Regular Season Ends On Sour Note For EHS Boys Hockey

It was a Senior Night to remember for the Eagan boys hockey team Saturday — just not in a good way.

Bloomington Jefferson scored three goals in three minutes late in the third period and beat the Wildcats 3-2 in the regular season finale for both teams.

“We’ve got to compete for 51 minutes, and we didn’t,” said coach Mike Taylor after emerging from a lengthy discussion in the locker room after the game.

Despite the loss, Eagan (17-6-2, 12-4-2 South Suburban Conference) still earned the top seed in Section 3AA and is scheduled to play at home at 7:30 p.m. Thursday night against the winner of the Rosemount/Park play-in game. A Wildcat win would advance them to the section semifinals Saturday at the State Fair Coliseum against Woodbury or Hastings. The section final is scheduled for March 3 at the coliseum.

“This leaves a bad taste in our mouths, and puts a fire in our bellies, but it stinks, too, because it was Senior Night and we want to do everything we can for the seniors,” said co-captain Michael Zajac. “You just can’t do that in the last game before playoffs. You do that in playoffs and you’re done.”

For two-plus periods, the ninth-ranked Wildcats controlled play. A one-timer by John Carroll off a feed by Connor McGovern gave Eagan a 1-0 lead late in the physical first period.

A slapshot from Zajac on the power play gave Eagan a 2-0 lead early in the third period. The goal made the junior center the all-time leading goal scorer in school history.

“It’s awesome,” Taylor said. “He’s a kid who’s worked hard. He busts his hump every day. He’s a good leader. I love coaching him.”

Jack Weiss put No. 16 Jefferson (14-8-3, 12-4-2) on the board by poking a rebound past Tommy Bodeker with 4:24 to play. Jake Pollock scored on a rebound less than two minutes later before an errant pass by Eagan put the puck on the stick of Collin Hernon almost alone in the slot. The sophomore put the puck past defenseman Eli May — who lost his stick earlier in his shift — and Bodeker for the game-winning goal with 1:25 left in regulation.

“You just can’t make mistakes in your own zone,” Taylor said.

The loss could prove to be beneficial for the Wildcats, who entered the game unbeaten in eight straight and had outscored their last two opponents 24-4.

“We haven’t had a game this intense for awhile,” Taylor said. “I think it’s a good game to get us revved up.”

The team won’t stay down for long, according to Zajac. He said the players simply need to look back about a month when the Wildcats lost 3-2 at Jefferson and then were flat much of the game before a rally came up short in a 7-6 home loss to Burnsville. A 3-1 win at Prior Lake two days later started a 7-0-1 stretch before Saturday’s loss.

“We just got to keep working hard in practice and preparing ourselves,” Zajac said.