Every day of the season, even before taking the ice, Eden Prairie moves around with a giant bullseye about it.

Being ranked highly by every media outlet in the state and blessed with roster that is brimming with talent and star power ensures that every Eagles' opponent will gear it up and put forth its best effort.

So went the script in Tuesday night's Schwan Cup Gold Division semifinal at Ridder Arena, where Eden Prairie raced out to an early lead, and then stood up to the best that Hill-Murray had to throw its way before the Eagles arrived at a 4-2 victory.

"I'm extremely proud of the effort," Eden Prairie coach Lee Smith said. "We were winning the battles and the races…we really played with a mission."

Eden Prairie (9-2-0), ranked No. 2 in the Class 2A coaches' poll, got the scoring going just 1 minute, 21 seconds into the first period when Cole Lawrence netted the game's first goal.

It came on the second shift of the game, the first for the Eagles' "second" top line, which consists of Lawrence, Hunter Johannes and Michael Graham, who led the charge.

"That line was incredibly dynamic," Smith said. "And Michael Graham was the best player on the ice tonight, without a doubt."

Graham finished with a goal and an assist, and everyone on the line finished with a point.

The line proved effective at both ends of the ice, where a sound backcheck was coupled with strong puck possession that was routinely set up in the offensive zone.

After finding the early success, Eden Prairie got rolling.

"Everyone played as a team today, and we can be a very good team when we learn how to use each other," Graham said. "That's something we look to continue to build on."

Graham scored the team's second goal late in the opening period, and the Eagles took a 2-0 lead into the intermission.

After trading goals in the second period, Hill-Murray drew to within one after freshman Ben Helgeson scored an even-strength goal with 10:51 left. It injected new life into a Pioneers team that was still trying to shed the constraints of a poor start.

Eden Prairie turnovers fed Hill-Murray's transition, and the Pioneers started to play with a confidence that was lacking early on.

"For the first period, it seemed like we were watching instead of playing," Hill-Murray coach Bill Lechner said. "They are a good team that is well coached, but I know we can play too. The first period was a gut check, and we had to ask ourselves, 'Do we want to watch them skate around on us, or do we want to play hockey?"'

In the third period, the Eagles had to fight their way through two crucial penalty kills that could have turned the tide, especially while nursing a fragile one-goal lead.

In coach Smith's mind, it was his team's penalty-kill units that deserves the credit for this victory. Graham agrees as well.

"We were being aggressive when we needed to be, and we did a good job of preventing them from setting up in our zone," Graham said. "It was a very strong team effort."

Eden Prairie junior Casey Mittelstadt, who finished with three points, scored an empty-netter with 36 seconds remaining to seal the victory. Shaun Durocher earned the win in goal, stopping 21 shots.

Hill-Murray had a seven-game winning streak snapped by Tuesday's defeat, one the No. 14-2A Pioneers (8-3-0) will use as a learning experience as the team looks forward to January.

"They definitely have two top lines, guys who can skate and play the game," Lechner said of Eden Prairie. "It was good for us to experience it. Yeah, we've been doing well. But if you want to be the best, you have to learn from this.

"When we picked it up, we saw we can play with them," he added. "But we spotted them two (goals), and then allowed an empty-netter. Otherwise, it was a game."

Hill-Murray resumes action Wednesday in the third-place game, where the Pioneers will face the loser of the semifinal matchup between Edina and Minnetonka.

With the victory, the Eagles advance to Wednesday night's Gold Division championship game, where they will face either the Hornets or the Skippers.

Fresh off a team victory at the Edina Holiday Classic last week, Eden Prairie looks to keep things moving forward toward its ultimate goal.

"It would be nice to win (the Schwan Cup), but the most important thing is to get better," Smith said. "Whomever we play, it's going to be a good matchup against a team that's going to come at us hard."

First Report

Eden Prairie scored two first-period goals and held the upper hand the rest of the way as the Eagles defeated Hill-Murray 4-2 in the Scwhan Cup Gold Division semifinals Tuesday evening at Ridder Arena.

Eden Prairie (9-2-0), ranked No. 2 in the Class 2A coaches' poll, got the scoring going just 1:21 into the first period when Cole Lawrence netted the game's first goal.

Junior forward Casey Mittelstadt finished with a goal and two assists while senior Michael Graham notched a goal and an assist to help lead the Eagles.

The No. 14-2A Pioneers (8-3-0) rode a seven-game winning streak into Tuesday night before having it snapped. Hill-Murray freshman Ben Helgeson finished with a goal and an assist.

With the victory, Eden Prairie advances to Wednesday night's Gold Division championship game, where it will face the winner of Edina and Minnetonka.

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