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Sports

Skippers Face Defending State Hockey Champion Eden Prairie

The Skippers, fresh off a 9-3 victory over previous No. 1 Duluth East, face Eden Prairie on the road Saturday.

MINNETONKA PATCH GAME OF THE WEEK

Boys Hockey Minnetonka (17-2, 2-1 Lake Conference) vs. Eden Prairie (12-4-1, 1-1 Lake Conference)

CHEAT SHEET

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SITE: Eden Prairie Community Center TIME: 7 p.m. Saturday

LAST MEETING: Eden Prairie defeated Minnetonka 4-2 at home and tied the Skippers 3-3 on the road. The Eagles knocked Minnetonka out of the playoffs with a 4-0 win in the Section 6AA playoffs.

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ON THE LINE

The Skippers, ranked No. 1 in the Class AA rankings got revenge on a 6-2 loss to previous No. 1 Duluth East in the Schwan Cup-Gold Division championship game as they defeated the Greyhounds 9-3 last Saturday in the Hockey Day 2012 that was televised for Fox Sports North.

Duluth East finished runner-up to Eden Prairie in Class AA. They lost to the Eagles 3-2 in the title game. Eden Prairie knocked off Minnetonka 4-0 Section 6 semifinals and the Skippers would love a chance to settle the score with the Eagles. The Skippers are a high scoring team that has scored 111 goals, 77 more than their opponents.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Vinni Lettieri - Minnetonka forward

The junior has 20 goals and 30 assists this season. Lettieri has scored at least one point in 16 of 19 games this year. He has six games of four or more points this season. Lettieri committed to Minnesota in September.

Mason Bergh– Eden Prairie forward

The junior has nine goals and 20 assists this season. He has scored at least one point in 15 of 17 contests and has five games with three or more points.

SKIPPERS WIN IF...

They can continue to get outstanding goalkeeping from senior Matt Behounek and junior Paul Ciaccio. The Skippers have allowed just 34 goals in 19 games and have four shutouts.

EAGLES WIN IF...

They can continue to get off to a fast start. The Eagles have outscored their opponents 27-11 in the first period. Minnetonka has also shined early as they have outscored their foes 37-12 in the first period.

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