

Read the guidebook here.

Second period: Hibbing/Chisholm 0, Dodge County 0

I will surprised if Hibbing/Chisholm comes out passively, letting the game come to then. I expect to see a more aggressive approach by the Bluejackets

— Jim Paulsen

End of first period: Hibbing/Chisholm 0, Dodge County 0

Much of the play has been in the Dodge County end. Hibbing leads 11-8 in shots on goal. The Bluejackets killed off a couple of penalties. Other than an early chance by Dodge County, goalie Gavin Lamphere hasn’t seen much action.

Hibbing hasn’t been lights out by any means. Dodge County goalie Wes Wegner has been solid.

— Jim Paulsen

Pregame: Dodge County vs. Hibbing/Chisholm

The stands at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul are sparsely filled right now, prior to the start of the Class 1A boys hockey tournament, but I don’t expect to write those words again during the tournament.

The first game pits No. 1 seed Hibbing/Chisholm vs. No. 8 Dodge County out of Section 1A. Hibbing/Chisholm has been focused on this since falling to East Grand Forks in the tournament semifinals in 2025.

The Bluejackets (24-2-2) are not only tournament-tested, but stacked. They are led by the Swanson brothers. Tate, a senior, was the Strib Varsity Minnesota Player of the Year. Cole is a sophomore. They play well off each other, combining for 55 goals.

Dodge County (19-8-1), a cooperative representing Byron and Kasson-Mantorville, has a tough task. Keep an eye on senior forward Gabe Coshenet, the team’s leader in goals with 28 and points at 61.

— Jim Paulsen