With an ending that has been played out in fantasies on deserted ponds and in ice-less driveways in all corners of the hockey world, it came down to a penalty shot to decide Wednesday night’s Class 2A, Section 6 championship. 

After being hauled down from behind after catching a long pass and breaking in on the Benilde-St. Margaret’s zone, Blake’s Gavin Best took his place in the face-off circle and began his journey toward Red Knight goaltender Carson Limesand.

“My teammates were telling me (to) just breathe,” Best said with a grin after the game. “I got back on the blue line. My legs were shaking. I took it all in for a second.”

Best’s coaches, including head coach Rob McClanahan, had already drilled into the team the virtue of simplicity when it came to one-on-one situations. 

“On a penalty shot, you have to have an idea,” McClanahan said. “You gotta have a go-to shot or go-to move. He had an idea, and he executed it flawlessly.” 

“With the bad ice, I wanted to do something that wasn’t over-handling the puck too much, and just make sure I hit the net,” Best said. “It’s a pretty safe move in that sense.”

Best’s caution paid off with the game-winning goal, sending the Bears (22-6) to the state tournament, the program’s first appearance at the AA level. 

The Bears drew first blood in the opening period with a goal from Will Matzke, a tally that was answered by back-to-back goals from Benilde-St. Margaret’s forwards Blake Mesenburg and Charlie Bischel. 

Joe Miller tied the game at 2-2 midway through the second frame, but Asher Connolly put the Red Knights (18-8-2) ahead with a late second-period goal. 

Despite the deficit, the Bears maintained a demonstrative poise in the defensive zone, laying out to block numerous Red Knight shots and scooping up pucks in front of their net. 

The commitment to defense held off the dangerous Red Knights and Will Svenddal scored at the 3:39 mark of the third period to knot the game at its eventual regulation-concluding score of 3-3. 

“We’ve talked about it since Greg May coached last year,” McClanahan said of the shot-blocking. “We’ve talked about it every day. A blocked shot is as big as anything, and it gets the team jazzed up.”

Heading to state also has a way of jazzing up a team, and Best said that his coaches have already told him how precious these memories will be. 

“Some of the coaches were telling me, that’s gonna be a moment I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” Best said. “Thinking about that gives me chills a little bit.”