Senior forward Brandon Helget said New Ulm does not mind getting scrappy to score goals.

The Eagles showed off their ability to dig pucks in front of the net and slam home rebounds against Luverne in the Class 1A, Section 3 championship Tuesday night at Lund Arena in St. Peter.

“Those little things made a big difference,” Helget said. “When you do the little things well, good things will happen to you.”

Helget and New Ulm discovered just how successful that formula can be as the second-seeded Eagles upset the top-seeded Cardinals 7-5 to advance to the Class 1A state tournament for first time since 2012.

Helget finished with two goals and three assists in a victory that avenged New Ulm’s 6-1 loss to Luverne in the section championship last year.

“We had 16 returning players off last year’s team that got beat by Luverne,” Eagles coach Erik Setterholm said after the win. “It’s good for these kids to get back to this game and play well in it.”

Setterholm said New Ulm’s game plan did not include getting into shootout with the high-scoring Cardinals (23-5-0), who came into the section playoffs averaging an impressive 8 goals per game.

“We didn’t necessarily want to get into a scoring race with one of the best scoring teams in the state,” Setterholm said. “But tonight it worked out for us.”

Junior forward Ethan Kraus scored twice while senior forwards Colin Huffman, Wyatt Peterson and junior defenseman Alex Sellner each scored one goal for the Eagles (18-8-2).

Helget, who finished the section tournament with eight goals and 13 points, said New Ulm upped its physical play to counter Luverne’s potent offense.

“We had to forecheck hard and take the body to slow them down,” Helget said. 

The victory over the Cardinals is not the first postseason upset sprung by the Eagles, who knocked off No. 2-seeded Hutchinson 6-5 in overtime in the semifinals.

Halget said defeating higher seeds makes a win even sweeter. 

“It feels great, coming in as the underdogs and getting a big win,” he added.

New Ulm senior goaltender Matt Berkner was solid, making 34 saves and maintaining his resolve despite giving up five goals.

“(I thought), ‘Just stay calm, live in the moment and play my game,’” said Berkner, who went 14-6-2 in the regular season with seven shutouts, a 2.13 goals against average and a .911 save percentage.

The raucous Eagles’ fans played a role not only in the victory over Luverne but also in New Ulm’s success this season, Berkner said.

“(The fans) really came out this year,” Berkner said with a smile. 

Several Eagles chose an unique look for their playoff run: mullets.

Both Helget and Berkner said their hairstyles won’t change until after the state tournament.

“Oh yeah (it will stay),” Helget laughed. “We’ve got to keep it going.”


Luverne junior Chaz Smedsrud registered a hat trick and an assist in a 7-5 loss to New Ulm on Feb. 25. Photo by Nick Wosika

First Report

Senior forward Brandon Helget finished with two goals and two assists as third-seeded New Ulm upset top-seeded Luverne 7-5 in the the Class 1A, Section 3 championship at Lund Arena in St. Peter, Minn.

Junior forward Ethan Kraus added two goals and assisted on another for the Eagles, who advance to the Class 1A state tournament with the victory.

New Ulm (18-8-2) scored the bulk of their goals on rebounds and effort plays, edging high-scoring Luverne (23-5-0) for the second time this season. 

Junior forward Chaz Smedsrud had three goals and an assist, and freshman forward Jaxon Nelson and senior forward Andrew Verhey scored one goal apiece for the Cardinals.

Senior forwards Wyatt Peterson and Colin Huffman each had a goal and two assists and junior defenseman Alex Sellner tallied one goal for the Eagles. 

New Ulm senior goalie Matt Berkner made 34 saves while senior Connor Crabtree finished with 29 for Luverne.

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