You’d be forgiven for mistaking the Stillwater locker room for Studio 54 after a Pony victory. 

A strobe light splashes around the room while dance music thumps through the walls as the result of an equipment malfunction that forced the Ponies to alter their post-win routine. 

“One speaker went out, so a kid brought one in and it had a strobe light,” Stillwater head coach Matt Doman explained. “So we were like, perfect. Dance party.”

The Ponies were dancing on Thursday night after a 1-0 win over Mahtomedi, earning bragging rights in a rivalry based on the fact that the teams both claim the St. Croix Valley Recreation Center as their home ice.

In addition to the magnitude of the contest, the win marks the Ponies’ first in their past four games, and their second in the past eight. 

“It’s huge for us,” Doman said of halting the slide. 

“We’ve got a young team and we’ve taken a few on the chin against some good teams,” Doman continued, adding that consistent play had been a challenge for the Ponies (8-6). 

“I think we’ve competed against some of those good teams in spurts, but we haven’t played three (full) periods.”

Freshman forward Noah Tussey scored his team-leading sixth goal of the season to lift the Ponies to victory, snapping in a shot from the Mahtomedi slot late in the second period. 

Junior goaltender Jesse Brown shut down the Zephyr comeback attempt in the third, turning away nine shots in the final period and finishing the game with 32 saves to earn the shutout. 

“He does a really good job of focusing on what’s next,” Doman said of Brown. 

“He’s calm, he really doesn’t seem to get too rattled regardless of what just happened,” Doman continued. 

“His mental toughness has been really fun to see.”

Mahtomedi junior goaltender Bailey Huber made 20 saves between the pipes for the Zephyrs (11-3-1). The Zephyrs are currently ranked No. 2 in the latest Youth Hockey Hub Class 1A Staff Rankings.    

Nikolai Dulak, Mahtomedi

Dulak's speed causes headaches for opposing defenses, and allows the Zephyrs to deploy him a multitude of situations on the ice.

Sam Ayd, Mahtomedi

Ayd uses his size to knock opponents off the puck, and brings stability to the Zephyr back line as a senior.  

Noah Tussey, Stillwater

In addition to scoring the only goal of the game, the freshman forward displayed an excellent handle and a solid understanding of offensive flow. 

Jesse Brown, Stillwater 

The junior goaltender Brown uses his compact frame effectively,  denying rebound attempts, and recovering from initial shots easily. 

Mahtomedi's Charlie Bartholomew did not play in the game after suffering an injury during warmups. Bartholomew in the Zephyrs' second-leading scorer with 10 goals and 20 points. 

According to the banner at the St. Croix Valley Recreation Center, Stillwater has won the Suburban East conference Junior Varsity title in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2017. 

Thursday's game was the first time Mahtomedi has been held scoreless through 15 games this season.