Zephyrs Get Revenge: Mahtomedi Edges St. Cloud Cathedral 2-1 to Reach Semifinals

By Robert Brent

After falling to St. Cloud Cathedral in last year’s quarterfinals, fourth-seeded Mahtomedi flipped the script at the Class A State Tournament, defeating the Crusaders 2-1 behind a late third-period goal from Brayden Fuerst to advance and set up a semifinal showdown with Hibbing/Chisholm.

The #4 seed Mahtomedi and the #5 seed St. Cloud Cathedral met in the Class A Tournament’s second matchup of the day. The contest was a rematch of a quarterfinal matchup from last year, in which St. Cloud Cathedral beat the Zephyrs 3-0.

That was then, and this is now, with both teams looking very different from last season. In last year’s tournament, it was the Crusaders who held the higher seed over the then 7th-seeded Mahtomedi. 

Mahtomedi exacted their revenge from last year’s game, advancing past the Crusaders with a 2-1 victory.

Both clubs felt each other out in the early goings of the game. The pace was physical, but little was done to separate the Zephyrs and Crusaders. St. Cloud Cathedral held a slight 9-6 shots on goal advantage 12 minutes into the first frame, but there were very few high-scoring chances for either side.

Mahtomedi appeared to have scored the game’s opening goal, but the Zephyrs’ apparent scorer had pushed the puck into the net with his hand.

The pace of the game picked up late in the first period, with the two teams trading chances. Crusaders goaltender Hunter Moreland (10 saves) and Zephyr Jackson Chesak (13 saves) were both up to the task, preserving a scoreless first period.

Moreland and Chesak’s excellence extended into the second period, with both teams failing to score in the first seven minutes. St. Cloud Cathedral continued to build on its lead in shots on goal with 20 compared to Mahtomedi’s 14. Despite the gap, both teams had put together some dangerous scoring attempts.

St. Cloud Cathedral got the opportunity to score first when they earned the game’s first power play opportunity. The Crusaders cashed in on the chance almost immediately off the faceoff when Bo Schmidt scored on a one-timer from the bottom of the circle off a silky feed from defender Brandan White.

Mahtomedi answered with three minutes remaining in the period. Will Seevers scored the goal after forcing the St. Cloud Cathedral goaltender out of the net. The play left Seevers with a wide-open net that he cashed in on for his first goal of the tournament.

The second period ended with a bang when St. Cloud Cathedral hit the post on a breakaway, only for Mahtomedi to have a 2-on-1 of their own. The cross-crease pass ended up in the back of the net, but time had already expired to preserve a 1-1 tie going into the third period.

The Zephyrs appeared to have a go-ahead goal early in the third period when a shot from the point was redirected on net. The goal was initially waved off due to a high stick. The call was upheld upon review.

Despite not getting the goal, Mahtomedi had all the momentum to start the third period, registering six of the first eight shots on goal of the period.

Mahtomedi finally cashed in late in the third period, scoring the go ahead goal on a drive to the net from Brayden Fuerst. The goal put the pressure on the Crusaders to mount some offense in hopes of tying the game with only minutes left. 

St. Cloud Cathedral hit a post but the clock ticked down without a goal. The Zephyrs advanced to the semi final with a 2-1 victory to set up a  semifinal matchup with Hibbing/Chisholm.

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