Like so many clutch moments, overtime in the Class 2A, Section 4 final on Friday night came down to one thing: Guts.

Stillwater’s Noah Cates showed he had them in spades in the extra session, hauling in a floating pass that covered nearly two-third of the ice and completing a risky spin-o-rama move around a Pioneer defender before slipping the puck past Hill-Murray’s Jake Begley to send the Ponies to the State Tournament.

“It’s not by accident that he could do it,” Ponies’ coach Matt Doman said after the game, referring to Cates’ persistent effort in practice.

Cates agreed that his ability to pull the move off comes from hours of repetition, but says that converting in a win-or-go-home situation is a little different from practice.

“To try it in a game, to try it in overtime, and have it work out is unbelievable,” Cates said.

The No. 1-seeded Ponies (27-1-1) and the Pioneers skated to a 0-0 draw after regulation, and the third period packed two games’ worth of drama into the last 10 minutes.

Stillwater had a goal waved off after officials consulted with the goal judge, and it was decided that the Hill-Murray net was off its pegs when the puck went in.

While the no-call could have sent the Ponies spinning into chaos, Doman rallied his troops and steadied the ship.

“As soon as (the officials) started talking about it, I said, ‘hey it’s no goal, just be ready to move on from it’,” Doman explained. 

With 1:46 to play, Stillwater was also called for the game’s only penalty, giving the Pioneers a power play for the remainder of regulation and the opening seconds of overtime.

“Coming back from the goal getting taken away, killing that penalty off, those (moments) are what champions are made of,” Doman said.

Junior goaltender Jake Begley made 29 saves for No. 2 seed Hill-Murray (17-9-2).

Having a supportive fan base is also part of what champions are made of according to Cates, who’s older brother Jackson is a senior forward for the Ponies.

“The community of Stillwater is so tight,” Cates beamed. “We’ve been playing since we were five years old together,” Cates continued.

“Just to do it for the guys, and for our brothers, it’s so fun.”