Eagles poised for Holy Family in section semifinals

Eden Prairie girls hockey head coach Steve Persian couldn’t help but offer a shrug and a smile after the Eagles’ 4-2 win over Chaska-Chanhassen in the Section 2AA quarterfinal game at Eden Prairie Community Center on Friday.

“These three-six matchups in sections are always hard,” he said, referring to his third-seeded Eagles battling in a back-and-forth contest with the sixth-seeded Stormhawks.

Eden Prairie had faced Chaska-Chan in a pre-season scrimmage, as well as in the Eden Prairie-hosted Mid-Winter Meltdown tournament in December. Based on those earlier meetings, Persian knew the Eagles would be in for a challenging quarterfinal.

“I give their coaching staff and their players just a ton of credit with how they play,” he said. “It’s very impressive, especially in the second half of the year.”

The win was the Eagles first since Jan. 23, when they beat Prior Lake 3-2 at Valleyfair as part of Hockey Day Minnesota.

Since then, they’ve dropped a pair of games, albeit to two top teams: No. 1 Minnetonka and No. 4 Benilde-St. Margaret’s.

Friday’s victory over Chaska-Chan puts the Eagles in the section semifinal game against second-seeded Holy Family.

“That’s a big, big test,” Persian said.

The teams have not seen one another since before Thanksgiving, when the Fire defeated the Eagles 3-1 – almost an entire season ago – on Nov. 26.

Holy Family finished the season with a record of 16-7 and ranked ninth in Class 2A. 

“We always expect the best from them,” eighth-grade forward Ava Moe said. “So I’m looking forward to playing them.”

Moe is one of three eighth graders on Eden Prairie’s young roster, but don’t let her youth fool you. Moe is a seasoned veteran, having been a strong presence on the varsity squad last year. Meanwhile, she leads the Eagles with 14 goals and 22 points this season.

Friday night against Chaska-Chan, she notched two goals, while she and her linemates, senior Addy Mitchell and fellow eighth grader Campbell Elvin, generated all four goals for Eden Prairie.

“That was some of the best hockey I’ve seen them play all year,” Mitchell said of Moe and Elvin, whose twin sister Tatum is a defender on the Eagles.

Mitchell said her younger teammates lifted up the Eagles with hard work in a scrappy contest.

“Our offense was really good. We were able to control the puck in the Chanhassen zone,” she said. “We really didn’t give them much time in the D zone. So super happy with the win.”

Mitchell opened the scoring at 8:02 of the first period with a shot through the five-hole past Stormhawks goalie Kelsey Brastad.

Moe’s pair of scores came in the second and third periods, while Campbell Elvin picked up an empty-net goal to seal the victory with 1:07 remaining in regulation.

The line collectively came away with 10 points in the contest, with two assists coming on each of the first three goals, while the empty-netter went unassisted.

Junior goaltender Rylee Lorton had 21 saves.

“We had a fun game,” Elvin said. “I really think we came together in the last period as a team, and that made it special for the seniors having their last home game on a win.”

Eden Prairie now moves to neutral ice to face Holy Family. The teams face off at Braemar Arena in Edina Tuesday night.

The Eagles will turn their physical game up a notch in the next round. Persian noted their aggressive approach gave Edina and Minnetonka a scare in January, when both highly ranked teams escaped with one-goal victories against Eden Prairie.

“We expect Holy Family to be very fast, very physical. I think they’re going to be a more physical team than what we played tonight,” Persian said. “I think that our style of play needs to be indicative of the team that’s got very good speed, good forwards up front.”

Persian said he plans to add a few wrinkles to allow his forwards to exit the defensive zone quickly, saying it’s critical the Eagles slow down the Fire.

“And as you move into the semifinals, part of the style of play that you need to bring is a little more physical,” he said. “We’re going to be prepared for it.”