Eagles junior forward Chase Klute (right) raises his arms in triumph after scoring to cut Edina’s lead to 2-1, with teammate sophomore forward Mason Moe behind him. Photo by Rick Olson
The Eden Prairie High School boys hockey team fell 3-1 to Edina in the Edina Holiday Classic’s finale at Braemar Ice Arena on Saturday night.
Edina took an early 2-0 lead into the third period. Eden Prairie’s junior forward Chase Klute narrowed the gap to 2-1 with a goal at 10:26 remaining, but Edina sealed the victory with a late empty-net goal.
Eden Prairie began the three-day tournament with a convincing 5-1 victory over Elk River on Thursday. Highlights included junior forward Alex Hall’s two goals and the return of senior goalie Isaiah Paulnock, who played in his first varsity game of the season after recovering from an injury.
Eden Prairie faced a tougher challenge in Friday’s game, narrowly losing to Grand Rapids 4-3. Scorers for Eden Prairie were Klute, junior forward John Kleis, and Hall, who netted his third goal in two nights.
After their Saturday defeat, Eden Prairie’s record stands at 3-3-0. The Eagles will host Prior Lake at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 20.