Hill-Murray had state championship aspirations this winter. The top-ranked team in Class 2A had an impressive resume flush with quality wins. The Pioneers were the top seed in their section.

But hockey doesn’t always work out the way you’d like it to.

Such was the case for Hill-Murray, which dropped a 4-3 heartbreaker in overtime to Stillwater in the Section 4 final.

“It was tough for us, especially as a senior,” Hill-Murray forward Boden Sampair said. “It’s not the most ideal way to go out, but it’s the game of hockey — anything can happen.”

Pioneers coach Bill Lechner noted his players spent ample time on the ice after the game’s conclusion. Eventually, they made their way to the team’s locker room inside Aldrich Arena, where they all sat around one another, waiting for the pain to subside in even the slightest way.

Eventually, players and coaches reached a point where they could crack smiles as they reminisced about a team Sampair described as “the most fun I’ve had in hockey ever.”

Lechner didn’t lock the door to the locker room until roughly 12:30 a.m. One of the last players to leave was Sampair, the senior captain. By night’s end, roughly three hours after having his heart broken by the sport he loves, the forward was walking around, cleaning up the locker room.

“He’s the first one back to being a human being. He’s the last one out after we lost,” Lechner said. “He was the last one to make sure that everyone was taken care of.”

Sampair is the 2025 East Metro Player of the Year because of his on-ice accomplishments. The Holy Cross commit tallied 36 goals — including two in that section final defeat — to go with 30 assists. He was the best player on the state’s No. 1-ranked team.

But Lechner is more in awe of the type of person Sampair is.

Similar scenes played out after each of Hill-Murray’s first two section games — dominant wins over Mounds View and Roseville — only on the other side of the coin, with opposing seniors mourning the ends of their high school careers.

Each time, Sampair stayed on the ice for extended time with his opponents, offering embraces and words of encouragement.

“There’s kids on the other side (of) that are experiencing their last year, and it’s tough,” Sampair said. “(I wanted to) kind of be that guy being there for them and letting them know they had a great year.”

“Unbelievable,” opposing coaches told Lechner.

“It’s just not a show with this kid. It’s what’s in his heart,” Lechner said. “High school kids don’t do that, ya know? … He’s that kid.”

Sampair was part of a strong group of captains Lechner credited for taking care of so many things that the coaches then didn’t have to concern themselves with. They created a culture that cultivated a team Lechner noted was truly a pleasure to coach.

Sampair played a large role in that.

“When we started summer camp, (he was the) hardest worker, never complained, just encouraged,” Lechner said. “He’s just such an outstanding person.”

Sampair credits who he is to his parents. His father is Brandon Sampair, who starred at Hill-Murray and then St. Cloud State, where he served as the team captain as a senior in the 2000-01 campaign. Boden’s parents taught him the values of being polite, picking up the puck for refs and the value of hard work.

He puts the latter to use on a daily basis.

That Sampair has risen to this level — a Division-I hockey player and Mr. Hockey finalist — “was a little bit of a surprise, probably,” Lechner said.

Because Sampair isn’t the biggest of hockey players. He stands around 5 foot 9. But every year he has grown stronger and stronger. If Lechner planned for his players to do 20 pushups, Sampair would do 25 or 30.

The mere possibility of being underestimated was something Sampair said he kept “in the back pocket” for motivation.

“I always had that mindset of, ‘I’m going to prove them wrong. And I’m going to show them why you missed out on someone,’ ” he said.

Each year, he added strength and ability. With those gains came an more confidence in himself as a player. Lechner expects all of that to only continue to grow as Sampair moves on to the next level.

“He’s fast, he’s got the tools, he’s got the ‘it’ factor, he’s got the vision. Super-good hands,” Lechner said. “I believe (in him) because of his intensity, his work ethic. He steps up. … Just an example of a very high competitor. Holy Cross is going to get a really good hockey player, and a really good kid.”