Waseca Bluejays Make Hockey History: 1st Big South Title

Friday the 13th turned out to be the luckiest day in Waseca High School history.

The Bluejays boys hockey team defeated the Luverne Cardinals 6-2 at home to win their first Big South Conference championship ever. For a program that had never topped the conference, the win represented decades of hard work finally paying off.

The matchup had extra drama built in. Waseca lost to Luverne 4-2 earlier in the season before squeaking out a 5-4 overtime victory in January. Friday's game would decide who took home the conference trophy.

Luverne scored first, but the Bluejays weren't rattled. Senior Jayden Gehring tied it up with an assist from his teammate and fellow senior Jude Gehring, then sophomore Griffin Storey gave Waseca the lead before the first period ended.

The teams battled through a scoreless second period, keeping the score at 2-1. Then Waseca's offense exploded in the third.

Waseca Bluejays Win First Hockey Championship Ever

Junior Henry Huttemier assisted on multiple goals as the Bluejays pulled away. Jude Gehring notched his third point of the game, helping push the lead to 4-2. Waseca added two more goals to seal the 6-2 victory, with junior Dawson Slechta scoring his first varsity goal ever as time expired.

Why This Inspires

This championship means even more because of what it ended. Luverne had won the Big South Conference for two straight years, and Waseca had always been close but never quite made it over the finish line.

The victory came at the perfect time. As the No. 2 seed heading into playoffs, Waseca enters the Section 1A quarterfinals on Thursday with momentum and confidence they've earned through grit and teamwork.

The night before the championship, the Bluejays showed their championship character by rallying from behind to beat Tartan 3-1. After being shut out through two periods, they scored three times in the third to win.

Now this small Minnesota town has something it's never had before: a conference championship banner to hang in their rink and a team that proved persistence pays off.