FARGO – Minot High’s boys hockey co-coaches Jason Bennett and John Grubb know how dangerous their team can be.

Combine that potential with an early lead? Look out.

The Magicians hadn’t scored the first goal in either of their two state tournament games before Saturday’s title bout with Grand Forks Central.

They accomplished that feat against the Knights. The result? Minot’s first state title since 1992.

“You just have to play every game like it’s your last,” said Minot senior goaltender Brey Effertz, who was named the tournament’s most valuable player. “This is what dreams are made of.”

Boosted by a mammoth 37-save effort from Effertz, Minot edged the defending state runner-up 2-1 at Scheels Arena.

The Magicians are now 2-0 all-time in state championship games.

A victory clinched by senior forward Matt Flom’s third game-winner of the tournament, the Magi are now the only West Region team to claim multiple state titles.

And what a rollar coaster ride it was.

“We just got the kids to buy in. We had our struggles early in the year. We started 1-3-1, and I think we were about ready to get run out of town as coaches,” said Bennett, one of two state co-coaches of the year along with colleague Grubb. “We told the kids just to relax, that we’d be there at the end of the year. And sure enough, with some pretty good goaltending and some timely scoring, look where we’re at now.”

The contest was closely contested at the beginning. A bout of misfortune from Central goaltender Taner Bender helped Minot make the breakthrough.

Junior forward Ethan Czaplewski was the man of the moment. After Bender misplayed the puck behind his own net, the resulting scramble sent the puck to Czaplewski at the far circle.

With a flailing effort, Czaplewski fired the puck on net. Despite Bender’s diving attempt, the shot crept over the red line to give the Magicians a 1-0 lead. Sophomore defenseman Easton Bennett assisted the goal for his third point of the tournament.

He found his fourth midway through the second period.

In the buildup, Czaplewski glided into Central’s defensive zone and fired a shot on target. The resulting rebound was regained by the Minot junior, who proceeded to find Bennett at the nearside boards.

Flom was found moments later in the far circle, unmarked, with nothing but ice between him and the goal. Bennett’s pass found Flom awkwardly, but Minot’s points leader corralled it before firing in his third goal of the tournament.

Yet another winner for Minot’s star forward.

Central halved its deficit with less than 10 minutes to play, a power-play goal from senior defenseman Hudson Warner, but it was all the Knights could muster.

And Effertz was simply too good. As the all-tournament goalie, he finished with a combined 95 saves during Minot’s title-clinching run.

“There’s no better feeling than to end your high-school career with a state title, especially with this group of guys,” said Flom, who finished with a team-best 28 goals. “There’s nobody I’d rather win it with.

“We’ve bonded over the years. We grew up playing together. We knew that if we wanted to win it, we had to buy in and play as a team, and that’s what we did.”

Joe Mellenbruch covers Minot High sports, the Minot Minotauros and Minot State men’s hockey. Follow him on Twitter @Mellenbruch_MDN.