Aldrich Arena, Maplewood – The Mahtomedi Zephyrs delivered a dominant performance, overwhelming St. Paul Highland Park 10-2 to advance to the Section 4A Championship. The Zephyrs controlled all aspects of the game, outshooting the Scots 36-18 and capitalizing on key opportunities to put the game out of reach.
Mahtomedi wasted little time grabbing control, with Blake Loida opening the scoring at 8:52 off an assist from Will Seevers. Just five minutes later, Cody Loida found the back of the net shorthanded, extending the Zephyrs’ lead to 2-0.
Before the period ended, Ryan Lipovetz struck at 15:30, giving Mahtomedi a commanding 3-0 lead heading into the second.
The Scots got on the board at 7:28 when Charlie Rust capitalized on the power play with a goal assisted by Finn Warner. However, Mahtomedi responded quickly as Laken Decker netted his first of two goals at 3:10, followed by Brock Gutterman at 9:15 and Decker again at 10:48, making it 6-1 heading into the final frame.
Highland Park tried to climb back, scoring another power-play goal at 4:29 when Warner found the net, assisted by Isaac Johnson and Tommy Rust. But that was the last sign of life for the Scots, as Mahtomedi’s offensive firepower erupted.
Winston Wright responded just five minutes later with a shorthanded goal off a pass from Mac Appert. The Zephyrs then piled on three more goals from Brayden Fuerst (10:07), Trevor Rogosheske (11:00), and Joey Pipes (14:10) to seal the 10-2 victory.
✅ Laken Decker (Mahtomedi): 2G, 1A, 2 SOG
✅ Winston Wright (Mahtomedi): 1G, 2A, 1 SOG
✅ Blake Loida (Mahtomedi): 1G, 0A, 1 SOG
✅ Charlie Rust (St. Paul Highland Park): 1G, 0A, 1 SOG
✅ Finn Warner (St. Paul Highland Park): 1G, 1A, 1 SOG
📊 Shots on Goal: Mahtomedi 36 – St. Paul Highland Park 18
⚡ Power Play: St. Paul Highland Park 2 for 9 (22.22%) – Mahtomedi 0 for 1 (0.0%)
🚨 Penalty Minutes: Mahtomedi 30 – St. Paul Highland Park 4
