After the first period of Stillwater’s 3-2 win over Holy Family Catholic, it seemed as though the Fire were determined to spoil the Ponies’ Senior Night.

“Coming out of the gate, for sure,” Ponies’ coach Matt Doman said of the final home game for the seniors playing a role in early-game fervor. “We were super excited.”

The Fire, ranked No. 4 in the latest Class AA coaches’ poll, singed the Senior Night festivities early on, taking a 1-0 late in the first period on senior forward Tyler Rock’s unassisted tally, and carried a wave of momentum into the second frame.

“It’s a long game,” Ponies’ coach Matt Doman said after the win, adding that you don’t win or lose in a game’s first minutes. “I knew it was important for us to kind of re-focus and get back to it.”

A penalty-marred second period for the Fire (19-5-0) sparked No. 2AA Stillwater’s offense, with the Ponies (23-1-1) scoring three power play goals in the second period.

“We’re usually the ones in the penalty box,” Doman joked afterwards. "We just try as much as we can to control our emotions and stay even-keeled.”

Junior defenseman Jesse Bjugstad , senior forward Jackson Cates and junior forward Matthew Stanton scored in succession for the Ponies in the second period.

The Fire made a late charge to tie the game, with sophomore forward Ben Almquist scoring in the last three minutes.

Fire sophomore goaltender Jared Moe made 28 saves in the loss, while Ponies’ senior goaltender Josh Benson made 24 stops.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game,” Doman said, citing the Fire as being a talented and well-coached team.

Doman also said that his team’s ability to bounce back after a slow start is the byproduct of a singular philosophy on the bench.

“We just say one shift at a time, just keep going, and playing our game,” Doman continued. “Do what we do, and do it well.”