Staring down the No. 1 ranked team in the state is an obviously daunting task, but having a defense in front of you block 20 shots certainly makes the job easier.

“That’s something we preach in practice and preach during games,” Elk River coach Ben Gustafson said after his Elks dethroned Eden Prairie on Thursday night at Braemar Ice Arena in Edina.

“The kids are buying in and doing a great job,” Gustafson continued. “That’s twenty less shots than Benny (Meyers) has to see.”

Meyers turned away 28 shots by the Eagles, ranked No. 1 in the latest Let’s Play Hockey ratings, including 14 in the third period.

The Eagles (4-1-0) scored twice in the final period, erasing the Elks’ 3-0 lead and throwing the game’s outcome in jeopardy.

“We knew we were going to get their best effort, I mean that’s a hell of a hockey team,” Meyers said after the game.

Eden Prairie’s goals came from seniors Casey Mittelstadt and Nolan Sullivan, with Mittelstadt’s coming on the power play. 

The Elks proved themselves to be an impressive hockey team as well on Thursday, jumping to a 3-0 lead over the Eagles on goals by Nate Horn, Connor Bizal and Kyle Bouten.

Two of the three goal-scorers, Horn and Bouten are part of a lauded senior class that suits up for the No. 4-AA Elks (5-0-0), which includes Max Michaelis, Nick Perbix, Jax Murray, Benton Maas among others.

“They’ve got kind of a chip on their shoulder,” Gustafson said of his senior class. “They want to be successful (and) they’ve worked extremely hard over the last three years.”

Gustafson, who took over the head coaching job for the departed Gordie Roberts, added that his team believes its work ethic and compete level will allow them to skate with any team in the state.

“I tell the kids constantly if they compete to the best of their ability (good things will happen), and we talk about out-working teams that are skilled," Gustafson said.

Meyers says that the senior class is aware of its role as facilitators for the team.

“The seniors are the leaders on this team,” Meyers said. “It starts with us, so we know (when) coming to the rink each day that it’s on the seniors to play as well as we can.”