On a frigid Saturday afternoon, Eagles fans filled the (slightly) warmer Apple Valley High School arena for a matchup against the Eagan Wildcats. Apple Valley battled hard the entire game but came up short of a victory over the one-loss Wildcats.

Eagan (9-1-1 in the South Suburban conference) used the strength of their top line to lead them to victory. Eagan got on the board early with a goal by sophomore forward Taylor Anderson 4:58 into the first period. Apple Valley fought back hard and was able to go into the first intermission within a goal.

Arguably the Eagles best scoring chances of the game were early in the second period, when 8th grader Sydney Johnson carried the puck twice into the zone: first on a 2-on-1, and then a 2-on-0. Both times Eagan goalie Ashley Larson held strong with a big stops to maintain a one-goal lead.

It wasn’t until 4:52 into the second period that the Wildcats got on the board again with another goal by Taylor Anderson, this time coming off of a fortunate bounce in front of the net.

Eagan added two more power play goals before the game was over to secure the 4-0 victory. Taylor Anderson was a name that was heard often Saturday afternoon as she finished with a two-goal, two-assist performance. Senior captain Brooke Madsen also added two goals of her own. Madsen, who leads the Wildcats with 35 points on the year, is committed to playing Division 1 hockey at Penn State next year.

Although they were outshot 29-10 and held without a goal, these stats don’t tell the whole story. Apple Valley junior goalie Taylor DeForrest played a very strong game, making 25 saves to keep Apple Valley in the game.

“I think that our defensive zone coverage was a lot better than our previous games, and I also think that our forecheck was much better,” said assistant coach Claire Opsahl following the game.

Apple Valley will look to build on those positives when they travel to Prior Lake for a South Suburban matchup with the Lakers on Tuesday.