March 6, 2009 @ Coliseum 9:00

Video Highlights

The defending champs are back in the tournament. But it took awhile.

Stillwater hung around all night and sent the game to overtime after scoring with 2:16 left in regulation. After a tense eight minute overtime and nearly a full seventeen minute second, junior defenseman Jordan Johnson took matters into his own hands, scoring an unassisted goal on an end-to-end rush to clinch Hill-Murray's fourth consecutive section title.

Johnson has played on three of those tournament teams. Senior Tyler Zepeda, who had two goals for the second straight game, will be playing in his fourth.

Experience was the exception in this game, however. Hill-Murray has 15 first year players on its roster. The fifth seeded Ponies were the ultimate dark horse, as Stillwater was playing in the school's first section final in 20 years.

Hill-Murray repeatedly looked poised to take over the game in the first 25 minutes, but only managed a pair of meager one goal leads. Zepeda got things started with a power play goal at 5:26 on a slapshot from the left circle.

Stillwater had three full power plays for the game and made good use of all of them, scoring one power play goal and never allowing Hill-Murray to recover after killing the other two. Eight seconds after the first penalty expired, a broken play left Pioneer netminder Tim Shaughnessy out of position and half an open net that Alex Chuhel found for a 1-1 tie.

The Pioneers took a 2-1 lead into intermission courtesy of a late 2-on-1 goal by David Bruchu, who banged in a rebound of Loren French's shot from the right side.

Hill-Murray again looked good early in the second as Zepeda and Ben Bahe had several whacks from in close on another odd-man rush. Stillwater took a penalty on the play, but on the ensuing power play, Wilson Housley took a hard check behind the Hill-Murray net and was scrambling to get back into the play when the puck deflected right to him and he rang the goalpost from close range. On the other end, Ryan Holler's shot met a similar fate when it struck the inside of the post and came right back out.

Another Stillwater power play midway through the period gave them a chance to finally go on the offensive, and they again scored after the penalty expired. Kyle Mogren held the puck in at the right point and took a shot through traffic that just squirted across the goal line.

Hill-Murray appeared rattled after that goal and Stillwater played the rest of the period with a great deal of confidence. Tyler Gosso's power play goal off a scramble in front gave the Ponies their first lead at 3-2.

Zepeda's second goal came not a moment too soon for the Pioneers, as he took a drop pass from Ben Bahe and scored from the left circle with two seconds remaining in the second period.

Hill-Murray went ahead 4-3 early in the third when Jack Walsh muscled in a rebound of a Jeff Westerhaus shot all the while fending off a defenseman who was trying to tackle him. The Pioneers appeared content to run out the clock for the final ten minutes, and despite taking numerous icings, it appeared to be working as Stillwater had very few looks at the net. But with 2:16 to play, Sam Beutel intercepted an end-around and blasted a shot goalward from the right point. Zach Heacox was standing in the slot and tipped it past Shaughnessy. Just like that, game tied.

For awhile in the first overtime, it was Shaughnessy who was keeping Hill-Murray's season alive. A forward walked in front of the net right off another faceoff and sent a backhand into the goalie's pads. He got his toe on another rocket from Beutel, and then hung on to a wide open shot on a 3-on-2. It was on that play with just over two minutes left that a Stillwater forward ran into Shaughnessy as he was clutching the puck. No penalty was called. Shaughnessy lied on the ice for five minutes but eventually returned to play. From then on, it was almost all Pioneers.

For most of the second overtime, Stillwater was in a defensive shell and took many icings of its own to relieve the pressure. Hill-Murray gradually wore down its opponent and with 2:20 left, Johnson wove through Stillwater's beleaguered lineup and cut to the net from the left side before flipping a quick backhand past Tristan Pennella to send the Pioneers into jubilation.

Stillwater takes home the runner-up trophy and finishes with a record of 13-12-3. Meanwhile, Hill-Murray will try to ride the momentum of back-to-back overtime wins into another tough state tournament field.

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