The Idaho Falls Spud Kings are heading to the Mountain Division Final, after all.

They did so with not one, but two elimination-game wins over the Pueblo Bulls during the opening round of the Dineen Cup Playoffs last week. Idaho Falls completed the comeback with a 2-1 win Thursday night in front of their hometown crowd at the Mountain America Center to take the five-game series 3-2.

The top-seeded Spud Kings (41-12-4) will now play the No. 2 Ogden Mustangs in another best-of-five series beginning Monday night back inside the Mountain American Center.

A 3-1 loss to Pueblo last Sunday night left Idaho Falls on the brink of elimination, down two games to one. But the Spud Kings showed exactly why they were the Mountain Division regular season champions.

They responded by shutting out the Bulls on their own ice 4-0 to knot the series up at two games apiece and force a winner-take-all Game 5 last Tuesday.

Idaho Falls didn’t waste any time either with Easton Edwards scoring less than two minutes into the game. The Spud Kings then all but put the game on ice in the second period with three goals alone. Ryan Roethke got it going by doubling up the lead with a goal just 37 seconds into the frame. Andrew Schmidt then netted a pair of goals. Charlie Durkin recorded both the win and shutout in the net with 24 saves.

Thursday’s game was much closer, though.

Idaho Falls fell into an early 1-0 hole following Trevor Stewart’s first-period goal midway through the opening period. However, the Spud Kings answered with second-period goals from both Max Von Klinggraeff and Daniel MacLeish. That turned out to be all the offense they needed in the 2-1 series-clinching win. Durkin once again earned the win, this time making 25 saves.

Idaho Falls won the series despite trailing in four of the five games.

But that was then and this is now.

The Spud Kings went 6-5 against the Mustangs during the regular season.