The Mid-Winter Meltdown championship game appeared to be headed toward a tie between Eden Prairie and Minnetonka as time ticked off the clock in overtime.

That possibility, however, quickly evaporated when Lauren Boyle, the Ohio State commit and senior defenseman for the Eagles, blasted a shot past Skippers goalie Taty Delaittre with 1 minute, 11 seconds remaining to give the Eagles the 2-1 victory in their home tournament Wednesday night at the Eden Prairie Community Center.

"The shot was just automatic and I've taken it 100 times," Boyle said. "Sometimes I think about it too much and I miss, but this time it was all net."

Boyle notched three goals in three games at the three-day holiday tournament, but perhaps none more important than her game-winner on New Year’s Eve against Lake Conference foe Minnetonka.

"I hate losing more than I like winning, so coming out with a win instead of a tie is a huge deal for us," Boyle said. "Throughout our last couple ties, we've been in a slump ... I think this tournament turned our momentum around."

Eagles coach Jamie Grossman said he's not a fan of ties either, so he wasn't ready for Wednesday night's game to end up as Eden Prairie’s fourth tie of the season.

"We had that streak where we took three ties and we didn't learn, kept making the same mistakes, so I wasn't in the mood for a tie tonight," Grossman said. 

Boyle is now tied with Angie Heppelmann as the Eagles’ second-leading point scorer with 20 (seven goals, 13 assists). Boyle has been a big factor in Eden Prairie's 14-0-3 record, not to mention the No. 1 ranking in the Class 2A coaches poll.

It's a big target on the Eagles' backs, and Boyle said the fact that Eden Prairie is a state tournament contender in many other sports adds to the pressure of being a top team. Instead of tournament appearances, the Eagles girls’ hockey team is seeking a title.

"We feel like we haven't lived up to (expectations)," Boyle said. "But now, this year I feel like we're taking it to the Eden Prairie standard and going for more."

Senior Lauren Boyle netted the game-winning goal late in overtime as Eden Prairie beat Lake Conference rival Minnetonka 2-1 to win the 6th Annual Mid-Winter Meltdown Tournament Wednesday night at the Eden Prairie Community Center.

Boyle scored with 1 minute, 11 seconds remaining in overtime, picking up her seventh goal of the year on an assist from sophomore Naomi Rogge as the Eagles, ranked No. 1 in the Class 2A coaches poll, improved to 14-0-3 on the season.

Eden Prairie junior Lauren Oberle opened the scoring with a goal less than 5 minutes into the first period to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead. Senior Abby Hystad notched the assist on Oberle's fourth goal of the season.

Minnetonka sophomore Emma Bigham scored her fifth goal of the year to tie the game at 1-1 with less than 3 minutes to play in the second period while the No. 5-2A Skippers (12-4-0) were on a power play.

Minnetonka outshot Eden Prairie 24-23 on the night, but Eagles freshman goalie Alexa Dobchuk picked up her eighth win of the season with 23 stops.

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