Edina Wins 13th State Title in OT

After receiving the third seeded in the Class AA bracket, the Eden Prairie Eagles were ripped online for the luck they received with their opening round matchup against Lakeville South. They survived in 3OT and took the Edina Hornets to the absolute limit in overtime of the Class AA Championship tonight, but Peter Colby became the unlikely hero for the Hornets, as his overtime winner gave the Hornets their 13th state tournament title in history. 

After a too many men penalty was assessed to the Hornets, the Eagles got their first crack on the power play early. Edina did a great job defending the slot in front, but then disaster struck. As Luke Mittelstadt crossed the offensive blue line, he dropped off a nice pass for Drew Holt, who sent a laser beam past the glove side of Louden Hogg. The goal was a big one for the Eagles, who finally seemed to have a temporary upper hand on the Hornets for the first time all year long. The Eagles lead in shots on goal 13-5 after the first period of play.  

Despite no goals being scored from either team in the second period, the Eagles continued to look like the far better team. Edina looked flat, frustrated, and couldn't win many loose puck battles. Penalties became a huge issue for the Hornets in the second period as well. Jungels, Ruegemer, and Boltmann all took penalties, but they were able to kill them all off. Shots were 26-7 after two periods in favor of the Eagles. 

The early parts of the third period were a story of almosts for both teams. First it was Jack Jensen for the Eagles, who missed a wide open net. Then Edina nearly put one in to tie the game. Then a few minutes later, the Hornets found their groove. First, at 5:21 of the period, Kevin Delaney buried a beautiful shot in front of the goal to even the game. Then 22 seconds later, Peter Colby sent the Hornets fans into a frenzy. He received a perfect pass from Brett Chorske behind the net and had no problem with the finish. 

Exactly four minutes later, Clayton Schultz answered the call for the Eagles. With pandemonium in front of the Edina net, Schultz found the loose change in front and put it past Hogue. That gave the Eagles the tying goal. A huge chance for Edina came in the waning seconds of regulation. Peter Colby was digging for a loose puck and fanned on an open net, sending this thriller of a game to an overtime.

It didn't take long for Colby to change his fortunes in overtime. Just 2:31 in, after a Eden Prairie turnover behind the net, Colby took a beautful feed in front and gave Edina their first Class AA Championship since 2014. Hornets fans exploded, and Colby put a cap on a terrific night of high school hockey. 

With Edina taking all three regular season matchups by three or more goals, the vibe before the game was that Edina would roll past the Eagles with ease. But this game delivered everything. High-hitting action, back-and-forth goals, and two incredible hockey teams battling it out.

It puts a wrap on the 2018-19 high school hockey season, which was tremendous all around. It's hard to believe it's all over, but we can hardly wait for next season. Thanks for all of your support this season!