A team making its 13th appearance in the state boys hockey tournament since 2000 probably isn’t going to be considered a Cinderella story.

But that argument could be made for the Warroad Warriors.

After Warriors starting goalie Finn Hanson was injured in the Class 1A, Section 8 championship game, the Warriors and backup goalie Patrick Kennedy held on for a 3-0 victory over Detroit Lakes to advance to the state tournament for the sixth time since 2019.

At the state tournament at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, the third-seeded Warriors defeated Northern Lakes 5-0 in the quarterfinals and second-seeded Delano 6-3 in the semifinals to advance to the championship game.

In the championship game, the Warriors would face top-seeded Hibbing/Chisholm, which had defeated the Warriors 4-2 on Jan. 24.

Despite being outshot 34-19 in the first two periods, the Warriors took a 3-1 lead into the third period. The Bluejackets scored in the first three minutes of the period to pull within 3-2. The Bluejackets then stunned the Warriors with goals 51 seconds apart to take a 4-3 lead with less than four minutes remaining. Warroad tied the game with 46 seconds remaining in regulation on a goal by Gavin Andersen. The Warriors earned their first state title since 2005 when Ryan Shaugabay scored — on an assist from Andersen — 60 seconds into the overtime.

Kennedy, a senior, had 43 saves — 22 in the second period — for Warroad.

“If you ever wanted a Cinderella story, there it is,” Warriors coach Jay Hardwick said after the championship game. “… I mean, [Kennedy] played unbelievable the whole tournament. Especially that second period. I don’t even know how he made some of those saves.”

This year’s tournament title was the fifth overall for the Warriors, who lost in the state championship three times (2009, 2022 and 2023).

The Warriors, who finished the season with a 25-5-1 record, opened the season with three consecutive home games against teams that made the state tournament — Delano, St. Cloud Cathedral and (eventual Class 2A state champion) Moorhead. The Warriors went 1-2 in those games, losing to Delano and Moorhead and defeating St. Cloud Cathedral.

After the loss to Hibbing/Chisholm in January, the Warriors won their final six regular-season games. In their final six regular-season games and their three victories at the section tournament, the Warriors allowed just four goals.

Hanson, a junior, had a 1.59 goals-against-average (GAA), .927 save-percentage and five shutouts before being injured. Kennedy, who was 6-0 during the regular season, finished the season with a 1.20 GAA and .942 save percentage.

“I’m just so proud of this team,” Hardwick said, “how they never quit and played for each other to become state champs. The emotion after we won just showed how much it meant to everyone involved, they were playing for everyone that had worn the Warrior jersey before them that never got a state title.”

Andersen, a junior, led the Warriors with 35 goals and 34 assists. Shaugabay, a senior, contributed 24 goals and 24 assists.

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