Duluth East's 4-2 win over No. 1-2A Minnetonka on Jan. 6 left the No. 4-2A Greyhounds (8-0-3) as the final unbeaten team in Class 2A.
This Saturday, Duluth East returns to the metro to face an old adversary in No. 10-2A Eden Prairie (5-6-1, 0-1). The matchup will surely have fans reminiscing about the 2011 state championship, which the Eagles won 3-2 in a triple-overtime thriller.
The Greyhounds' veteran roster has been battle-tested with four overtime contests this season, but it has yet to surrender a game. Garrett Worth (17-6-23) netted two goals in the victory over the Skippers.
The Eagles have struggled lately, posting a four-game winless streak that includes losses to Lakeville South (6-1 on Jan. 2) and Prior Lake (3-2 on Jan. 4).
Minnesota commit and Eden Prairie leading scorer Jack Jensen (11-10-21) was held to one point in those defeats and will look to reverse that trend this week.
Eden Prairie's penalty-kill unit has struggled and enters the week owning Class 2A's worst percentage (61.5 percent). The Eagles must contain Duluth East's power play unit -- one that's converting at 27 percent -- or limit their penalties against an aggressive Greyhounds group.