Though the South Suburban Conference has had a logjam at the top of the standings for most of the season, Prior Lake and Eagan have emerged with the best league records. They'll meet for the first time this season on Tuesday with conference bragging rights on the line.
The No. 4 Lakers have rebounded nicely after graduating 15 seniors from last season's state championship team and having longtime head coach Chris Fleck step down, and they begin the week looking to grab the conference crown before starting Section 6 tournament play.
Success for Prior Lake (9-3, 7-1) starts on offense with senior attackmen Riley Bachinski and Luke Bloedow. The duo have paced the Lakers with a combined 46 goals and 22 assists. In the past three games, they've combined for 18 goals.
The No. 8 Wildcats feature a pair of standouts up front who can match Prior Lake's talent. Senior Andrew Wilson and junior Damien Schultz lead the way with a combined 48 goals and 35 assists. Getting them going will be key if Eagan wants to defeat Prior Lake and capture the South Suburban hardware for the second consecutive season.