When Angus Frithsen watched teammate Zander Harvey take the puck around the Pine Creek net, he knew the Sailors were a pass and shot away from the hockey state championship game. 

“Our power play is really skilled and we talked about how Pine Creek leaves that middle slot open,” Frithsen explained. “When I saw that space and I saw Z going behind the net, I knew I had to go down there. He passed it to me and I would not miss that, I knew I couldn’t miss that.” 

Frithsen sent a missile to the top right corner of the net past the Pine Creek goaltender to give the Sailors a 3-2 double overtime victory at Ed Robson Arena in Colorado Springs on Saturday. 

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The No. 2 ranked Steamboat team celebrated at center ice, but they were quick to acknowledge that the job is not finished. 

“It’s an awesome feeling, but at the end of the day we still have another game,” Frithsen, the team’s captain and leading goal scorer said. “We’ve got bigger goals.” 

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Saturday’s semifinal against the No. 3 seeded Eagles got off to a slow start for the Sailors as the team struggled to get offensive momentum in the first period. 

Steamboat put up just one shot on goal in each of its two first period power play chances. They took just seven shots in the opening 17 minutes of the game while the Eagles peppered Steamboat goaltender Jakob Ducklow 16 times. 

Ducklow, a senior who earned the Sailors’ first-ever playoff shutout on Wednesday, faced a flurry of rebounded shots and multiple two-on-ones, but managed to keep things knotted at 0-0 heading into the second period. 

His most heroic moment of the first came when the Eagles were awarded a rare penalty shot. Ducklow had no problem batting it away. 

“You’re watching it all at once,” Ducklow said of his focus against penalty shots. “It’s kind of a parallel vision thing. Focus on the shot and nothing else, let him come to you and then get out of the net.”

Ducklow was awarded with Player of the Game honors by head coach Brian Ripley. He saved 32 shots in the game.

“He was big early and weathered that storm when we were off a little bit,” Ripley said of Ducklow’s performance. “He sets that tone and when he plays that good that early, it gives us confidence to climb back in.”

With zeroes across the board heading into the second period, Ripley asked his team to do two things: Execute and outwork. 

Pine Creek was first on the board in the second period with a goal on a rebounded shot, but the Sailors were quick to respond when Gavin Wittlinger sent a pass to the slot, finding the stick of Jacob French who buried the puck with just 38.4 seconds remaining in the period to tie the game. 

Frithsen said French’s goal “kicked (the team) to another level” and just over 30 seconds later, the defensive battery of Heck Stephenson and Frithsen connected for a second Sailors goal, stunning the Eagles faithful in attendance. 

Ultimately, Pine Creek managed to tie things up in the third period leading to a next-goal-wins, sudden death overtime.

Ripley said his message for the overtime period was to get pucks out of the Steamboat zone defensively and forecheck to really put pressure on the Eagles.

“We don’t need a hero, we need everybody to keep working as a team,” Ripley told his players. “The approach shouldn’t change. If you believe in what we are doing as far as the whole system and what brought us success, we don’t need to change anything.” 

A scoreless overtime period through eight minutes forced a second overtime between the two teams, who were clearly gasping for air after the extended play. Frithsen’s goal would fill the Sailors lungs back up, however, and sent the team to the state final game on Monday.

No. 2 Steamboat Springs will go against No. 1 Glenwood Springs at 5 p.m. on Monday at Magness Arena in Denver. 

The Demons are a familiar opponent to the Sailors. They have played them twice, with Glenwood taking both regular season games, 4-1 and 3-0. 

“It stings that they’ve beat us twice,” Ripley said. “I believe in our team. They can’t beat us three times.”