Eagles rise to the occasion for Hockey Day Minnesota

The sun wouldn’t rise for another 2 1/2 hours when Eden Prairie boys hockey captain Nick Koering awoke in the wee hours on Saturday.

“He got up at 4:45,” said Heather Koering, Nick’s mom, an active supporter of the program. “They all probably got up that early to get ready and eat.”

According to her, Nick was too excited to sleep in anticipation of Eden Prairie’s game with Hibbing/Chisholm. 

But this wasn’t just another game for the Eagles. It was the lid-lifter for Hockey Day Minnesota, with an opening faceoff at 8:30 a.m. 

The four-day event, held every January in a different Minnesota community, culminated this year at Valleyfair in a unique twist on the state’s one-of-a-kind hockey celebration.

The matchup on outdoor ice covering the parking lot was bittersweet for Koering. A recent shoulder sprain held him out of the game, but his mom said his enthusiasm for the big day remained undaunted.

“He’s not playing,” she said. “But he’s on the bench, cheering them on.”

Fellow captain Chase Klute was awake long before dawn as well; and while admitting the early puck drop was an adjustment, Klute said he and his teammates were fired up from the time their feet hit the floor.

“I was up at 5:30. Some guys were up at 5,” he said. “It was definitely an early morning, but super worth it. Super cool experience. I would have gotten up an hour earlier if I had to.” 

It may just as well have been Christmas morning for Mike Terwilliger’s team.

Terwilliger wasn’t concerned about body clocks or readiness at such an early hour. His players sometimes practice in the mornings and, as he pointed out, their excitement level could have fueled the warming tents welcoming the throngs of fans on the State of Hockey’s biggest day.

“If you’re a kid and you love hockey, (the early start) shouldn’t matter,” he said. “Today was awesome. You kind of wish that the game was six periods instead of three. It was fun.”

Senior captain Alex Hall, who admitted to sleeping through his alarm, couldn’t wait to get on the outdoor ice, despite temperatures in the mid-20s at game time.

“I was so jittery and so excited that it just overrides everything, any strain I had on my body,” he said. “It was just pure excitement and joy and adrenaline.”

The Eden Prairie matchup against Hibbing/Chisholm was followed by the Minnesota Golden Gophers women’s team facing Bemidji State, while the host Shakopee High School boys team took on Maple Grove in the final game of the afternoon.

A pair of Shakopee Bantam games closed out the final day of play at Valleyfair, while the Minnesota Wild, a major Hockey Day Minnesota partner, closed out the day of competition by hosting Calgary at Xcel Energy Center. 

Of course, the big draw of the event is playing outdoors. Valleyfair presented a venue with ample space for hospitality tents, food trucks and fire pits. It also opened up portions of the park, with rides operating in the winter temperatures for the first time in the history of the 49-year-old park.

“This game is definitely one that you mark on the calendar for months. I knew that this game was on Jan. 25th since July,” Hall said. “The conditions are a little bit different, so we try to just simplify our game and play hard.”

Throwback style

The Eagles took to the Valleyfair ice in style, wearing throwback-style uniforms created especially for the occasion. 

The uniforms were adorned with the traditional red and black colors of Eden Prairie High School, with details that looked to be inspired by some of the original six NHL teams of years gone by.

“They just wanted a kind of throwback, that winter classic look,” Heather Koering said. “With the tan breezers and the tan gloves. They look phenomenal out there. It’s really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that they get to participate in something like this.” 

Winter wonderland

The players seemed unaffected by the elements, not just the cold but the sunlight and wind, which changed frequently throughout the game. 

Terwilliger said having a Monday, Jan. 20, practice at Valleyfair helped the players get familiar with the surroundings despite subzero temperatures early in the week.

“They’ve all played hockey outside,” he explained. “The puck doesn’t sit down. It’s hard to make fancy plays. It’s going to bounce, so they kind of know that. And then Monday helped seeing how bouncy the boards are.”

The Eagles were riding a three-game win streak coming into the game, which included a 3-0 victory over crosstown rival Minnetonka on Thursday.

The stretch had been sparked by their clash with No. 10 Wayzata on Jan. 11, when the Eagles stormed back from a 6-3 third-period deficit en route to a 6-6 tie.

“Everyone’s contributing. We’re all working our best every day and going hard no matter what,” Klute said. “So that’s been a big reason for why we’re being successful right now.”

On Saturday, it was Klute’s goal at 2:38 of the second period that put Eden Prairie on the board after having spotted Hibbing/Chisholm a one-goal advantage.

The goal was Klute’s seventh of the season, with an assist to senior forward John Kleis to tie the score at 1.

Senior forward Mikko Brown gave Eden Prairie the lead at 11:57 of the second period. Brown’s goal came with another assist from Kleis and senior defenseman Blake Couet.

At 5:18 of the third, Klute shot from the corner in the offensive zone and banked the puck off Hibbing/Chisholm goaltender Rex Walli’s back and into the net, giving Eden Prairie a 3-1 lead.

Senior forward Adam Thomas scored in the third period, giving the Eagles a 4-2 cushion with assists to Hall and senior forward Rio Treharne. 

Junior goalie Bennett Wilmer had 19 saves as the Eagles skated to a 4-3 win over the Bluejackets, their fourth win in as many games.

For Klute, his two goals extended his point streak to five games.

“It’s just an unbelievable experience being out here with all the guys,” Klute said. “I just took advantage of all the shooting opportunities I had, and they went in. So it was a great opportunity playing on Hockey Day, and super fun with my buddies.”

With the victory at Hockey Day Minnesota, the Eagles improve to 10-7-2 on the season as they embark on a four-game road swing starting with St. Michael-Albertville on Thursday.

And in the rearview mirror is a stretch of hockey they won’t soon forget.

“It was a great week for the kids,” Terwilliger said. “They just had a ball.”