Eden Prairie coach Jamie Grossman saw one of his most consistent players with the puck on the end of her stick at point-blank range in front of an open net.

But Grossman wasn’t totally confident that the Eagles would get the goal they needed to pull out an overtime victory against Lake Conference rival Minnetonka on Saturday night.

“At that point, we hit so many pipes tonight, I was more praying it was going in,” Grossman said.

Grossman got his wish as Eden Prairie sophomore forward Naomi Rogge hit nothing but twine to give the Eagles their second 2-1 overtime win over the Skippers (13-4-0) at the Eden Prairie Community Center in 10 days.

Eden Prairie, ranked No. 1 in the Class 2A coaches poll, improved to 15-0-3 and 3-0-1 in the league play with the victory. 

The goal was Rogge’s 11th on the season, and her fifth game-winner of the year. 

Grossman conceded that he should have had more faith in a player as clutch as Rogge, who said she had no doubt she would close out the game. 

“Oh, yeah,” Rogge squealed when asked if she knew her shot was finding twine once it left her stick. “I knew it was going in. I have taken that shot a million times, so I knew it was going to go in this time.” 

The first outing against No. 3-2A Minnetonka (13-4-0, 3-2-0) - in the Mid-Winter Meltdown hockey tournament championship on Dec. 31 - also resulted in a 2-1 overtime win for Eden Prairie, and Rogge said the experience of playing in that game helped the Eagles win this matchup.

Rogge tallied the game-winner on a power play, scoring off a rebound shot from Charly Dahlquist. Minnetonka goaltender Tatyanna Delaittre was on her stomach after stopping the first shot, leaving the door open for Rogge. 

Dahlquist, who opened the scoring with a first-period goal, had a front-row seat to Rogge’s score and said had more confidence in her teammate than their coach. 

“Rogge can put the puck in the net when she has the opportunity,” Dahlquist said. “I know she’s going to put it away -- there was no doubt in my mind she was going to finish that.”

Fourteen different players have scored for the Eagles on the year, and Rogge is just one of two on the roster who have double-digit goals. Angie Heppelmann also has 11 goals for Eden Prairie.

Both Rogge and Dahlquist said the Eagles’ bench was key in wearing down a Skippers squad that had just 13 players active for the contest. 

Rogge is a sophomore and in her second year on the varsity. Grossman said the young forward is enjoying a career arc that he sees as quintessential for players under his guidance: continued improvement each year on the ice, and more importantly, a skater who plays her best when it matters most. 

“Rogge is a finisher,” Grossman said. “She is just clutch in key situations. She was a pretty good player for us last season and she’s turned into a great player for us this season. She plays her best hockey in the biggest moments and has shown us that over and over again.”

Eden Prairie and Minnetonka faced off Saturday night for the second time in 10 days.

And the teams needed overtime to decide the winner for the second time.

The Eagles, once again, scored in the extra period to come away with a 2-1 win over the Skippers, this time in a Lake Conference game at the Eden Prairie Community Center.

Naomi Rogge netted the game-winning goal for the Eagles (16-0-4, 3-0-1), ranked No. 1 in the Class 2A coaches poll.

Eden Prairie defeated Minnetonka 2-1 in the Mid-Winter Meltdown championship (a nonconference game) at the Eden Prairie Community Center on Dec. 31.

Charly Dahlquist opened the scoring in this matchup, giving the Eagles a 1-0 lead 6 minutes into the contest.

The teams played to a draw for the next 33 minutes, until the Skippers’ Michaela Rothstein notched the equalizer with under 5 minutes left in the game. 

The squads continued to fight it out in overtime. Minnetonka’s Rylie McDonell was assessed a roughing penalty just over 2 minutes into overtime, and the one-skater advantage was all Eden Prairie needed to maintain an unblemished record in the loss column. 

Naomi Rogge tallied the game-winner a little more than a minute after the penalty, scoring off a rebound in front of the Skippers’ net. It was Rogge’s 11th goal of the season, and her fifth in a game-winning situation. 

Eden Prairie goalie Alexa Dobchuk finished with 19 saves, while goaltender Tatyana Delaittre made 37 for No. 3-2A Minnetonka (14-5-0, 3-2-0).

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