Moorhead Girl’s Hockey team prepares for first state tournament since 2006

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) - For the Moorhead Spuds girl’s hockey team, today isn’t just about lacing up the skates and getting reps in out on the ice. It’s about prepping for a shot at something not seen since the launch of Twitter and Facebook: the Spuds competing for the state tournament.

“Let’s do this,” Spud forward Bria Holm said. “We’ve worked so hard for this, so it’s time to finally put on a show.

Bria Holm has been one of the many senior Spuds that have already stepped into the spotlight over the last few games, she scored both of the goals in a 2-1 come-from-behind win over Brainerd in the section semifinals to avenge their 2022 Section Finals loss, and then helping lead Moorhead to a 3-1 win over Roseau in the championship last week.

“I think they’ve just stepped up big when we really needed it,” Spud goaltender Taylor Kressin said. “And they’ve been really good at leading by example this season. We know how to deal with adversity, and we know how to keep going. And I think we also show a lot of confidence in our team, and we know how to rally around each other, and we believe in one another.”

Moorhead has gotten a taste of the state competition, playing three of the seven other teams that qualified. While the Spuds did lose those games, they forced overtime against the top-seeded Minnetonka team in a 2-1 loss, a team that outscored their opponents 24-1 in their section tournament.

“Well, I think we’re very capable of competing with these said-so bigger teams, I mean, we’ve played a lot of them in our regular-season games, and we’ve stuck right with them,” Holm said. “We’ve even beat a couple big teams too, and I think we’re perfectly capable of doing that in the state tournament.”

So now the Spuds take off for St. Paul, just two days away from taking the ice under the lights of the biggest stage the state of hockey has to offer.

“I think it’s just have confidence in yourself and the people around you,” Kressin said. “I think if you look to your left and your right, you should have confidence in every one of your teammates, because we’ve all put in the work this season, I think we’ve outworked our opponents all season. And I think that if you just take a deep breath and worry about yourself, and playing your best game, then it’ll all come together in the end.”

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