Author: Steve Mulholland

Hill-Murray jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period and held on to defeat Eden Prairie 2-1 in the season opener of boys varsity hockey Friday night at the Eden Prairie Community Center. The Pioneers had goals from Graham Greeder and Caden Sampair to take the early lead. The Eagles stormed back in the second period with their sophomore line leading the way. Sophomore Alex Hall set up fellow 10th grader John Kleis on a rush at the 7:19 mark to draw within one. Sophomore Chase Klute also had an assist on the goal. Both teams went scoreless…

On the day after Thanksgiving, a red ribbon was draped across the entrance to the boys’ and girls’ varsity hockey locker rooms at the Eden Prairie Community Center, as members of both teams crowded in the corridor outside. Not unlike Black Friday shoppers eager to gain entrance, players waited in great anticipation for the ribbon cutting to commence. They were about to see their newly refurbished “hockey homes” for the very first time. Exactly 150 days earlier, the effort to upgrade the boys’ and girls’ locker rooms was put in motion. The goal was to not only update the facilities…

It was the end of the second period. That’s when the Eden Prairie Eagles girls hockey team took their final shot against Chaska/Chanhassen Tuesday night at the Chaska Community Center. They weren’t shut out. Quite the contrary – they employed a moratorium on sending the puck toward their opponent’s net. The Eagles had built a 9-1 lead in the first two periods, sending the third period into running time. Eagles head coach Steve Persian, in his first season at Eden Prairie after leading Breck to back-to-back state championships, had special instructions for his team during the second intermission. “What we…

The Eden Prairie girls hockey team jumped out to a 3-0 first-period lead and cruised the rest of the way to a 9-1 win over Chaska/Chanhassen Tuesday night at the Chaska Community Center. Seven different players scored for the Eagles, who were led with two goals from both sophomore forward Lauren Pottinger and senior forward/captain Paige Holt. Senior captain Annabel Mehta opened the scoring with an unassisted goal at 7:28 of the first period. Mehta added three assists for the Eagles, who outshot the Stormhawks 29-13. Eighth-grader Ella Pinnow scored her first varsity goal with a wrist shot from the point…

The underbelly of U.S. Bank Stadium is in stark contrast to the bright lights and giant jumbotrons that adorn the vast arena. Beneath the seats and the luxury suites, down in the stadium infrastructure, members of the Eden Prairie Eagles filtered out of their locker room and mingled in the darkened corridor. The disappointment in the outcome of a well-fought battle was evident on their faces. As assistant coaches shook hands and hugged players, head coach Mike Grant sat in a folding chair and waited for all of his players to clear the locker room, occasionally prodding them to hurry…

The Eden Prairie Eagles battled Rosemount to the very end in the state semifinals at U.S. Bank Stadium Friday night, but came up just short in a 14-10 decision. Rosemount jumped out to an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter. After an Eagles fumble on the opening kickoff, the Irish recovered the ball on the Eden Prairie 29-yard-line. Three plays later, Rosemount’s Jackson Ganser raced 17 yards for the touchdown. Quarterback Nick Fazi connected with tight end Jermell Taylor on several passes as the offense found rhythm late in the first quarter. The Eagles defense made a key stop with 4:43 remaining…

Despite the snow falling across the metro on Tuesday afternoon, weather was not a factor for the Eden Prairie Eagles. The team was gathered inside the practice dome to prepare for their next opponent in their bid for a state football championship. Freezing temps and wintery mixes won’t be an issue on Friday night either when the Eagles (9-2) face undefeated Rosemount (11-0) in the state semifinals at U.S. Bank Stadium. The scenery will certainly be different, but the opponent will be unmistakably familiar. The Irish handed the Eagles their first loss of the season – a 14-7 decision back…

If revenge is a dish best served cold, Thursday night’s state quarterfinal game had all the right ingredients. With temperatures dipping below freezing and wind gusts over 20 mph, the Eden Prairie Eagles traveled to a neutral site at Park Center High School to face Shakopee, a team that beat the Eagles on Oct. 8 and handed them their second loss of the season. Eden Prairie has run off five straight wins since that defeat, including the 28-12 victory over the Sabers to advance to the state semifinals at U.S. Bank Stadium next Friday. Eagles head coach Mike Grant stopped short…

The Eden Prairie Eagles avenged their earlier season loss to Shakopee with a 28-12 victory over the Sabers in the state football quarterfinals Thursday night. The game was played on a cold and blustery night on a neutral site at Park Center High School in Brooklyn Park. Wind was a major factor in the game as both teams battled with 20 mph gusts and temperatures below freezing. Shakopee stuck first with a first-quarter touchdown but failed on the extra point. The Eagles tied the game with Nick Fazi’s 9-yard pass to Adam Mertens with 1:04 remaining in the second quarter.…

The Eden Prairie Eagles girls hockey team is starting the new season with a new direction – from their new head coach. Steve Persian comes to Eden Prairie High School from Breck, where he guided the Mustangs to back-to-back Girls Class 1A state high school championships in 2019 and 2020. Prior to his tenure at Breck, Persian was the head coach at Orono from 2012-18. Excited by the opportunity to make the move to Eden Prairie over the summer, Persian is now focused on getting to know his players while he prepares the team for the upcoming season. “I’m thrilled…