Watching as a bantam hockey player from the stands when Delano beat Orono to reach the Class 1A tournament had Jesse Peterson hoping to be on the ice, winning in the future.

"I just dreamt about it everyday," Peterson said.

The Tigers sophomore forward did something bigger than his dreams with a game-winning goal in the second overtime as Delano beat an upstart Armstrong/Cooper team 3-2 in the Class 1A, Section 2 championship game at the St. Louis Park Rec Center on Thursday night.

Peterson settled the deadlock with 8:30 left in the second OT after his team got outshot 37-16 by a Wings squad seeking its first state appearance. Delano (22-6) clinched its third state trip in four seasons.

"I saw Adam [Brown] coming up on the left side, and I was like, 'Oh, we could make something happen right here,'" Peterson said about the goal, assisted by Brown.

Delano won Section 2 last season, beating Orono for the title. The Tigers sported a veteran roster with 13 letterwinners from last year's squad.

Armstrong-Cooper (15-12-1) had its state dreams dashed after rallying from 2-0 down to tie in regulation. Wings senior forward Ben Anderson scored the game-tying goal.

The Wings dropped from Class 2A to 1A last summer. They upset Orono 4-0 on Monday to advance to their first section title game ever.

"I feel heartbroken for the kids," Wings coach Danny Charleston said. "They've given so much life to our [hockey] association, given so much life to our high schools, and given so much life to the program."

MATTHEW DAVIS