It was a Cinderella story of sorts a year ago when the Hudson boys hockey team advanced all the way to the Wisconsin state championship game before falling 2-1 in heart-breaking fashion to Appleton United.

That was the Raiders’ first trip to state since 2004. Getting to state was good. Winning two games there was great.

Still, there’s something about falling one goal short of a state title that leaves a lasting impact on a program.

“Definitely motivated the guys,” senior defenseman Chase Blackmun said. “Seeing a bunch of guys in the gym all summer long, working hard on the ice, off the ice, shooting pucks, you could tell there was a kind of an unsettling feeling, losing a state championship game. And we obviously made the goal to get back there and make it end the right way this time around.”