It took 66 shots and nearly six periods, but Eden Prairie is advancing to the Class 2A State Tournament semifinals. 

After being stonewalled all evening by Lakeville South goaltender Henry Welsch, Mr. Hockey candidate Jack Jensen ripped a shot into a lower corner of the Lakeville South net to lift the Eagles to a 3-2 win. 

“Credit to them, they were unbelievable tonight,” Jensen said of his adversary Cougars. “Luckily we got the break from it.”

Eden Prairie coach Lee Smith compared Jensen’s performance to current NHL defenseman Nick Leddy, an Eden Prairie alum. 

“I think it was like a Leddy-like performance because of the amount of ice-time he had tonight,” Smith said. “When we had Nick in 2009, he was out there damn near the whole game, and Jack seemed to be out there all game today.”

Jensen’s exhaustion could be seen from the press box as the game ground on, as he and his Eagle teammates grew weary of not just constant harassment by Lakeville South defenders, but by repeated denials at the hands of Welsch. 

“Their goalie has been unreal in the playoffs,” Smith said regarding Welsch. “If he can see (the puck), he’s going to save it. Thank goodness we had some traffic in front when Jack got that one at the end.”

Lakeville South coach Janne Kivihalme praised both Welsch’s play and his team’s commitment to defense.

“He’s unbelievable and has been all year,” Kivihalme said of Welsch. “I’m extremely proud of our team, how hard we competed. Our guys we coming back and defending well.”

Clayton Schultz and Drew Holt scored the game’s first two goals, giving the third-seeded Eagles (18-9-2) a 2-0 lead until Griffin Ludtke scored in the second and Jack Novak tied the game in the third for the Cougars (14-13-1).

Jensen and a handful of other Eden Prairie teammates skated with Welsch this fall during the Upper Midwest High School Elite League, and Welsch said that playing against familiar faces brought a new level of excitement to the game. 

“It’s always fun playing against your friends,” Welsch said, visibly drained from making 63 saves, two shy of tying the state tournament record. “They’re all great players. It makes the game a little more special, too.”