“This season has been much smoother than last year,” junior midfielder Alex Gilbertson said. “I think after last season, seeing what we could’ve done at the end of the season, the way we went out, it set a tone for the coaches but also set a tone for the players, individually. I just think we saw what we could do and that really set the tone for this year.”

Friendships began to blossom amongst the ranks. Winning helps build bonds, too. It might be too soon to dub this a honeymoon period, but moments like senior attack Sam Arendt finding Gilbertson for the game-winner with 1 minute, 20 seconds on the clock feel pretty sweet.

“The play was for me to draw side and feed and that’s exactly what I did,” Arendt said. “It wasn’t there the first time, so I just kept making a move and looking for the feed. It was open to Gilbo, I just fed it to him and he finished it.”

Gilbertson received the pass in front of the net and snapped it in from about 10 yards out. Shakopee had one shot on goal in overtime and Eastview/Apple Valley had two before the golden goal.

The Sabers turned it over nearing the midway point of the four-minute sudden death overtime period. Eastview/Apple Valley called timeout with 2:29 on the clock and used patience to set up Gilbertson’s heroics.

The assist was Arendt’s game-high fourth. He added two goals for a game-high six points and is the team leader in goals (19) and points (32) on the season.

“We’re on a roll right now. I think it’s going way smoother than last year,” Arendt said. “I feel like we kind of felt it out last year. I feel like everything’s going way smoother and everyone’s getting along. We’re holding ourselves to a certain standard this year.”

That standard wasn’t met in the first half as Shakopee overcame a 1-0 early deficit to score the next four in the first half and take a 4-2 halftime lead.

“I think we started off a little bit slower,” Gilbertson said. “Our energy wasn’t as high, but I think once we kept answering over and over and kept coming back, I really think our energy was boosted. That really set the tone.”

Eastview/Apple Valley tied the game twice in the second half and led for 33 seconds late in the third quarter after a Caleb Nelson goal from Tyson Bell.

Zach Hood was instrumental in the home team’s comeback, scoring three of his four goals in the second half. Trailing 9-7, Hood from Arendt brought Eastview/Apple Valley within one. An impressive shot from about 15 yards out by Gilbertson tied the game with 2:24 to go.

Penalties and turnovers plagued Shakopee throughout. It failed to take the last shot of regulation after Gilbertson’s score due to a turnover out of bounds. That allowed Eastview/Apple Valley a chance to win it in regulation before goalie Weston Brosam made a key save with 10 seconds left.

Eastview/Apple Valley was undeterred. Its sideline was brewing with confidence after it called timeout to draw up the game-winning sequence.

“Once we turned that ball over and got it down on our end we were just moving the ball and we had so many looks over and over again,” Gilbertson said. “I think once Sam kept finding those looks, we knew one was going in. We kept getting the ball back over and over I think we all knew we were going to win.”

Shakopee (6-2, 2-1) was led by a hat trick by senior attack and Division II Rockhurst University commit, Linus Toward. He’s led the team with 60-plus goals each of the last two seasons and is the top Saber with 28 so far in 2023.

“Our defense was lights out today,” Toward said. “They did everything they possibly could and the offense couldn’t figure it out there.”

Arendt credited the team’s new offensive coordinator in providing a spark this season. Eastview/Apple Valley (8-1, 3-0) is up from 7.6 goals per game to 10, a figure that would be higher if not for an 18-4 loss to defending state champion, Benilde-St. Margaret’s.

“Shoutout Adam Johnson, our new offensive coordinator, it’s flowing way better this year,” Arendt said. “Now it’s next game mentality, we’re ready for [Lakeville] North.”