The Eden Prairie girls hockey team split its northern road trip over the weekend, falling 1-0 at Grand Rapids on Friday night before rebounding with a 4-0 win over Hibbing on Saturday afternoon.
On Friday, Eden Prairie and the Grand Rapids Lightning were locked in a defensive duel at Yanmar Arena. The game remained scoreless until the Lightning broke through with 2:47 remaining in the third period, handing the Eagles their second straight one-goal loss. Senior goalie Rylee Lorton stopped 22 of 23 shots in a standout performance.
Less than 24 hours later, Eden Prairie traveled 36 miles east to Hibbing Memorial Arena and found its offensive rhythm. The Eagles generated 54 shots on goal in a 4-0 win, their first victory of the season. Junior forward Ella Abrahamson opened the scoring with her first varsity goal, slipping a backhand shot through a tight space between the goalie and the near post in the first period.
Senior forward Allie Dahl, senior captain Kate Petrie and eighth-grader Annika Buchanan added goals. Eighth-grade goalie Payton Amendola earned her first varsity win and first shutout.
Eden Prairie is now 1-2-0. Both losses came on late third-period goals — including a season-opening 3-2 defeat to River Cities on Nov. 8 after the Blades scored with 29.8 seconds left.
Next up, the Eagles travel to North St. Paul to face Hill-Murray on Thursday at 7 p.m. Their home opener is Saturday at 3 p.m. against Gentry Academy.
