The upcoming Section 7A high school boys hockey tournament figures to be even more entertaining than in recent years, and the bar is already set ridiculously high.
Cloquet-Esko-Carlton is ranked second in Minnesota Class 1A, and Hermantown is ranked third and Hibbing-Chisholm fifth.
All three teams likely will coast to 7A quarterfinal home victories tonight, setting the table for heavyweight semifinal matchups Saturday night at Amsoil Arena in Duluth.
The 7A championship is scheduled for Wednesday, February 26.
Tonight’s Quarterfinals
No. 1 Cloquet-Esko-Carlton (18-7-0) hosts No. 8 Moose Lake Area (13-11-0), 7 p.m. Game Note: The Jacks and Rebels did not play each other in the 2024-25 regular schedule.
No. 4 Proctor (13-11-1) hosts No. 5 International Falls (17-8-0), 6 p.m. Game Note: The Rails edged the Broncos 5-3 on Jan. 4 in Proctor.
No. 2 Hermantown (13-8-4) hosts No. 7 Greenway (8-16-1), 6 p.m. Game Note: The Hawks, who did not face the Raiders during the regular season, are a seven-plus goal favorite which would force running-time.
No. 3 Hibbing-Chisholm (16-9-0) hosts No. 6 North Shore (10-5-0, 6 p.m. Game Note: Look for the Bluejackets to blitz the Storm, in their first meeting of the season.
Saturday Semifinals
Cloquet-Esko-Carlton-Moose Lake Area winner vs. Proctor-International Falls winner, 6 p.m. Amsoil Arena
Hermantown-Greenway winner vs. Hibbing-Chisholm-North Shore winner, 8:05 p.m. Amsoil Arena
Wednesday, Feb. 26 Championship
Semifinal winners, 7 p.m. Amsoil Arena
Big Three Head-to-Head Play, Regular Season
. Hermantown lost to Cloquet-Esko-Carlton 3-1 on Jan. 30 at Hermantown Arena, which ultimately cost the Hawks the No. 1 seed in the Section 7A tournament.
. Hermantown defeated Hibbing-Chisholm 6-3 at Hibbing Memorial Arena on Jan. 17.
. Cloquet-Esko-Carlton split a two-game home-and-home series against Hibbing-Chisholm, winning 8-5 on Nov. 26 in Hibbing and losing 5-2 in the final regular season game Feb. 11 in the Wood City.
Players to Watch
Hermantown – Senior forward River Freeman (23-12-35), senior defenseman Henry Peterson (4-19-23) and junior goaltender Bryce Francisco (12-6-4, 1.59 GAA, .945 SVS%). Sophomore power forward Alexander Nicklin (4-11-15, including nine power-play assists) is a budding superstar.