Game Highlights

Hugh Truempi netted the game-winning goal in overtime of Eden Prairie’s 3-2 victory over Hill-Murray in the Gold Division quarterfinals of the Schwan Cup hockey tournament at Ridder Arena on Monday. 

The team rallied in celebration around Truempi, who wears No. 34 - a number not currently listed on the Eagles’ official roster.

Truempi was recently brought up from the junior varsity team, where the career defenseman gained the attention of Eagles coach Lee Smith.

Smith said Truempi had been one of the best players on JV team, scoring four goals and three assists.  

“He deserved the chance to play, and he was really good for us today,” Smith said. 

Truempi’s opportunity to play with the varsity, albeit as a forward, is a comeback tale.

Truempi discovered this summer that he had a fractured spine from playing numerous games with a spinal stress fracture. The result was three months without skating or playing hockey. 

“I couldn’t do anything,” Truempi said. 

The junior was cleared to resume practicing a week after Eden Prairie started its season and secured a spot on the JV team. Truempi said hockey came back to him pretty easily once he got back on the ice.

He didn’t seem to miss a beat in overtime against Hill-Murray, scoring the game-winner after watching teammate Alex Pezon bounce the puck off the wall. 

“The net was open, so I tapped it in,” Truempi said. 

It was the first varsity goal scored by the newly converted forward.

“Initially, he was a defensemen, but we wanted ourselves to be more gritty,” Smith said. ”Some of the teams out there, you have to be kinda ugly. We got (Truempi) to come up there and plug it up, and he did a great job.”

Truempi credited his success at the JV level and the move up to varsity to keeping his focus small. “I just had to take it practice by practice and try and improve a little bit each practice,” Truempi said. 

Truempi said his back is now 100 percent healed and that he is excited about his new role on for the Eagles, especially after getting a late start on the season.

“Finally, it’s nice to get my first chance playing forward on varsity,” Truempi said.  

First Report

Junior Hugh Truempi scored the game-winning goal in overtime as Eden Prairie upset Hill-Murray 3-2 in the Gold Division quarterfinals of the Schwan Cup hockey tournament at Ridder Arena on Monday.

Hill-Murray, ranked No. 4 in the Class 2A coaches poll, took the lead early with sophomore forward Marko Reifenberger scoring 3 minutes, 10 seconds into the first period. 

Junior forward Michael Graham tied the game just 4 minutes later with a goal. Sophomore forward Casey Mittelstadt and senior defenseman Andy Aguilar each earned an assist on the score.

No. 6-2A Eden Prairie took a 2-1 lead just over a minute remaining in the first when senior forward Tyler Safgren put a puck to the left of senior goalie Sean Wendlandt.

Neither team scored in the second period, a drought that ended early in the third as Reifenberger tallied a power-play goal to bring the Pioneers even at 2-2.

The game went to overtime, where Truempi netted the game-winner with 4:50 left to play.

Senior defenseman Jacob Olson had two assists and Wendlandt had 27 saves for the Pioneers.

Eagles junior goalie Shaun Durocher finished with 27 saves.

Eden Prairie plays Burnsville in the semifinals at Ridder Arena on Dec. 30 at 5:30 p.m.

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