Hermantown’s powerful boys hockey and basketball teams posted impressive tournament victories Wednesday night.
The top-ranked Hawks hockey team blitzed Alexandria 6-0 in a Minnesota Class 1A state hockey quarterfinal at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Junior defenseman Henry Peterson scored a pair of goals and senior goaltender Dane Callaway had 16 saves to post his sixth shutout of the season for Hermantown (19-8-2), which advanced to face Mahtomedi (18-11) in a state semifinal at 1 p.m. Friday at Xcel. The Hawks blitzed the Zephers 5-1 on December 16 at Hermantown Arena.
Meanwhile, the Hawks boys basketball team, riding a 47-point, 15-rebound performance from senior power forward Abe Soumis, defeated Hibbing 92-73 in a Section 7AAA quarterfinal at Hermantown Middle School Gym.
Nathan Hill added 21 points and Brayden Lundeen 11 for top-seeded Hermantown.
“We came out to a sluggish start, knowing that it's the playoffs, and it seemed to take a moment to get the ball rolling,” said Hermantown coach Andy Fenske. “Hibbing came out with the hot hand and kept themselves close the entire first half by knocking down threes and outworking us on the boards. Once we settled in, we were able to take a double-digit lead into the half and not look back.”
The Hawks will play host to Rock Ridge in a 7AAA semifinal at 6 p.m. Friday. The fifth-seeded Wolverines upset fourth-seed Duluth Denfeld 70-57 on Wednesday at Denfeld High School Gym.
“We need to look to slow down Rock Ridge in their transition offense,” said Fenske. “They love pushing the ball and starting their offense from the wings. If we can take that away and limit their threes we stand a good chance to come out on top. This is a team that can score in bunches and we'll need to ramp up our defensive efforts.”
The 7AAA final is March 14 at 7 p.m. at Denfeld High School Gym.
Quote Me
“While we usually praise team accomplishments, we need to take a moment to recognize that Abe Soumis surpassed 1,000 career rebounds, the first ever to do so at Hermantown.” – Hawks boys basketball coach Andy Fenske