Photos: OT thriller sends Eagle River to state hockey finals for 1st time

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Eagle River's Connor Canterbury, left, and Ben Rinckey celebrate the major win. Eagle River High School beat South High School 2-1, to clinch a berth in the state tournament on Tuesday, February 2, 2016.

After double-shifting from the opening face-off and through three overtimes, grinding through the vestiges of illness that has wracked his team and delivering the backhander that fulfilled the dream, Sutton McDonald was thankful his jubilant Eagle River teammates swarmed him so tightly Tuesday night that they furnished more support than his weary legs could muster.

"I just hung there,'' McDonald said. "I couldn't stand. I was so tired. Our whole team is gassed.''

And then the sophomore winger laughed and grinned, shook his head and exhaled, and grinned again.

Eagle River 2, South 1 — in triple overtime, no less.

Read more: Eagle River is headed to state hockey tournament after 3 OT thriller