Trojan Force: Wayzata rallies past Eden Prairie for first state hockey title

Compliments were passed back and forth after the boys' hockey state championship game.

Eden Prairie forward Casey Mittelstadt hailed Wayzata goaltender Alex Schilling as the state's best. Trojans coach Pat O'Leary reciprocated, calling Mittelstadt the state's most dynamic offensive player.

The good vibes belied the preceding tough, physical and sometimes nasty Class 2A state championship game. Big hits — some legal, others not and a few after the whistle — made Saturday the bruising conclusion to three games between Lake Conference foes.

In the third period, junior defenseman Logan Lindstrand scored the game-winner in the Trojans' 5-3 victory over No. 1 seed Eden Prairie at Xcel Energy Center. The victory earned Wayzata's program its first state title.

"I was just trying to get it off quick, and I was lucky it went in," Lindstrand said.

No. 3 seed Wayzata (22-8-1) was fortunate to be in the game after falling behind 3-1 in the second period. Things got worse for the Trojans as defenseman Hank Sorensen was sent off for boarding and Eden Prairie received a five-minute power play.

O'Leary called timeout knowing the Eagles (21-8-2) scored in the first period when Wayzata's Luke Paterson was called for a five-minute major for checking from behind.

"I don't think we reined them in with the hitting," O'Leary said. "It's one of these deals where that's our style; we're physical and fast. We don't want to not let them hit people, but we were making sure they understand that when you're out there, do your job and do it smart."

Grinding games out takes a mentality Wayzata learned over time. O'Leary instilled a defensive-minded, no-star approach when he took over five years ago. The team toiled in Class 2A, Section 6, the state's toughest. Those experiences gave players something to draw from Saturday.

Suddenly, Wayzata changed its style from bruising to cruising. First came Billy Duma's shorthanded goal. Then the hard-charging Trojans drew a penalty to negate the Eden Prairie power play. Finally, Matt Nelson tied the score 3-3.

"It ended up being a disaster, didn't it?" Eden Prairie coach Lee Smith said. "We should have made them pay. That was the turning point."

Giving Eden Prairie 10 minutes worth of power-play time "wasn't the game plan, but our kill has been good all year," said O'Leary, who won an NCAA championship in the same building with the Gophers in 2002.

"Hats off to Wayzata," Smith said. "Their defensive game beat ours."