Eden Prairie Tops Lakeville North, 5-0 at State

Lakeville North boys hockey coach Randy Schmitz sees the importance of Friday’s consolation semifinal for the Panthers’ hockey program.

Coming off a 5-0 loss to Eden Prairie in Thursday’s Class AA quarterfinal at the Xcel Energy Center, North remains winless at the state tournament since Lakeville split into two schools in 2005 and is 1-11 overall.

But a win Friday?

“It would do two things. One, it would get that question off that we’ve won one game and we’ve been here six times,” coach Randy Schmitz said. “But it also gives everybody a little more confidence.”

The Panthers will get their chance to pick up that elusive win Moorhead at Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis. Game time is set for noon.

Top-seeded Eden Prairie ran North’s state record to 0-5 in its past three trips thanks to a constant blitz of offense led by standout Kyle Rau, who scored two goals in the game, and a near-perfect day on special teams.

The Eagles (22-5-1) went 3-for-4 on the power play Thursday, and they were a perfect 6-for-6 killing off North’s chances on the man-advantage.

Eden Prairie’s offensive pressure kept Panthers goalie Charlie Lindgren busy. Lindgren collected 32 saves on the night, but he showed his determination early while stopping 17-of-18 first period shots on goal.

“I fully expected it,” Lindgren said. “It’s a state tournament game, and they wanted to go hard. They certainly did that in the first period.”

Lindgren’s play didn’t surprise his coach.

“Charlie’s always played well for us,” Schmitz said. “This is what we expect from Charlie. He’s got great technique—he’s focused.”

It is Lakeville North’s (13-15-1) second consecutive trip to state, but Schmitz said his team can still gain the confidence to be able to compete against the top-notch field of talent.

Schmitz said earning a third state game by winning Friday would be a big step in building for future success at the tournament.

“We have the skill,” Schmitz said. “But for us to win we have to grind it—grittiness. We have to do that here.”

GAME SUMMARY

Lakeville North 0 0 0 — 0

Eden Prairie 1 2 2 — 5

Scoring — First period: 9:19 EP Kyle Rau (David Rath, Joe Kerker) SHG. Second period: 1:58 EP Andrew Knudsen (Mason Berg, Mark Rath), 4:16 EP K. Rau (Dan Molenaar, Nick Seeler) PPG. Third period: 10:19 EP M. Rath (N. Seeler) PPG, 10:49 EP N. Seeler (Jack McCartan, Luc Gerdes). Shots on goal — LN 20, EP 37. Power plays — LN 0-6, EP 3-4. Saves — LN Charlie Lindgren 32, EP Andrew Ford 20.