For the second consecutive season and just the third time in the history of the program, the Northfield High School boys hockey team will be making an appearance at the MSHSL state tournament on March 6-9 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
The Raiders (22-4-2) earned their trip to this year’s Class A state tournament with to a 4-1 victory over Dodge County in the Section 1A championship game on Wednesday, Feb. 28 at the Rochester Recreation Center.
Northfield started its run at this year’s Section 1A tournament as the number one seed and the Raiders lived up to that billing with an 9-2 win over Faribault in the quarterfinals, an 8-1 win over Albert Lea in the semifinals and the title win over No. 2 seed Dodge County.
In a hard-hitting showdown befitting of a championship bout, Northfield and Dodge County engaged in a classic defensive battle through the opening period of play in Rochester. As the period went on, Northfield started to take charge on offense and ended up with a 12-4 lead in shots at the first intermission.
The Raiders continued to spark offensively in the second period with a dominating attack that owned a 21-6 margin in shots and also broke the shutout when Will Cashin converted on a scramble in front of the net to score at 13:08. Cayden Monson contributed the solo assist on the play that made the tally 1-0.
The Wildcats did not go easily into the night, as their goaltender Jackson Roethler was on point throughout the game with 45 saves to his credit.
“Honestly, it has been how the playoffs have gone for us. We had a little slow start in the first playoff game and then found our rhythm and then against Albert Lea it was tied with 4:00 left in the second period and it felt like tonight was the same thing,” Northfield coach Mike Luckcraft said about his team’s play against Dodge County. “As the game went on, we seemed to have a presence in the offensive zone, we were making some plays and their goalie was making some nice stops but we just stayed the course. We continued to get shots, were there for rebounds and we finally broke through there at the end and sealed the deal.”
Northfield’s barrage finally made an impact in the final period, as the Raiders added three more goals to ice the decision. The scoring started at 5:07 of the third period with an unassisted goal by Griffin Kennelly, which proved to be the game winner.
Dodge County added its lone goal of the evening at 5:24 of the third with a marker by Gideon Ellinghysen, before Monson padded Northfield’s lead to 3-1 with his goal at 9:31 of the third. Ty Frank posted the lone assist on the play. This was Monson’s 21st goal of the season and his 57th point in 2023-24.
As the clock wound down, Dodge County looked to pull its goalie and close the Raider lead but a penalty by the Wildcats at 14:03 provided Northfield with a power play opportunity in the closing minutes of the game. Despite being on the penalty kill, Dodge County still pulled its goalie and the result was an empty net goal for the Raiders’ Michael Steward at 15:34 that made the final score 4-1.
Monson added his insight on his squad’s surge in the second and third periods.
“I think the main thing was that they started getting tired and we had a lot of momentum," he said. "We were able to possess the puck in the O-zone, use the defense like we’ve been practicing, get pucks on net and create chaos … and I think that is why we were able to succeed.”
In the game, Northfield ended up outshooting Dodge County 49-15, as Max Frank made 14 saves to earn the win in goal for the Raiders. On special teams, Northfield was 1 of 4 on the power play and 1 of 1 on the penalty kill.
“We have such a good defensive team, and Max (Frank) has played well all year long in goal, and that has been a big part of our success,” Luckcraft said.
Northfield’s success also relied up the defense’s ability to limit some of Dodge County’s top players during the contest.
“Our ultimate goal was to shut 13 (Gryffon Funke) and 17 (Brett Ludvigsen) down. Those are the two biggest producers on their team, and we did that to the best of our ability, and we came out with a win,” Ty Frank said.
Funke and Ludvigsen had entered the game with a combined total of 73 goals scored in 2023-24 for Dodge County and Northfield limited the duo to just two assists.
A senior defender, Ty Frank also had quick praise for Max Frank’s play in goal in recent games for Northfield. Max Frank will enter the state tournament with a 14-3-1 record and a 1.58 goals against average.
“He (Max Frank) has just been standing on his head for the past games that he has started for us, and he has been super solid,” Ty Frank said.
Northfield will begin play in the state tournament on Wednesday, March 6. Check back here for the tournament schedule when it becomes available.
Both Ty Frank and Monson are looking forward to the return to St. Paul and experience the excitement of the Minnesota state high school tournament - arguably one of the nation’s top high school championship event that attracts thousands to the Xcel each year. The pair are also looking to improve on last year’s 0-2 record at the Class A tournament.
“(The state tournament) is super special but we were close to making it into the semifinals last year and we want to win our first game when we get back up there to get some revenge,” Ty Frank said.
Monson added, “Not a day goes by where I haven’t thought about that (the state tournament). One of our goals this year wasn’t just to get to the state tournament but to win the state tournament. It is a really big deal personally as a senior. I haven’t not thought about it every single day since we went there (last year) and lost to Orono in overtime, so I am really looking forward to getting back up there.”
As Northfield prepares for the upcoming state tournament, Frank said the Section 1A title game provided a solid battle that should hone the Raiders game plan for its trip to the Xcel.
“These guys (Dodge County) were a great test for us with two super high-end players…every team we play at state will have two our more of those type of players, so it was good to play against these guys tonight before we go up there for the state tournament,” Ty Frank said.
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