Eastview High School Boys Hockey Will Battle Eagan in Section Championship

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Eastview High School has the honor of being the last boys hockey team this season to beat the top-ranked Eagan High School Wildcats, defeating Eagan 4-2 on Jan. 12.

Can Eastview pull off a repeat performance at the Section 3AA championship on Thursday at the State Fair Coliseum in St. Paul? Third-seeded Eastview, 17-9-1 on the season, will challenge the Eagan boys hockey team, 23-3-1, at 7 p.m. on Feb. 28. The winner of Thursday's game will advance to the boys hockey state tournaments March 6-9.

Eagan dismantled Park High School 5-0 on Thursday, Feb. 21 in the opening round of the 2013 section playoffs, with forward Josh Loew scoring twice for the Wildcats. The team followed that up with a 5-2 drubbing over East Ridge on Feb. 23. Eagan was led by Cullen Willox, who tallied two goals in the third period and two assists.

In the first round of the playoffs, Eastview took down Rosemount 4-0, with three of its goals coming in the first period alone. The team scored a repeat performance two days later, when it defeated Apple Valley 4-0, with players Cole Cooper, Mitch Beattie, Nick Abbott and Ryan McNamara all scoring.

Eagan has made two consecutive trips to state in 2011 and 2012, but it has been more than a decade since Eastview has participated in the tournament, according to a report in Sun Thisweek.

Last year, the Wildcats were upset 4-0 by the Moorhead Spuds in the first round of the tournament, thanks in part to a strong performance by Moorhead goalie Michael Bitzer.