Charlie Clements didn’t wake up Tuesday morning dreaming about how awesome he might feel at the end of day. 

The Holy Angels sophomore hoped good things would happen, but as snow piled up outside the St. Louis Park Rec Center and a tense playoff game unfolded inside, even Clements couldn’t have visualized how the night would end.

And then there it was, a fluffy rebound sitting in front of him, the puck representing a step forward in the section playoffs, and he took it. 

Clements scored the Stars’ first goal, and the last, an overtime winner 2:14 remaining as Holy Angels slipped past St. Louis Park in a Section 6AA quarterfinal. 

It was a milestone victory for the Holy Angels, as the once-dominant program reached a section semifinal for the first time since 2010. 

“This whole thing was surreal,” Clements said. “I haven’t done anything like that before.”

Clements darted to the net parallel with Charlie Cline, intent to deliver pressure and scoop up any opportunity that might present itself. Cline’s shot from the right circle kicked out to the left slot, and Clements was there to pounce. His golden goal pushed the Stars into a semifinal meeting Saturday against No. 1 seed and No. 6-2A-ranked Wayzata. 

“We harp on getting the puck in, getting shots on net and then from there we pick up the rebounds,” Clements said. “It’s dirty, grimy hockey, and that’s how we score goals.”

Clements pushed his season total to six goals. A physical, blue-collar forward and keen shot blocker, Clements has a nose for the net — and instincts to convert. 

“He’s a muck-and-grinder that does all the little things well,” Holy Angels coach Pat Griswold said. “He’s the type of player who just goes to the net and finishes.”

Clements is one of several key sophomores on a Holy Angels (19-6-1) team intent on pushing the program toward the peak it reached in the mid-2000s, when it won Class 2A titles in 2002 and 2005 as part of a run of four straight state tournament appearances.

Most of the team’s scoring comes from underclassmen as six of the team’s top eight leading scorers are sophomores or freshmen. Nearly 70-percent of the team’s scoring (86 of 126 goals) comes from that group. 

Stars players understand the importance of the step forward Holy Angels took with its first section victory in 14 years. 

“We knew about that coming into the program, and we want to turn it around,” Clements said.

ST. LOUIS PARK - Sophomore forward Charlie Clements scored a rebound goal with 2:14 left in overtime to lift No. 5 seed Holy Angels past No. 4 seed St. Louis Park 5-4 on Tuesday in a Section 6AA quarterfinal at the St. Louis Park Rec Center.

Charlie Cline took the initial shot on a rush into the Orioles' zone. St. Louis Park goaltender Josh Middleton made the save but left the rebound for an opportunistic Clements, who whipped a shot past the sprawling goaltender.

The goal was Clements' second of the game and sixth of the season. 

St. Louis Park (12-12-1) led 2-0 after the first period and 4-3 early in the third following Max Rider's power-play goal with 12:04 left in regulation.

Henry Lechner tied it at 4-4 for Holy Angels (18-6-1) less than two minutes after Rider's goal. Lechner, also a sophomore, has a team-high 32 goals and 68 points for the Stars.

Gabe Perron, a freshman, scored twice for Holy Angels in the second period. A defenseman, he has now scored four goals in his last three games.

St. Louis Park beat Holy Angels 4-2 on Dec. 20 in the teams' lone regular-season meeting.