Howie on Prep Sports
“What we hadn’t been able to do since the East Grand Forks and Mahtomedi weekend is play two great games back-to-back, so the real test for this group came on Saturday as we took the long bus ride to Warroad playing our first three-game week of the season.” -- Hawks hockey coach Patrick Andrews
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Hermantown’s varsity boys hockey team rebounded from a shocking tie against a major underdog with a pair of impressive wins against state-ranked Class 1A opponents last week. “Starting with a tie against Proctor (3-3, in Hermantown) was not in the script and it was not so much the tie but how it occurred, which was upsetting,” said Hawks coach Patrick Andrews. “Letting a three-goal lead evaporate was unacceptable but all a part of the learning process with a younger team. You cannot improve without adversity and this team has learned some hard lessons which will make us better in the long run.”
Hermantown’s strong response included a 6-0 home victory against 1A, No. 7 St. Cloud Cathedral on Thursday night.
“We were spectacular against St. Cloud Cathedral, especially in the second period where we scored five unanswered goals including River Freeman’s second natural hat trick in a week,” said Andrews. “It was by far our most complete game, and obviously, the second period was the best period of the year. Bryce (Francisco) earned his fifth shutout and the special teams were outstanding once again. All four lines played, and played well. I was particularly happy with our defensive group, especially Henry (Peterson), Swenner (Gabriel Swenson), (Cayden) Manion and (Kyler) Berg, who all were terrific.”
An even stronger test awaited the Hawks at 1A, No. 5 Warroad on Saturday afternoon.
“What we hadn’t been able to do since the East Grand Forks and Mahtomedi weekend is play two great games back-to-back, so the real test for this group came on Saturday as we took the long bus ride to Warroad playing our first three-game week of the season,” said Andrews. “I was very curious how this group would respond after the great outing on Thursday night, and I was very hopeful they would come ready to go again. They did not disappoint, and the boys played a great road game. Coming off the bus and jumping out to lead is always a great sign.
“It was the power-play again, this time (Bradford) Skytta buried a great feed from (Alexander) Nicklin to put us up one. The Warriors got one back on their second power-play of the first period and we went into the first break tied. However, from that point on Warroad never really had a great chance. Once again our backend was sensational and the forwards worked very hard on a big sheet of ice to make things happen. The second power-play unit came through as time expired on our second power-play of the game with Beau Christy finding the net off a rebound from a shot by Gabe Swenson. Jaxsen Erikson got his first varsity goal in the third period on a great play from (Charlie) Marchand, and (Kole) Lendzyk to extend the lead, and then Bode Madill scored short-handed into an empty net. All-in-all it was a terrific team win, with the boys battling tired legs on an Olympic-sized sheet of ice. I was very proud of their effort.”
Hermantown (9-4-3) will next visit 1A, No. 4 Hibbing (9-4-0) on Friday night before returning home to face 2A power Shakopee (12-4-1) at 3 p.m. Saturday.
“It’s a huge Section 7 matchup at Hibbing, which should be a lot of fun in a classic old barn,” said Andrews. “We will also have a Skate with the Hawks event after the Shakopee game Saturday on the outdoor rinks where all youth players can come hang out with their favorite Hawks, enjoy some hot chocolate, receive some Hawks high school hockey cards, and get autographs from their favorite hometown heroes.”
2024-25 Hermantown Hockey Schedule / Results
Cretin-Derham Hall, 4-4 OT -- Overall: 0-0-1. Lake Superior Conference: 0-0-0. Home. 0-0-1. Away 0-0-0.
Hill-Murray, L 7-2 -- Overall: 0-1-1. LSC: 0-0-0. Home: 0-0-1. Away: 0-1-0
East Grand Forks, W 4-0 -- Overall: 1-1-1. LSC: 0-0-0. Home: 2-0-1. Away: 0-1-0
Mahtomedi, W 5-2 -- Overall: 2-1-1. LSC: 0-0-0. Home: 2-0-1. Road: 0-1-0
Duluth Marshall, 2-2 OT -- Overall: 2-1-2. LSC: 0-0-1. Home: 2-0-1. Road: 0-1-1
Centennial, W 5-2 -- Overall: 3-1-2. LSC: 0-0-1. Home: 2-0-1. Road: 1-1-1
Maple Grove, W 3-0 – Overall: 4-1-2. LSC: 0-0-1. Home: 3-0-1. Road: 1-1-1
Duluth Denfeld, W 5-2 -- Overall: 5-1-2. LSC: 1-0-1. Home: 4-0-1. Road: 1-1-1
Rosemount, L 4-1. Overall: 5-2-2. LSC: 1-0-1. Home: 4-0-1. Road: 1-2-1
Delano, W 3-0. Overall: 6-2-2. LSC: 1-0-1. Home: 5-0-1. Road: 1-2-1
White Bear Lake, L 5-2. Overall: 6-3-2. LSC: 1-0-1. Home: 5-0-1. Road: 1-3-1
Rock Ridge, L 1-0. Overall: 6-4-2. LSC: 1-1-1. Home: 5-1-1. Road: 1-3-1
Eden Prairie, W 4-0. Overall: 7-4-2. LSC: 1-1-1. Home: 5-0-1. Road: 2-3-1
Proctor, 3-3 OT. Overall: 7-4-3. LSC: 1-1-2. Home: 5-0-2. Road: 2-3-1
St. Cloud Cathedral, W 6-0. Overall: 8-4-3. LSC: 1-1-1. Home: 6-0-1. Road: 2-3-1
Warroad, W 4-1. Overall: 9-4-3. LSC: 1-1-1. Home: 5-0-1. Road: 3-3-1
Friday – at Hibbing-Chisholm, 7 p.m.
Saturday – Shakopee, 3 p.m.
Jan. 21 – at Superior, 7 p.m.
Jan. 24 – at St. Thomas Academy, 6 p.m.
Jan. 25 – Mahtomedi, 2 p.m.
Jan. 30 – Cloquet-Esko-Carlton, 7 p.m.
Jan. 31 – Moorhead, 7 p.m.
Feb. 7 – Benilde-St. Margaret's, 7 p.m.
Feb. 11 – Grand Rapids, 7 p.m.
Home games listed in boldface.