Eden Prairie forwards Michael Graham and Casey Mittelstadt play on different forward lines. Graham is a senior headed to Notre Dame. Mittelstadt is a junior who has committed to the University of Minnesota.
While they are undisputedly two of the premiere forwards in the state, they have different styles, strengths and body types. For a split second on Wednesday night, however, it was easy to confuse No. 16 (Graham) for No. 11 (Mittelstadt).
Mittelstadt scored twice in No. 2-ranked Eden Prairie’s 4-3 victory over Minnetonka in the championship game of the Schwan Cup Gold Division at Ridder Arena.
His first goal came on a gorgeous end-to-end rush during which he roared down the right boards, then made a sharp cut in front of the Minnetonka net and goaltender Thomas Hanson. As Mittelstadt swung around Hanson, he needed only to backhand the puck into an open net, putting the Eagles ahead 2-0 early in the second period.
About 10 minutes later, the same goal was rewound and played again, with an Eagles player darting out of the right corner, cutting through the crease, speeding around Hanson and backhanding the puck into an open Minnetonka net. The play was so identical to Mittelstadt’s first goal, several observers naturally credited the latest one to him, too.
But, no, that was Graham doing his best Mittelstadt impersonation. Or was that Mittelstadt impersonating Graham with the earlier goal? Either way, Eden Prairie’s prolific goal scoring duo was too much for a scrappy Minnetonka team that seemingly has all the elements of a championship caliber team except the rare talents possessed by the Eagles.
“It helps to have a couple of guys like that,” Skippers coach Brian Urick said about Mittelstadt and Graham. “We have good players. But those are two very dynamic players that, if you make a mistake, they are going to bury on you.
“No. 11 and 16 got two rush goals on us. We’d like to have those back.”
Both Mittelstadt, the former state Bantam player of the year who leads Eden Prairie (10-2-0) with 11 goals and 28 points, and Graham (10 goals, 24 points) said they are instructed by Eagles coaches to use their speed and drive the net. So that’s what they did at every opportunity.
“I think obviously we are a fast team, and we try to get behind their 'D' as much as we can,” Mittelstadt said. “I think tonight we just got behind them right away and buried our chances. So it was pretty nice to get those two. You are going to get goals eventually if you keep crashing.”
Added Graham: “Casey has pretty good speed, and I think I have pretty good speed, so we just have to use it to our advantage.”
Mittelstadt, who could stickhandle effectively in the backseat of a Mazda, scored what proved to be the winning goal with an NHL-style spin-o-rama to the right of the net with the Eagles on a power play.
Mittelstadt took a feed from Cole Lawrence on the goal line, then did a 180-degree turn that left a Minnetonka defender in his wake, providing a face-to-face confrontation with Hanson. The Skippers' goaltender made the save on Mittelstadt’s first shot but couldn’t prevent the rebound swipe from sliding into the goal, putting the Eagles ahead 4-1 with 13:16 remaining.
“He can just see the ice and stickhandle anywhere out there,” Graham said.
Senior Brendan Ryan scored twice in the third to pull Minnetonka (8-4-0) to within 4-3 and set up a frantic finish, but Eden Prairie held on for the win in what was the first of what could be four meetings between the Lake Conference and Class 2A, Section 2 rivals.
For Eden Prairie, it was the second triumph in a top-level tournament in three weeks. The Eagles also defeated three high-caliber opponents to win the Edina Holiday Classic.
“Our main goal is to win all the tournaments,” Mittelstadt said. “So Edina, here at the Schwans and then sections and state. Obviously this one is a big one, and it’s a good step to get going and head towards our main goal, which is a state title.”
