Eagles battle to the season’s end in section semifinals

Eden Prairie head coach Steve Persian knew the approach his team needed to defeat Holy Family in the Section 2AA girls hockey semifinals Tuesday evening.

“As you move into the semifinals, part of the style of play that you need to bring is a little more physical,” Persian said after the Eagles’ 4-2 win over Chaska-Chanhassen in the opening round of the playoffs.

Eden Prairie brought its physical game to Braemar Arena in Edina for the neutral-site game against Holy Family.

The result was a back-and-forth struggle, with both teams doling out checks on every shift, bringing aggressiveness you don’t normally see in girls’ high school hockey.

But the stakes were high, as Eden Prairie found themselves in the semifinal round for the second year in a row with a chance to move on to the section title game and the doorstep of the girls’ state tournament in St. Paul next week.

“It was definitely a physical game on both sides,” Persian said, “I think for both teams, it’s just a style of play that they’re very comfortable with. And we ended up taking a couple of penalties that really hurt us in the first period.”

Eden Prairie found themselves trailing quickly in the early going. Holy Family scored at 2:12 of the first period to take a 1-0 lead.

Just three minutes later, the Eagles appeared to have bounced back when sophomore forward Quinn Bille knocked in a loose puck following a scrum in front of the Holy Family net.

But the play was whistled dead when the officials lost sight of the puck, apparently thinking it was covered up by Fire goaltender Kayla Swartout.

“The way it was explained was, (the referee) didn’t see it for a count of two seconds,” Persian said. “And his approach to that is, if it goes two seconds, then he blows it dead.”

The Eagles were called for two penalties later in the first period, leaving Holy Family to take full advantage. The Fire’s senior forward sensation Josie Linn scored at the 8:27 mark, followed by Katya Sander at 14:21, both power play goals to put Holy Family in a commanding 3-0 lead.

Holy Family held that advantage into the first intermission.

“We went in and we talked about the fact we have 34 minutes left,” Persian said. “We just need to go out there and chip away. And it was nice to see them come out in that second period and really do that and not get overwhelmed with the situation.”

The Eagles were the clear aggressor in the second period, putting Holy Family on their heels as Eden Prairie continued to press.

Just 1:26 into the period, senior captain Lauren Pottinger put Eden Prairie on the board when she poked in a rebound on the right side of the Holy Family net. Juniors Kate Petrie and Sara David added the assists on the even-strength goal.

“Lauren Pottinger had a really strong game,” Persian said. “I thought she was working on the penalty kill, five-on-five, and when we were on the power play. She brought a senior level mentality to a section semi game. That was a stand-up performance.”

Late in the period, with the Eagles playing with a five-on-three advantage following two Holy Family penalties, eighth-grade defender Tatum Elvin scored on a blast from the point with just 17 seconds remaining before the second intermission.

Fellow eighth grader Ava Moe and senior captain Ella Konrad assisted on the play as the Eagles narrowed Holy Family’s lead to 3-2.

“They worked hard,” Persian said. “We were able to put a couple in, going on that power play.”

But the Eagles, continuing their aggressive style, spent much of the third period short-handed, with three penalties in the final eight minutes.

Eden Prairie would record 14 penalty minutes to Holy Family’s four, as both teams continued to engage in the physical battle throughout the final period.

Consequently, the short-handed Eagles never generated quality chances to tie the game as Holy Family held on to its one-goal lead.

“You really want to be able to go five-on-five or six-on-five and be in a situation where you don’t have to pull your goalie when you’re killing the penalty,” Persian said. “It’s not ideal.”

He added, “I think our team responded well to it. We just couldn’t capitalize at the end.”

Eagles junior goalie Rylee Lorton was outstanding in the net, facing 39 shots and keeping the Eagles in the game to the end.

“She’d probably say, ‘I’d want one or two of those back in the first period,’” Persian said, referring to the three-goal blitz by Holy Family in the opening period. 

“But the truth is, when you give up three goals on 39 shots, it’s a really good performance. It’s exactly what we know she’s capable of,” Persian added.

The Eagles played without the services of senior defender Natalie McNeil, who was out with a stomach bug. 

The 3-2 margin held to the end, closing the door on the season for Eden Prairie. They finish the 2024-25 campaign with a record of 11-16.

After defeating the Eagles, Holy Family (21-7) knocked off top-ranked Minnetonka 2-1 with an overtime victory in the section final game Friday night and will advance to the girls state hockey tournament.

The Eagles are a young squad, with 12 seniors on the roster and 19 players returning next season from the varsity lineup, including 10 sophomores, two freshmen and three eighth-graders.

But for Persian, planning for the bright future on the horizon will have to wait for another day.

“It’s always bittersweet when this is the group of sophomores that I started with, it’s going to be probably a little emotional in the locker room,” he said after the loss. “It’s tough to process the fact that you’re moving on from a group of kids.”

Persian, in his third season behind the bench for the Eagles, led Breck to back-to-back state championships before coming to Eden Prairie.

“That being said, there’s a strong group of sophomores and younger players in the program that are going to be coming back,” he said. “And we think we’re going to compete day in and day out.”