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Third time's a charm: Eden Prairie finally sinks Minnetonka

By Heather Rule, SportsEngine, 01/21/20, 2:00PM CST

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It took three tries but the Eagles, powered by goals from Grace Kuipers and Anna Brown, defeated their Lake Conference rivals for the first time this season.

Eden Prairie's Molly Goergen (30) focuses on a Minnetonka shot during the third period of Tuesday night’s Lake Conference game. The Eagles defeated the Skippers 2-1. Photo by Jeff Lawler, SportsEngine

Eden Prairie's Molly Goergen (30) focuses on a Minnetonka shot during the third period of Tuesday night’s Lake Conference game. The Eagles defeated the Skippers 2-1. Photo by Jeff Lawler, SportsEngine

The time ticked down toward the end of the second period. On the power play, Eden Prairie sophomore Anna Brown was at the point and saw traffic in front of the goal. Her shot ended up in the back of the Minnetonka net to give her team a 2-1 lead with 49.3 seconds left in the period.

That held up as the final score as Eden Prairie, ranked No. 4 in the Class 2A coaches’ poll, defeated rival No. 3-2A Minnetonka for the first time this season.

“We knew we could do it, and now we had to show them we could do it,” Brown said. “And this feels even better because it’s my birthday today.”

Sixteen got a little bit sweeter for Brown.

She scored her seventh goal of the season against the Eagles’ Lake Conference and Class 2A, Section 2 rival in the third meeting between the teams this season, this one coming Tuesday night at Pagel Activity Center in Minnetonka.

For the Eagles, the third time was the charm in this head-to-head series this season. The Skippers won the first two meetings, a 4-0 shutout in mid-December and a 4-3 win with a late goal to finish up the Mid-Winter Meltdown, a holiday tournament.

Eden Prairie's Anna Brown (8) follows through on a shot during Tuesday night’s Lake Conference game at Minnetonka. Brown scored the game-winner for the Eagles in their 2-1 victory over the Skippers. Photo by Jeff Lawler, SportsEngine

Eden Prairie's Anna Brown (8) follows through on a shot during Tuesday night’s Lake Conference game at Minnetonka. Brown scored the game-winner for the Eagles in their 2-1 victory over the Skippers. Photo by Jeff Lawler, SportsEngine

First Report

Third time was the charm for Eden Prairie on Tuesday.

The Eagles, ranked No. 4 in the Class 2A coaches’ poll, soared to a 2-1 victory over Minnetonka at Pagel Activity Center in a battle of Lake Conference and Class 2A, Section 2 rivals. The win for Eden Prairie avenged a pair of losses earlier in the season to Minnetonka.

The game was scoreless until the Skippers took a 1-0 lead with a Lisa LaRoche goal in the middle of the second period. But the Eagles countered with a pair of power-play goals, scored by Grace Kuipers and Anna Brown, to take the lead with less than a minute left in the middle period.

In goal, Eden Prairie junior Molly Goergen made 19 saves, while junior Brynn Dulac stopped 20 shots at the other end for the No. 3-2A Skippers.

The Eagles (15-6-1, 6-3-0) are 1-2 against the Skippers (16-5-1, 4-4-1) this season after getting shut out 4-0 at home on Dec. 17, and losing 4-3 on a late goal to finish up the Mid-Winter Meltdown, a holiday tournament. Eden Prairie has won 6-out-of-7 games with three regular-season contests remaining.

The loss marks the third in the past four games for the Skippers.

Lisa LaRoche (22) flips a backhand behind Eden Prairie's Molly Goergen (30) to give the Skippers a 1-0 lead over the Eagles midway through the second period Tuesday night. The Skippers fell to the Eagles 2-1.Photo by Jeff Lawler, SportsEngine

Minnetonka's Lisa LaRoche (22) flips a backhand behind Eden Prairie's Molly Goergen (30) to give the Skippers a 1-0 lead over the Eagles midway through the second period Tuesday night. The Skippers fell to the Eagles 2-1.Photo by Jeff Lawler, SportsEngine

The MN Girls' Hockey Hub poll is for entertainment purposes only.

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