Minnetonka's Sydney Baldwin broke free from an Eden Prairie defender and circled into the slot before firing a shot into the upper right corner over Whitney Padgett to clinch a 2-1 overtime win for the No. 2-ranked Skippers on Saturday morning at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
No. 8 Eden Prairie needed almost the full three regulation periods to match Minnetonka's early goal by Diana Draayer. With just 52 seconds left in the third period, Eden Prairie's Angie Heppelmann swatted the stick of a Skippers defender, sending the puck straight to Anna Johnson in the slot, where she scored over the shoulder of Hannah Ehresmann, sending the game into overtime.
Minnetonka's first-period goal came after the Skippers' swung the puck around the net while on a power play, setting Presley Norby up for a shot from the point. Norby's shot was deflected to Draayer who sent the puck past Padgett, giving Minnetonka the lead 7:14 into the opening period.
In the overtime period, Eden Prairie's Josie Olson was called for checking. Though Minnetonka didn't score on the power play, the three-time defending state Class 2A Skippers established control in the zone, setting up Baldwin for her clutch goal.
Padgett held the Skippers scoreless for 50 minutes after the first period, finishing with 22 saves on 24 shots for a .917 save average. Minnetonka goaltender Hannah Ehresmann also played well, allowing one goal on 19 shots.
-- Trevor Squire