Princeton handily defeated Mississippi 8 Conference rival Monticello/Annandale/Maple Lake twice in the regular season, winning by a combined six goals.
The playoffs, however, provided a heightened environment, and the rubber match in the Class 1A, Section 5 championship on Thursday did not resemble the first two meetings as the Moose kept the game close through 48 minutes of play.
With 2:32 left to play, Charlie Voller was called for interference on a late hit, giving the Tigers their first power play of the third period.
It was all they needed to put the game away. Jake S. Carlson zipped a pass across the blue line to Tyler McAlpine, who sent a low shot to the bottom right corner that caromed off the leg pad of Moose goaltender Connor Bird and in the net to give Princeton a lead. McAlpine added an empty-netter less than a minute later, helping the Tigers wrap up the section title with a 3-1 victory at the Isanti Ice Arena.
McAlpine's game-winner wasn’t pretty, but it didn't matter.
“I was just trying to get anything on net," he said. "I fired a shot at the point and thankfully it went in."
The victory sends Princeton (19-7) to the state tournament for the first time since 2003, when many on the Tigers' roster were likely breaking in their first pair of ice skates.
Now they are section champions.
“It’s a dream come true and feels amazing,” McAlpine said.
Returning to Isanti Ice Arena, Princeton’s 12 seniors reminisced a loss to Chisago Lakes in the section finals two years ago.
“I think those guys made their minds up that they were going to get back at this game and get another crack at it,” Tigers coach Jeff Hanson said.
That was evident Thursday night in the way they sold out to make diving blocks, especially on the two penalty kills Princeton faced in the final period.
The Tigers’ shin guards even created some offense. Carlson blocked a shot and then sent a lead pass to set up McAlpine for his empty-netter.
“We tell them, ‘It might hurt a lot, but it might save the game', and it doesn’t get any higher stakes than this,” Hanson said. “These are the times you have to sacrifice for the team.”
Tigers goalie Gabe Pangerl, who saved 24 of 25 shots against the Moose, said his teammates did plenty of dirty work to help Princeton win.
“I couldn’t have done it without them," he said.
Pangerl deserves some credit as well. He was stellar in the third, stopping all 11 shots he faced as the Moose (12-15-1) fired at will on their power play chances.
“In the second period, we didn’t generate the shots we wanted to. But in the third, I thought we did a better job,” Moose co-head coach Eric Nelson said. “It could have been a bounce here or there that would have led to a different outcome.”
Heading into the third period, Hanson told his team there’s potentially only a handful of shifts left in their high school careers and to leave everything on the ice.
Princeton needed to solve Bird, who denied the Tigers twice on the power play in the first two periods and allowed just one goal while his team was outshot 24-14.
"He’s really good," Pangerl said of Bird, who stopped 77 of 80 shots in the playoffs. "He’s got everything on lockdown, good vision of the puck and is good at rebounds and stretching across."
Princeton eventually broke through against Bird to secure the state bid and guaranteed two more games this season. Now the Tigers look to savor their first trip to the Xcel Energy Center in 13 years.
“This is what they’ve been dreaming about their whole lives, and I tell them, 'Don’t let it slip away and have any regrets when the buzzer goes,' “ Hanson said.
The Princeton Tigers are Section 5A Champions! Photo by Cheryl Myers
First Report
Senior Tyler McAlpine scored with 1:27 remaining in the game to boost top-seeded Princeton to a 3-1 win over No. 3-seeded Monticello/Annandale/Maple Lake in the Class 1A, Section 5 championship Thursday night at Isanti Ice Arena.
The Tigers (21-7) advance to their first state tournament in 13 years following their third win over the Moose (12-15-1) this season.
Hunter Orrock broke open a scoreless game just 21 seconds into the second period by scrapping home a rebound that slid under the pads of Moose goaltender Connor Bird.
Monticello/Annandale/Maple Lake answered seven minutes later as Nick Johnson deflected a shot from the point past Tigers goalie Gabe Pangerl.
McAlpine clinched the game by rifling a low shot from the point. He scored an empty-netter 36 seconds later to solidify the victory.
Pangerl stopped 24 of 25 shots while Bird made 23 saves.
