Hermantown hockey coach Patrick Andrews on his team's 16-0 Section 7A quarterfinal home victory over Greenway on Tuesday, and looking ahead to a semifinal matchup against 1A, No. 5 Hibbing-Chisholm at 8:05 p.m. Saturday at Amsoil Arena: "I was very pleased with our effort against Greenway. Although heavily favored, the boys showed up and played the game the right way. We got to the net, something we have been working on, and the goals followed. I was also very pleased with the balanced scoring up and down the lineup, with 19 of the 20 players who dressed recording at least one point.
Semifinal Saturday at AMSOIL is always terrific, but it promises to be extra special this year. Both 7AA and 7A are wide open with all eight teams in the mix to win the two championships. I expect the place to be packed for both sessions.
Hibbing is playing really good hockey right now. I know they have continued to get better since our last meeting in mid-January (a 6-3 Hawks victory at Hibbing Memorial Arena). I also like how we have been playing since the CEC loss three weeks ago. Our schedule down the stretch was a gauntlet, and as such the results were not always wins. However, the team has responded very well, and we played great hockey in our last three games. We have been working on some things the last few weeks to tune up for playoffs, including getting to the net and owning the back wall, something that is huge in playoff hockey. Additionally, the neutral zone will be a key factor on Saturday night as both teams play fast in transition."