Eden Prairie scored twice in 30 seconds midway through the opening period to build a lead the Eagles would steadily cultivate.
It earned Eden Prairie a 5-2 victory over Elk River Thursday night at the Edina Holiday Classic at Braemar Arena.
"Anytime you can beat Elk River, you pay a price," Eagles coach Lee Smith says. "They are always a tough team that plays good defense and comes at you a lot of different ways. I think our guys handled it pretty well."
Casey Mittelstadt finished with a goal and an assist to lead Eden Prairie with two points, and linemate Nolan Sullivan added two assists.
It was the first competition for the Eagles, ranked No. 2 in the Class 2A coaches' poll, since recording their first loss of the season, a 6-5 overtime thriller against Benilde-St. Margaret's six days ago in a showdown between the top two ranked teams in Class 2A.
If there were any lingering effects from Eden Prairie's setback, they were not apparent against No. 13-2A Elk River, at least for the first two periods.
The Eagles used their speed to rein in the Elks and crisply moved the puck around with crippling effect. Eden Prairie blocked shots and were aggressive without the puck to limit Elk River's offensive chances.
"Our kids really wanted to bounce back and play strong tonight. It was pretty humbling," Smith says of the loss. "But I think we've responded well and spent the week getting better in practice."
The Eagles' top two lines set the tone while a relatively young Elks squad, which rosters just three seniors, struggled to keep up with Eden Prairie's incredible depth.
In the third period, Elk River broke the shutout with two goals, one on the power play.
"I think we took our foot off the gas a little bit," Smith says. "But also credit Elk River. Was it a great performance? No, but it's a pretty solid way to start the tournament."
With the victory, Eden Prairie improves to 5-1 on the season. The Eagles resume action tomorrow night at Braemar against Grand Rapids.
Elk River (5-2) faces Edina on Day 2 action of the Edina showcase.
Elk River forward Al Schwab put the Elks on the board early in the 3rd period. Photo by Nick Wosika
