Edina at Eden Prairie
7 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 28

It’s no longer a matchup with section seeding implications, but any time Lake Conference foes Edina and Eden Prairie get together, the game draws a crowd.

Thursday night’s meeting at the Eden Prairie Community Center will be no different, as the No. 3-2A Eagles face the No. 10-2A Hornets in another meeting of one of the west metro’s most storied rivalries.

Eden Prairie (15-3-1) got things under control late last week after a loss to No. 2-2A Minnetonka and a tie to No. 15-2A St. Thomas Academy threw a wrench in the Eagles’ six-game winning streak.

But big wins over Bloomington Jefferson (7-1) and Hopkins (5-2) may have helped restore confidence as the Eagles begin a challenging two-week stretch that begins with Edina on Thursday.

Junior Casey Mittelstadt leads the team in both goals (19) and assists (27), while Notre Dame commit and senior captain Michael Graham (13-24-37) and Nolan Sullivan (16-18-34) are the only other Eden Prairie players with more than 30 points for the season.

Edina (11-7-2) continues to play one of the state's toughest schedules, and as usually is the result with a inexperienced team, the Hornets have taken their lumps, including a 5-2 loss Saturday night to piping-hot Minnetonka.

Still, Edina continues to develop and is led in scoring by sophomore forward and Gophers recruit Sam Walker’s 30 points and 15 goals, including four shorthanded scores.

This is the second of three meetings between the two schools this season. Eden Prairie won the first 6-4 at Braemar Arena just before the winter break.