It’s not often a hat trick is overshadowed. Prior Lake players did just that.
 
Lakers’ sophomore Ben Ward netted the trio of goals, but two goals in about two minutes from teammate junior Cullen Sowder managed to upstage Ward and win the game 7-6 at Blake.
 
“It definitely brought some excitement,” Sowder said of his game-winning performance.  “I loved it. It was something to remember.”
 
The Lakers actually took an early two-goal lead in the first quarter but couldn’t maintain the margin for long. Ward and junior Taylor Kropp scored first in the first game of the season, but Bears’ sophomore Tom Bauer and junior Quinn Ellis tied it up before the start of the second quarter.
 
Ward scored early in the second, but Blake again responded, this time from senior Bryan Kennedy 30 seconds later. Senior Sean Carlson put the Lakers ahead again in the third quarter, but senior Johnny Curran scored, and junior Gus Austin added two goals heading into the final quarter to give Blake a late two-goal lead.
 
Completing his hat trick, Ward scored at 5:05 in the final quarter to cut Blake’s lead to one. Then Sowder took control.
 
“Cullen’s our emotional leader,” Prior Lake head coach Chris Fleck said. “He’s always ready to go. He wants the ball in the stick.”
 
Even with the loss, Blake head coach Frank Clark said he felt his team played decent, despite being down a man about eight times. The Bears were also without last year’s leading scorer, senior Grant Oie, who sat the game out.
 
And Blake may be without its leading scorer from Tuesday, as Austin left the game with 30 seconds to play after rounding a corner and being pushed to the ground. Clark said he thought the injury could be a hyper-extended knee. But the early setbacks don’t worry Clark, he said.
 
“We can’t control that,” Clark said. “We take it one step at a time. It’s a long season.”

Senior midfielder Bryan Kennedy scored for Blake on Tuesday in its loss to Prior Lake. Photo by Loren Nelson

First report

Prior Lake rallied to beat host Blake 7-6 on Tuesday in the season opener for both teams.

Completing his hat trick, sophomore Ben Ward scored at 5:05 in the final quarter to cut Blake’s lead to one. And while a hat trick is hard to overshadow, junior Cullen Sowder managed to do just that by scoring two goals in just more than two minutes to seal the win for Prior Lake.

The Lakers took an early two-goal lead in the first quarter on goals from sophomore Ben Ward and junior Taylor Kropp, but Bears’ sophomore Tom Bauer and junior Quinn Ellis tied it up before the start of the second quarter.

Ward scored his second goal early in the second, but Blake again responded, this time from senior Bryan Kennedy, 30 seconds later to tie the score.

Senior Sean Carlson put the Lakers ahead again in the third quarter, but a senior Johnny Curran goal and goal from junior Gus Austin heading into the final quarter handed Blake a late two-goal lead.

Austin left the game with about 30 seconds left with what appeared to be a hyper-extended knee, Blake coach Frank Clark said.

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