South St. Paul coach Dave Palmquist said his team needed a big night from goaltender Sydney Conley to defeat St. Paul United in the Class 1A, Section 4 championship game. 

Conley came through with a huge performance.

The senior stopped 34 of 35 shots to help send the Packers to the state tournament for the 14th time in school history as second-seeded South St. Paul defeated top-seeded St. Paul United 2-1 in overtime in the Section 4, Class A championship game at St. Thomas Arena on Thursday night.

"This was the type of game (Conley) prides herself on, that she's been waiting to play in, and this was going to be her game," Palmquist said. "She knew if she could play great, we'd have a chance."

Conley was between the pipes on the last Packers’ tournament team, backstopping South St. Paul as a sophomore in 2013. She said she knew what kind of performance is needed during sections to get back to the Xcel Energy Center.

"(Sections) need to be your best three games of the season," Conley said. "You have to do whatever you have to do for those 51 minutes each game to win, and we just put it together and it got us here."

Thursday night's overtime thriller almost didn't go the Packers' way.

The upset was within South St. Paul’s grasp after a Abigail Felton power-play goal put the Packers ahead 1-0 with 13 minutes to play in the third period.

St. Paul United's Kate Hallett loosened South St. Paul’s grip.

Hallett scored a power-play goal to tie the game 1-1 with 43 seconds left in regulation. 

Conley said the goal was off the moorings and officials should have stopped play before the goal went in. However, she kept her confidence. The Packers still had a job to do.

Thanks to a stout defense that had been poking pucks away and players giving up their bodies to block shots all night, South St. Paul weathered a 5-on-3 power play in the overtime period.

And shortly after another impressive defensive stand, junior AJ Deering found a bouncing puck and planted it in the back of the net to keep the Packers' championship dreams alive.

"We just showed our will to win," Palmquist said. "It was going to be tough to find that second (goal), but somehow that puck popped loose and we banged it in, and now we're going to state."

High fives, smiles and hugs were plentiful near the Packers' locker room moments after the game.

Conley, out of breath but grinning from ear to ear, said she was 'just so happy' that her team pulled out a win. She said she was excited to get back the Xcel Energy Center with a chance to improve on South St. Paul’s fourth-place finish two years ago.

Palmquist said he'll enjoy the victory and the coming days of preparation, and he was already talking about playoff seeding for the state tourney, describing the moment as being on cloud 9.

"It just takes a little confidence and it can take you so far," Palmquist said. "We've got a great goaltender and a group of kids that are willing to work and sacrifice for each other. Anything's possible and we proved it tonight, because certainly, we were the underdog."

South St. Paul senior goalie Sydney Conley finished with 40 saves, helping the second-seeded Packers wrap up the Class 1A, Section 4 title after upsetting top-seeded St. Paul United 2-1 in overtime at St. Thomas Arena on Thursday.

The victory sends South St. Paul back in the state tournament after a one-year hiatus.

Junior AJ Deering scored the game-winner for the Packers 5 minutes, 5 seconds into the extra period after St. Paul United tied up the game 1-1 on a goal from Kate Hallett with 43 seconds left in regulation. 

Fellow junior Abigail Felton notched the first goal of the contest 4 minutes into the third period to give St. Paul South a 1-0 lead.

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