Class 1A state tournament observers felt top seeds Hermantown and Warroad were an inevitable championship showdown, and only Mahtomedi threatened to ruin the Northland party.

All because of senior goalie Ben Dardis.

Immense respect followed Dardis since he led the Zephyrs to the 2020 state championship. The state’s leader with a .939 save percentage this season, Dardis helped lift Mahtomedi to another state tournament.

“I wouldn’t want to have anyone behind me other than Ben,” said twin brother Grant, a Zephyrs defenseman and captain. “He’s unbelievable. Every day, he goes to work and grinds. He’s been a leader on this team, and I couldn’t be more proud of him.”

Then Ben, one of three Frank Brimsek Senior Goalie of the Year award finalists, looked Grant’s way and said: “He’s been probably one of the best defensemen I’ve had in my four years. Grant, you’ve played an unbelievable career here at Mahtomedi.”

Special teams play a part

Four goals, including the one that settled it, came on the power play in the Class 1A semifinal between Mahtomedi and Warroad.

Mahtomedi went 2-for-3 on the power play, while Warroad went 2-for-6, including scoring the overtime winner with the man advantage. Mahtomedi had the first power-play goal, only 12 seconds into the advantage, to take a 2-1 lead in the first period.

But Warroad’s Daimon Gardner scored his team-leading eighth shorthanded goal of the season with 13.1 seconds remaining in the first period to tie the game 2-2. Warroad is 21-0-0 when leading or tied after one period this season.

In the second period, Mahtomedi capitalized on the power play, again getting the tally from Brent Gulenchyn for a 3-2 lead only 38 seconds in. Gardner got his hat trick on the power play later in the second period to get Warroad within a goal. 

Warroad seeks a sweep

Warroad’s tradition-rich hockey programs are positioned for a championship sweep of a fellow Northland program.

On Feb. 26, the Warriors girls beat defending champion Proctor/Hermantown and skated off the Xcel Energy Center ice with their first title since 2011.

On Saturday, the Warroad boys play for the trophy for the first time since 2009. They face Hermantown.

Edina was the most recent program to sweep hockey titles, doing so in 2019.

Warroad girls’ coach Dave Marvin watched from the lower bowl as the boys survived Friday’s overtime semifinal against Mahtomedi. He sat with Warriors legend Larry Olimb, watching Marvin’s nephew, goaltender Hampton Slukynsky.

“We are hoping they can win it,” Marvin said. “We think they can. We all know how good Hermantown is. But I believe in my nephew. Hopefully we can give them a good game.”

Warroad boys’ coach Jay Hardwick, whose daughter Emmie played on the girls’ team, said Friday: “Seeing them do it a couple weeks ago was very special, and it meant a lot to everybody. These guys knew in the back of their heads that, ‘You know what? We can put ourselves in a position to do the exact same thing.’”