Holy Family’s 3-2 victory over Eden Prairie on Jan. 12 at the Eden Prairie Community center was the first of its 12 straight wins to end the regular season. More than any team, the Fire are, indeed, hot, hot, hot.
Senior forward Parker Osborn hasn’t received much attention as a potential Mr. Hockey finalist, but he’s had that kind of season, amassing team highs of 28 goals and 41 assists. Holy Family (20-5-0) has six players who have reached double digits in goals, including sophomores Holden Pajor (25) and Mason Grinnell (19). Senior Ethan Hall anchors the defense and is a special teams phenom, as 11 of his 32 points have come on the power play.
No. 4 seed Holy Family leads the state with 149 goals, and its power-play percentage of 38.2 is fourth-best among all teams. Penalty killing is another strength, as the Fire’s 92.6 percent kill rate ranks third statewide.
No. 5 seed Eden Prairie (12-12-1) has an abundance of star power, starting with junior forward and Minnesota commit Teddy Townsend, who leads the Eagles with 34 points. Mason Moe ranks among the state’s top freshmen, and his 17 goals are tops on the team. Senior Colorado College commit Ryan Koering (11 points) anchors the defense.
Eden Prairie started the season with three-straight losses, then notched three-straight victories. That trend has continued all season, with mini win streaks alternated with mini losing skids. The Eagles had reached the section title game in five of six years until last season, when they lost to Prior Lake in the semifinals.