Eden Prairie at Hopkins
3 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 24

Two teams with double-digit victories — but both looking for their first Lake Conference victory — match up Saturday afternoon when No. 6-2A Eden Prairie (10-7-0) visits Hopkins (11-5-1) at the Hopkins Pavilion. It’s an indication of the power of the Lake that these two squads are at the bottom of the standings in late-January.

Eden Prairie has hit a rough patch after beginning the year with seven wins in eight games. The Eagles are just 3-6-0 in their last nine, which perhaps not surprisingly coincides with the start of games against Lake Conference opponents (beginning with a 4-3 loss to Edina in the Edina Holiday Classic on Dec. 20). Coach Lee Smith has a great 1-2 scoring punch with junior Michael Graham (15-18-33) and sophomore Casey Mittelstadt (17-15-32), who have combined for 32 of the team’s 65 goals.

Hopkins is also struggling since a 9-1-0 start under coach Cory Peterson. The Royals are 2-4-1 in their last seven games, scoring 19 goals in that span. Josh Laven (14-12-26) leads Hopkins in scoring, while Josh Kuehmichel (10-4-1, 2.39, .928) was one of the preseason favorites for the Brimsek Award as top senior goaltender in the state.