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The final spot in the Minnesota Boy's Class AA State Hockey Championship was on the line tonight as Section 4AA's top seed Stillwater took on #2 seed and perennial section power Hill-Murray for the title.
This was a big game, with the 3400-seat Aldrich Arena selling out at about 3:30 this afternoon, about an hour after tickets went on sale to the general public. The tension only increased as the two teams played scoreless hockey for three periods before heading into overtime.
In the first extra period, Stillwater junior forward Noah Cates scored the game-winning goal, and it was a pretty one. Here is video of the play:
What a GOAL! @ponyhockey wins Section 4AA 1-0 in OT over Hill-Murray! #MSHSL #TheTourney16 @FollowThePuck pic.twitter.com/voI6HUMzXt
— Steve Pesek (@StevePesek) February 27, 2016
It doesn't get much prettier than that, and the stakes don't come much bigger than that. This will be Stillwater's second appearance at the State Tournament.