Once the fashionable pick to win the boys’ hockey state tournament, then overshadowed much of the regular season, Eden Prairie is again a favorite.

The sixth-ranked Eagles dispatched Prior Lake 4-2 in Wednesday’s Class 2A, Section 2 championship game at Mariucci Arena.

Eden Prairie junior forward Casey Mittelstadt, who committed to Minnesota, scored twice for the No. 2 seed Eagles (19-7-2). He has 28 goals this season.

Junior defenseman Nick Leivermann increased the Eagles lead to 3-1 with his second-period goal.

No. 4 seed Prior Lake (20-8) was searching for its first trip to state. The Lakers’ Jake Cohn scored on the power-play with 2:29 to play. But Eden Prairie’s Hunter Johannes scored an empty-net goal and the Eagles return to state for a third consecutive season.