Four different Eagles scored goals as Eden Prairie (2-0-0) took down Hill-Murray (0-1-0) 4-2 on Tuesday night at Eden Prairie Community Center.

Eden Prairie, last year’s Class 2A state champions, burst onto the scene, scoring twice in the game’s first seven minutes. Seniors Naomi Rogge and Sydney Henrichs both found the back of the net, putting the Eagles up 2-0.

The Eagles, ranked No. 1-2A in Let's Play Hockey's preseason poll, extended their lead in the second period on a score from senior Kasandra Bienkowski, assisted by Rogge.

The No. 3-2A Pioneers were able to slice into the lead, netting a goal from sophomore Haylee Blinkhorn midway through the second period. But when sophomore Becca Kniss scored in the final minutes of the second frame, Eden Prairie put the contest out of reach. 

A third-period goal for senior Taylor Wemple was little consolation for Hill-Murray, who dropped the opening game of their season after going undefeated in divisional play a year ago.

“We’re pretty excited about our squad. We’re a lot younger than last year but we think that we’re a faster team and a deeper team. When you run into a good team like [Hill-Murray] it’s hard to get goals. To pop some [goals] in early, that was exciting for us and exciting for some of our young kids,” said Eagles coach Jamie Grossman.

Junior goalie Alexa Dobchuk earned the win, saving 26 of 28 shots on goal. The veteran is maintaining the momentum of a sterling sophomore season that saw Dobchuk in goal for Eden Prairie’s state championship run. 

After earning a shutout in the Eagles’ opening contest on Nov. 12, a 4-0 win over Lakeville South, Dobchuk kept up the strong play against an amply talented Hill-Murray offense.

“I think that the way my team played around me made it easy. A lot of those shots came from the outside, or places that I could see and my team did a really good job of keeping everyone out of the way. It made me look good,” Dobchuk said.

Hill-Murray had bested Eden Prairie 4-1 in their matchup last season, beating Dobchuk for four goals.

This time Dobchuk was tougher to solve.

“It’s unbelievable but every time I see [Dobchuk] she gets better. And even tonight, I know she would say probably not her best performance but even her worst is better than most kids around. We’ll take it. She had a great year last year, and did what we expected and she looks even better than she did last year. With a young team that’s helpful to break those young kids in. Even if you make a mistake, she’s there to pick you up,” said Grossman.

Meanwhile, Eden Prairie had other underclassman talent step up. Sophomore Becca Kniss scored her first goal of the season in the second period.

“I think I played really well,” said Kniss. “As for the team, going into this game, we knew they were very fast and that they had good D and fast lines. But we thought we could come out strong and play hard.”

It was an egalitarian effort for Eden Prairie with Rogge being the only Eagle with multiple points.

“[Rogge] is dominant every shift she’s on the ice. She’s a kid we want to get lots of opportunities. She can be depended on in any situation,” Grossman said.

Despite falling short, Hill-Murray scored a pair of goals and generally tightened up their defense in the latter part of the game. Sophomore goalkeeper Ava Bailey saved 19 of 23 shots on goal.

Last year, Hill-Murray was just one goal away from meeting Eden Prairie in the state championship game. They dropped their semifinal matchup against Maple Grove 1-0. Still, the possibility of these two clubs meeting again early in 2017 appears strong.

“I think, if we get to go to the state tournament again, they’re a good team and maybe we’ll meet them there. That’ll definitely be a good game,” said Dobchuk.

Eden Prairie skated past Hill-Murray 4-2 at Eden Prairie Community Center Tuesday night.

Four different players—Becca Kniss, Naomi Rogge, Sydney Henrichs and Kasandra Bienkowski—scored for the Eagles, who improved to 2-0 on the young season.

It was an egalitarian effort for Eden Prairie, who was ranked No. 1-2A in the Let's Play Hockey preseason poll. Rogge, who added an assist, was the only Eagle with multiple points.

Haylee Blinkhorn and Taylor Wemple provided the Hill-Murray goals. The No. 3-2A Pioneers lost the opening game of their 2016-17 season after going undefeated in the regular season last year.

Alexa Dobchuk saved 26 of 28 shots on goal to earn her second win of the season. Ava Bailey saved 19 of 23 shots for Hill-Murray.