Stillwater's boys hockey team wished to party like it was 2016 again. That was the year the Ponies defeated Hill-Murray in the Class 2A, Section 4 title game. They had not beaten the Pioneers since.

Stillwater fans are not likely to forget Noah Cates, driving and then spinning toward the Hill-Murray goal, scoring the only goal of the game at 3:58 of overtime to give the Ponies the Class 2A, Section 4 championship.

Cates called to wish the Ponies well before Friday's section final, again against Hill-Murray. And the student section displayed the same red, white and blue color scheme.

The Ponies faithful will have to make room in memories for senior forward Matthew Volkman, who completed the hat trick with his final goal coming 59 seconds into the second overtime and securing a 4-3 victory over Hill-Murray. The Pioneers are No. 1 in the Minnesota Top 25 and in Let's Play Hockey's Class 2A rankings.

The dramatic goal for Stillwater (22-6) finished a back-and-forth game featuring wild momentum shifts throughout.

Hill-Murray senior forward Boden Sampair picked up where he left off. He tallied a hat trick in the teams' first meeting and scored again Friday just 2:43 into the opening period.

Sampair, a Mr. Hockey Award semifinalist, scored again in the third period. Hill-Murray called timeout with 3:41 to play in regulation, then got a tying power-play goal from Graham Greeder.

But a new goalie made the difference. Senior goaltender Landon Huber had started the teams' first meeting, a 3-1 Hill-Murray victory Jan. 25 at the St. Croix Valley Rec Center.

Senior goalie Cal Conway, a transfer from Andover who endured a nine-week suspension by the Minnesota State High School League, played the section final rematch.

"It was a long season of not playing," Conway said. "I didn't let it get to me. I just kept coming to practice and working hard."

Conway kept the Pioneers (24-3-1) from taking a bigger lead in the first period, when shots were 16-4 in their favor and Hill-Murray led only 1-0. The Pioneers couldn't muster more magic.

"We needed to capitalize more," Hill-Murray coach Bill Lechner said. "Our seniors worked hard enough to earn more. We thought we would win tonight, go downtown [to St. Paul's Xcel Energy Center] and win some more. This was a large cliff to fall off."