Eagles capture share of Lake Conference title after tie with Edina

One year ago, the Eden Prairie boys hockey team might have felt satisfied with the result of their recent clash with sixth-ranked Edina.

But when Mike Terwilliger’s squad came off the ice after skating to a 2-2 tie with the high-powered Hornets in the regular-season finale on Saturday, a much different sentiment was prevalent.

They were angry.

“Yeah, we wanted it so bad, and we really just want to end our season on a high note,” Eagles senior captain Alex Hall said after the game, which was watched by a capacity crowd at Eden Prairie Community Center. “We were upset that there just wasn’t more time on the clock. But it’s all good.”

It’s all good, in part, because the Eagles secured the No. 1 seed in the Section 2AA playoffs, having defeated every section opponent they faced this season. They are also co-champions of the ultra-competitive Lake Conference, sharing the title with Edina.

What a difference a year makes.

“One of our goals to start the year was to win the Lake Conference,” Terwilliger said. “And this dates back to Lee Smith. If there’s a year you can win the Lake Conference, any year, you’re playing really well.”

Smith, the Eagles’ longtime boys hockey head coach, won 10 Lake Conference titles and three state championships, with 12 state tournament appearances over his 29-year tenure.

Terwilliger is in his third season at Eden Prairie after taking over the head job following Smith’s retirement. This is the first season the Eagles have earned a top spot in the conference and a No. 1 seed in the section playoffs with Terwilliger behind the bench.

Eden Prairie is undefeated in its last 11 games, finishing with a 9-0-2 record down the stretch, including nine straight victories heading into the regular-season finale against the Hornets.

Despite the impressive run, the tie with one of their biggest conference rivals left players like senior captain Johnny Kleis feeling frustrated, which is probably a good thing leading into the postseason.

“That’s one of those I think we should have won. The winner was going to win the Lake Conference,” Kleis said. “But our momentum is carrying into these next games, and I’m excited for sections.”

Kleis put the Eagles on the board in the second period after Edina took the lead on a power play following a scoreless first period. 

He capped off a flurry in front of the Hornets’ net to tie the game at 1 at the 5:52 mark.

“We were kind of wearing them out that whole shift,” Kleis explained. “And then Chase Klute shot on net, and the rebound just popped out there. I went to the net and popped it in.”

Edina scored again with 9:12 remaining in the third period before Hall tied the game about three minutes later with a wide blast from the left circle near the boards.

“I was frustrated because I had a Grade A that I missed,” he recalled, frustrated with missing an earlier scoring chance. “So I told myself that I was just gonna get it back for the team and start ripping them. So I just picked my spot and shot it, and it went in.”

The game was a fast and physical battle, with rushes and chances for both sides throughout all three periods. Penalties were minimal, with just three infractions for Eden Prairie and one for Edina, as officials let the teams play on an exciting final Saturday of hockey.

The score remained tied through the end of regulation and went into overtime. Eagles goaltender Bennett Wilmer stopped four Edina shots in the extra period, finishing with 27 saves.

Senior defenseman Connor Nesser made a key stop on an Edina rush with a minute to play in overtime. The 2-2 deadlock held, resulting in both teams taking a share of the Lake Conference title.

“That’s a great team, and we both had chances to win it,” Terwilliger said. “That’s the type of game you want heading into playoffs, a tough game like that against one of the best teams, if not the best team, in the state.”

The Eagles haven’t lost since a 4-2 defeat to No. 8 Benilde-St. Margaret’s on Jan. 9. It was Eden Prairie’s sixth loss in seven games but their last defeat before starting a run that brought them a share of the Lake crown.

“Our guys are really resilient. We talked about that a lot this year,” Terwilliger said. “We went through that stretch where we had a hard time scoring – a hard time getting breaks in games. And it’d be really easy for a lot of groups of kids to just pack it in or to turn on each other. But I think that’s a credit to our senior group, those 13 seniors, and then our captains, have been unreal.”

Hall and Kleis, along with fellow captains Chase Klute and Nick Koering, have set the tone and kept their teammates focused through adversity as well as success, echoing their coach’s message.

“Our word is resilience, and I think we proved it to ourselves and proved it to the whole state that we’re the most resilient group in the state,” Hall said. “When you were losing like we were at the beginning of the year, it could have gone two different ways, and only resilient teams respond the way we did.” 

The Eagles (16-6-3) now look ahead to the quarterfinal round of the Section 2AA playoffs. As the top seed, they will face the winner of the play-in game between Chaska and Bloomington Jefferson at 7 p.m. Thursday on their home ice at Eden Prairie Community Center.

For an Eagles team playing their best hockey of the year, the postseason couldn’t come at a better time.

“Everyone’s buying in. No one cares who’s scoring. No one cares when someone makes a mistake,” Kleis said. “Everyone’s focusing on the team more than themselves right now. We’re really working well as a team and clicking.”