MINN GIRLS: No. 6 Eden Prairie Wins 6th Minnesota State Title

Junior attack Blake Kist registered a game-high six points on three goals and three assists to lead No. 6 Eden Prairie to a 10-7 victory over No. 21 Blake in the Minnesota State High School League championship game Friday at Mounds View High School.

Freshman attack Christine Easton added three goals to help the Eagles (17-1) win their sixth Minnesota state championship and fifth in the last six seasons. Eden Prairie finished the season undefeated against in-state competition.

“It feels good to be back on top,” said Eden Prairie co-head coach Judy Baxter, whose team avenged its loss to Blake in the 2008 state championship game.

“We certainly knew we would have a battle on our hands, and Blake played very well. It makes the victory that much sweeter when you have a battle."

Blake, which lost by 11 goals to Eden Prairie in the teams’ regular-season meeting, led 7-5 early in the second half before Eden Prairie scored the game’s final five goals.

“We knew Blake was better than what they showed in the first game,” Baxter said. “That was a game in which a lot of things went our way. Today, there were a couple things that didn’t work so well for us. But we made some adjustments, and it felt great.”

Senior middie Mikayla Clark added three points on a goal and two assists, senior attack Caz-Marie Norwich scored twice and junior middie Makenna Borg had a goal to round out the scoring for Eden Prairie.

Defensively, goalie McKenzie Johnson, who is a just an eighth-grader, saved eight shots.

In defeat, sophomore attack Hillary Crowe scored a game-high four goals, senior attack Michelle Tremblay added a pair and seventh-grader Lydia Sutton scored once for Blake (16-2).

In the cage, Blake goalie Abby Fink saved 10 shots.

“It was a great game,” Blake head coach Laura Mark said. “Their goalie played fantastic. Both goalies did. Toward the end of the second half, they won a few more draws and scored a few more goals. They picked up the momentum, and we couldn’t get it back.”

Eden Prairie led by as many as three goals in the first half on two occasions. Norwich capped a game-opening run when she scored with 16:39 remaining in the half to give the Eagles a 3-0 lead. Eden Prairie led 4-1 after Easton scored with 13:10 to play.

But Blake came storming back.

The Bears used a 6-1 run to take the lead. Crowe scored back-to-back goals, her third and fourth of the game, with 22:28 and 19:23 remaining in regulation to give Blake a shock 7-5 lead.

However, unlike last year, there would be no championship-game upset.

Kist led Eden Prairie back. During the decisive five-goal run to the finish, Kist scored twice and dealt two assists.

“We didn’t panic,” Baxter said. “We didn’t crumble. We regrouped and got back with the game plan.”