WATERTOWN – The Aberdeen Cougars did everything they wanted to do except win the game Thursday afternoon.

The Cougars set the tone with their aggressiveness, owned a huge advantage in shots on goal, but couldn’t get the one score it needed in a 5-4 double overtime setback to the Sioux Falls West Flyers during the State Boys’ Hockey Tournament at Prairie Lakes Ice Arena.

“Super proud of our guys and their effort,” said Aberdeen coach Chris Medill. “We did everything that we knew we had to do in order to beat that team. We just fell short.”

Beckett Halde’s third and final goal of the contest with 1:16 left in the second overtime provided the game winner for the Flyers.

Aberdeen, which erased a three-goal deficit in the third period, outshot Sioux Falls by a 48-32 margin.

“I thought we were really good on the forecheck and played a lot of the game in our offensive end which allowed us to outshoot them,” Medill said, “but we just couldn’t put one away to end it.”

Trailing 4-1 nearly midway through the third, the Cougars caught fire with three goals in less than three minutes. Devon Fischbach had a hand in all three scores.

The senior scored the first goal, then won a faceoff and fired a quick pass to Trayke Roehrich who found the back of the net, before Fischbach assisted on a game-tying goal by Carter Vilhauer.

It appeared the Cougars had all the momentum at that stage, but neither squad was able to find a way to score the remainder of regulation. After a scoreless first overtime, Aberdeen had numerous chances in the second OT, but was unable to find the back of the net.

“We had a great flurry late in the second overtime where we created a handful of great opportunities from the prime scoring area,” Medill said. “Unfortunately, we clanged a couple posts and the opposing goalie made some great saves. Hopefully, (Friday) we get a couple bounces to go our way that we didn’t get today.”

Aiden Posthumus scored Aberdeen’s other goal just 47 seconds into the contest, before Halde answered just nine seconds later. The game remained tied until the Flyers scored late in the period, the first of three straight goals, setting the stage for the Cougars’ rally to knot the score at 4-4.

The Cougars will face Mitchell in consolation action at 1 this afternoon in a rematch of their game to cap the regular season less than two weeks ago. The winner will play for fifth place on Saturday, while the loser will have its season come to an end.

Aberdeen Cougars 1 0 3 0 0 – 4

Sioux Falls West 2 1 1 0 1 – 5

First Period: 1, AC, Aiden Posthumus (Micah Kranzler), 16:13; 2, SFW, Beckett Halde (Jack Campbell), 16:04; 3, SFW, Halde (Jackson Breuer), 4:32.

Second Period: 4, SFW, Jackson Henry (Alexander Carlson), 11:17.

Third Period: 5, SFW, Breuer (unassisted), 11:17; 6, AC, Devon Fischbach (unassisted); 7, AC, Trayke Roehrich (Fischbach), 8:15; 8, AC, Carter Vilhauer (Fischbach), 7:45.

First overtime: no scoring.

Second overtime: 9, SFW, Halde (Breuer), 1:16.

Shots on Goal: Aberdeen Cougars 48; Sioux Falls West Flyers 32.

Goalies: Aberdeen Cougars, Carson Hunstad (27 saves); Sioux Falls West Flyers, Easton Mescher (44 saves).