LOVELAND, Colo. — Valor Christian's Evan Pahos did it again.
One year after winning the state championship with a 5OT goal against Fort Collins, Pahos sent the Eagles back to the title game with an OT winner against Regis Jesuit in Tuesday night's Frozen Four at the Budweiser Event Center.
Pahos' tally gave Valor a 3-2 win and a set up a rematch with the Lambkins for the second consecutive year in the 5A title game.
It was a back-and-forth affair and the second OT thriller of the evening after Fort Collins pulled out a 3-2 win of its own in a 3OT showdown earlier against Chaparral.
The No. 3 Eagles struck early against the No. 2 Raiders when Owen Walsh put them on the board to take a 1-0 lead.
But with 2:27 to go in the first period Dylan Thompson put home the equalizer for Regis and sent the teams to the first intermission knotted at one goal apiece.
Midway through the second period it was Robbie Dembeck's turns for the Raiders, as a one-timed snipe gave Regis a 2-1 lead.
But they couldn't hold it, as Walsh scored his second of the game for Valor with 5:06 left in regulation to tie it 2-2 and eventually force OT.
That's when Pahos played hero -- again for the Eagles -- with a near identical score to his one against Fort Collins last year.
If this year's title game is anything like the 2020 version, buckle up, it should be a heckuva ride. The puck drops at 8:30 p.m. Thursday night at the BEC.
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