According to Eden Prairie coach Lee Smith, it was Eden Prairie’s second defensive pair that gave the Eagles the added edge to defeat Blake on Friday night, a 4-1 victory that sends the Eagles to their second straight state title game. 

“That’s probably the difference-maker,” Smith said of the duo, comprised of Mason Langenbrunner and Luke Busby. “We were able to play both units confidently against (Joe) Miller’s line, where some teams don’t have that luxury.”

The Eagles also had the luxury of starting a goaltender that’s played in a state championship game before, as netminder Axel Rosenlund had the previous season. 

“Axel has been solid for us all season long,” Smith said. “I think the thing that’s been beautiful about this stretch is that he’s been nice and calm back there,” Smith continued. “During this period of the season, you need a goalie that stays calm.”

Two goals from Ben Steeves and Jackson Blake gave Eden Prairie a 2-0 lead entering the final few minutes of regulation, but Blake’s Thomas Nelson tipped in a shot from the point to cut the lead in half. 

Any momentum for the Bears (23-7) was washed away just over a minute later, as Eden Prairie’s John Mittelstadt put on the brakes and launched a slap shot that beat Bears’ goaltender Aksel Reid cleanly to extend the Eagle lead. Drew Holt put a bow on the game with an empty-net tally with 10 seconds left. 

“It was a spectacular game,” Blake coach Rob McClanahan said. “A game like that, it’s too bad someone has to come out on the short end.”

The Bears earned a 5-4 win over Eden Prairie (24-5-1) in late January, a loss that Steeves said the Eagles never forgot. 

“We learned from our mistakes this season,” Steeves said. “How you’ve got to play a complete game in order to win the game. When we are up against Blake, we knew what to do to keep the lead.”