Hermantown Sports This Week
Wednesday
Boys Hockey – vs. Alexandria, 6 p.m. Minnesota Class A state quarterfinal at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Games Notes: The teams did not play during the regular season. The top-seeded Hawks, who have won five straight including three Section 7A games by a combined score of 24-3, are led by junior forward River Freeman (team scoring leader with 41 points and 19 goals), senior goaltender Dane Callaway (18-8-2, 1.75 goals-against, .938 saves percentage, five shutouts) and junior defenseman Henry Peterson (9 goals, 18 points), a St. Thomas commit.
Boys Basketball – host Hibbing, 6 p.m. Class 7AAA quarterfinal. Game Notes: Said Hawks coach Andy Fenske, whose 7AAA top-seeded team will be a heavy favorite against the eight-seed Bluejackets: "I like where we're sitting as a team. We're playing some of our best basketball right now, not just on the offensive side, but our defensive execution has been taking huge leaps forward for us. Our boys have worked hard to be at the top of the section right now, but we know that all it takes is one off night and anyone can beat anyone in our section. I wouldn't be shocked to see a handful of 'upsets' in the first round. Any of the other seven coaches will tell you that it's only an upset by seeding. This is the most competitive our section has been, top to bottom, in many years. We're going to rely strongly on our upperclassmen who have been a part of our previous playoff runs to get us through the tough times ahead. March Madness is coming and it's truly the most wonderful time of the year." … Hermantown (19-7), a two-time defending 7AAA champion, lost at Duluth 79-52 last Friday, snapping an eight-game Hawks’ winning streak to end the regular season. Hermantown has won 15 of its last 17 … The Hawks are led by senior forward Abe Soumis, who set new school career and single-season scoring, rebounds and assist records this season. Senior guards Peyton Menzel and Nathan Hill are top complimentary players.
Friday
Boys Hockey – vs. (4) Mahtomedi or (5) Orono, 1 p.m. Minnesota Class A state semifinal at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Games Notes: Head-to-head results: Hermantown defeated visiting Mahtomedi 5-1 on Dec. 16 and did not play Orono during the regular season.
Boys Basketball – host either (4) Duluth Denfeld or (5) Rock Ridge, 7 p.m. Class 7AAA semifinal. Game Notes: Denfeld defeated the Hawks twice during the regular season, 83-77 in Hermantown on Dec. 5 and 88-84 at Denfeld Gym on Jan. 23. The Hawks blitzed host Rock Ridge 102-77 on Jan. 5. The 7AAA final is Mar. 14 at Duluth East.
Saturday
Boys Hockey – vs. TBD, 1 p.m. Minnesota Class A state final at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Game Note: A (1) Hermantown vs. (2) Warroad final?