The Eden Prairie boys hockey team dropped its season opener Thursday, falling 7-4 to No. 2-ranked Hill-Murray at Eden Prairie Community Center (EPCC).

The Pioneers built a 5-1 lead through two periods, but the Eagles — playing under new head coach Lincoln Nguyen — responded with a strong third period, outscoring Hill-Murray 3-2 to close the gap.

Nguyen, making his debut behind the varsity bench, leads a young roster with only six seniors but one that showed pace and physicality against one of the state’s top programs.

Junior forward Jack Peterson scored his first varsity goal — and Eden Prairie’s first goal of the season — in the second period, cutting the Pioneers’ lead to 3-1.

Eden Prairie added three more goals in the third. Freshman forward RJ Thompson, sophomore forward Owen Konrad, and junior forward Christian Lee each found the back of the net as the Eagles mounted a late push.

Up next, Eden Prairie hosts Prior Lake on Saturday at 3 p.m. at EPCC. Prior Lake opened its season last weekend with a 6-4 win over Centennial.