For a moment, nearly everything fell silent for Pine Creek.

The puck gliding across the rink, blades shaving the ice as Pine Creek athletes skated toward Colorado Academy’s goal and the clacking of sticks as players fought for possession. These were the only sounds that registered for Eagle players.

As Henry Hoghaug received the puck from Conley Polsgrove and fired it past Colorado Academy’s goalie, all audio returned.

Eagles players and their fan section erupted in cheers as Hoghaug scored the go-ahead goal to build a 2-1 lead in Saturday’s 4A semifinals with 1:14 left in the game. Pine Creek’s go-ahead goal also served as the final score against the No. 2-seeded Mustangs.

“I couldn’t have been more thrilled,” Hoghaug said. “I knew we just needed to keep it together for 74 seconds.”

The Eagles, the three seed, trailed for less than 90 seconds against the Mustangs (16-4-1) who scored with 11:26 left in the second period to build a 1-0 lead. But Nolan Pettingell erased the Mustangs’ advantage and knotted the contest at 1-all with 10:06 on the clock in the second period on a goal from close range.

“After Colorado Academy scored nothing changed, we just told them to stick to the plan,” Eagles coach Chris Moses said. “The group was ready for that. … We’ve laid the groundwork and worked hard enough to win a state title and that’s been the message. Stick to our gameplan and stick to what works.”

With goals at a premium and just two scores between both teams in nearly 50 minutes, Hoghaug said players went to a play “we’ve run a thousand times in practice.” Polsgrove confirmed his teammate’s notion.

“Matt Thien made an amazing play, skated up the ice, beat a guy and then he slid it over to me,” Polsgrove said. “We were on a 2-on-1 and I saw the defender was committing to me and I saw Henry on the backside.”

As Polsgrove passed the puck to Hoghaug, he said, “my mind went blank” watching the play. All he knew was Hoghaug would score the goal.

“It came together really nicely and we got the puck in the net,” Hoghaug said. “It was pure excitement after those lights started to flash. I knew we just needed to shut them down and we were headed to the state championship.”

The Eagles will face Steamboat Springs at 5 p.m. Monday for the title game at University of Denver’s Magness Arena. It’s the Eagles’ first trip to the title game and, with their win Saturday, they set a new team record with 18 victories.

Moses contained his emotions, but he remembered the past difficult losses including to the Sailors, who eliminated Pine Creek last year in the semifinals.

“This is a testament to the kids and the hard work they’ve put in,” Moses said. “The kids deserve this so much. This is everything they’ve dreamed of and to see it come true here is something special. They’ve come together as a group. I feel confident we’re going to get it done on Monday. But the legacy these kids have put together goes beyond a state championship on Monday. They’ve set the program up for success for years to follow.”

Pine Creek’s road to Denver

First round

Bye

Quarterfinals

Pine Creek 1, Standley Lake 0

Semifinals

Pine Creek 2, Colorado Academy 1

Finals

No. 3 Pine Creek vs. No. 4 Steamboat Springs, 5 p.m. Monday at Magness Arena