Minnetonka at Eden Prairie
7 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 16

A rematch of the Schwan Cup Gold Division championship game on Dec. 30 that Eden Prairie narrowly won 4-3, this Lake Conference meeting between the Eagles and Minnetonka offers plenty of incentive for both sides.

Aside from the league implications, a high seed in the playoffs could be on the line as both teams reside in the ultracompetitive Class 2A, Section 2, where a concentrated group of talent will fight through the state's deepest section.

Besides the No. 3-2A Eagles and No. 8-2A Skippers, Section 6 features No. 1-2A Benilde-St. Margaret’s, No. 4-2A Holy Family Catholic, No. 12-2A Wayzata, Hopkins and Armstrong/Cooper. Of that group, only Hopkins (5-7-1) has a losing record. 

Minnetonka has played an ambitious schedule, and two weeks into January, it seems the Skippers (11-4) are coming into their own after an impressive collection of wins.

Goaltender Thomas Hanson has been an important part of the rise as the senior boasts an 8-4 mark with a 2.31 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage.

Eden Prairie continues to cruise along as one of the state’s most elite teams. The Eagles (12-2-0) have losses only to the schools ranked above them, and their top two lines have been extremely productive with Casey Mittelstadt (13-22-35), Nolan Sullivan (14-14-28) and Michael Graham (11-17-28) each taking turns leading the team in scoring.

Saturday’s game is the first of two conference matchups between the schools, with the second set for Feb. 4 at Minnetonka's Pagel Arena.