In the end, the moment spoke for itself.
So Matthew Volkman didn’t waste a lot of words describing a goal – and a game – Stillwater hockey fans will remember for many years to come.
The Ponies senior forward completed a hat trick when he scored the game-winner with 16:01 remaining in the second overtime Friday night, lifting second-seeded Stillwater past top seed Hill-Murray 4-3 in the Section 4-2A title game at a raucous, sold-out Aldrich Arena.
“I got the puck on the wall, saw I had a shot and took it,” Volkman said matter-of-factly. “The rest is history.”
Indeed it is.
The victory earned the Ponies their first state tournament berth since 2016, and just the third overall in program history (the first came in 2014).
And, as with those other two trips to state, the road there this season ran through Hill-Murray in the section final.
“This was more than just a game,” said a smiling Volkman, whose team advances to the Class 2A state quarterfinals Thursday at the Xcel Energy Center against an opponent to be determined when pairings are announced Saturday morning.
“The whole town has been waiting for this, and we’re not done yet.”
That wasn’t quite as clear early on Friday. The Pioneers struck first when senior Mr. Hockey finalist Boden Sampair – who had three goals in the first period when Hill-Murray defeated Stillwater 3-1 during the regular season – scored with 15:17 to go before the first intermission.
But while the Pioneers held a 16-4 edge in shots-on-goal in the period, they could not score again, and the their lead remained at 1-0.
“We missed some chances which gave them the opportunity to believe,” said Hill-Murray coach Bill Lechner, whose team finished its season 24-3-1 overall. “Then they went out and took advantage of it.”
Stillwater did come out smoking to start the second period, tying the score when sophomore Luca Jarvis scored with 14:08 remaining. Less than two minutes later, Volkman found the net, then did so again with 2:01 to go before the break.
That sent the Ponies – who had a 14-8 edge in shots-on-goal in the second period – into the locker rooms up 3-1.
“In the second period, we got to our game plan,” Stillwater coach Greg Zanon said. “In the first period, they overwhelmed us. I think we had a lot of nerves. We’ve never been in this moment and they have. But we were able to overcome that and get going.”
The Ponies’ nerves weren’t done being tested, though.
Their lead was shaved to one when Sampair scored his second goal of the night with 5:23 remaining. Then the Pioneers went on the power play with 3:41 left on the clock, setting the stage for a power-play goal by senior Graham Greeder with 2:15 to go.
That sent the game to a first overtime in which both teams had chances to put it away but couldn’t.
“When we got to overtime, I felt like our momentum would continue,” Lechner said. “But it wasn’t meant to be. We had our chances. It just didn’t work out. But I’m proud of the way our kids battled.”
Stillwater senior goalie Cal Conway – a transfer from Andover – finished the night with 36 saves.
“I’m a pretty chill guy and I trust the players in front of me,” Conway said. “I know they’re going to score goals and that’s what they did tonight.”
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Led by Volkman, who ended things less than a minute into the second overtime.
“The message (to our guys) was just keep it simple, and any chance you can, get the puck to the net,” Zanon said. “It’s overtime and anything can happen. Get a funny bounce here or there and it works out.”
It certainly did Friday, sending the Ponies to state for the first time in nine years.
“I’m just so happy right now,” Volkman said. “I love this team so much … and we’re not done yet.”
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