With their grueling season coming to a close, the Prior Lake Boys Hockey Team has had a season filled with ups and downs.  Currently, though, They Are Hot, especially after a huge win over Burnsville to break the Blaze’s 9-game win streak.

Before the season began, I sat down with Jack Harris, a 2-year starter and 3-year varsity player. I asked him why he thinks that our team is doubted every year.  He responded, “We always start strong but injuries and bad mistakes catch up to us. We also have a very intense and difficult conference that requires us to play the best we can every game to make it to the big tilly.”

Jack also explained how the team prepares for the season. They go through an intense and dedicated summer program which involves daily skating and workouts. Many players on the team also play year-round hockey and are constantly working on stick handling and power drills in the off season.

The Lakers started off strong with a 4-0 win streak as Jack predicted they would.  From there, the rough patch came in December and early January.  Facing two of the top teams in the state within a week took its toll on the team, although both contests were good fights.

Their first top contest was on the 19th of January against an extremely strong Lakeville North team. With multiple projected NHL draft picks, the Lakers knew it would be a tough game. The Lakers led the entire game until in the last few minutes they let up a goal, and the Panthers forced overtime. In the first few minutes, the Panthers scored and the Lakers lost 3-2.

They won their game on the 21st against a struggling Apple Valley team. The Lakers dominated the ice the entire game. “Better speed, preparation, and skill” accounted for the victory said Tanner Burgraff, a captain and 2-year starter on the Varsity team.

From there, the Lakers faced another top team in the state, Duluth East. The Lakers once again had the lead in the game and blew it late, letting in 3 goals in the 3rd period.

The issue that seems to be surrounding the team is a lack of closing ability. They get up but don’t have the juice to finish.

Tanner Burgraff says, “We always start strong, but we need to finish. We keep letting teams get back into the game instead of finishing them early like I know we can.”

The team has shown signs of greatness, and since that tough loss to Duluth East, they have turned it on. The Lakers seem back on track with a 4-game winning streak against SSC opponents Lakeville South, Eagan, Rosemount, and Burnsville.  Great speed and defense are the hallmarks of a good hockey team, and Prior Lake has shown that they possess both.

The team has four more match-ups beginning on Thursday, February 9th against Eastview.

Come see the boys extend their win streak!