Hawks shut down Hiltoppers to advance with 4-0 win

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Hermantown blanks Duluth Marshall, keep tournament streak intact

By Matt Johnson – Special to Minnesota Hockey Magazine.com

DULUTH – There’s an old saying that it’s hard to defeat the same team three times in one season. None of that seemed to bother the Hermantown Hawks Wednesday evening.

Taking advantage of a smothering defensive effort, the Hawks scored twice in both the second and third periods before shutting the door the rest of the way to claim a 4-0 win over Duluth Marshall at Amsoil Arena and advance to the Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament as champions of Section 7A.

Ryan Kero netted two goals while Nate Pionk added a goal and assist for Hermantown (25-2-1), which defeated Duluth Marshall for the third time this season while holding an impressive 43-14 edge in shots for the game.

“Our defense has been pretty darn good all season long” Hermantown coach Bruce Plante said. “Most people think of us an offensive team. But we play good defense throughout our lineup.”

Following a scoreless first period, the Hawks got the game winner on the power play just 3:15 into the middle frame when Kero converted off a pretty feed from Wyatt Aamodt for his 28^th goal of the season for a 1-0 advantage.

“He just found me in an open pocket” Kero said of Aamodt’s pass. “After that, I was able to beat the goalie.”

Hermantown doubled their lead at 13:55 when Parker Hawk netted his 10^th tally off a pass from Ryan Sandelin to make it 2-0 after two.

From there, Hermantown added Pionk’s 31^st goal of the year at 7:57 of the third on assists from Cole Koepke and Sandelin before Kero closed out the scoring with his second marker of the game at 11:39 from Aamodt to make the final 4-0.

Luke Olson picked up the win in net for Hermantown stopping all 14 shots he faced. The Hawks will be making their sixth straight trip to the State Tournament.

“The first game is always the toughest,” Plante said of the state tourney. “The biggest key is that we stick to our game and play our style. If we can just play our game, we’ll be in good shape.”

Alex Murray finished with 39 saves for Duluth Marshall, which finished 19-6-3 on the year.

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DULUTH—While the Section 7A semifinal game between Duluth Marshall and Hermantown started out as a competitive one, the Hawks quickly took over for a decisive 6-2 over the Hilltoppers on Wednesday night at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth.

It marks the second straight season the Hawks have eliminate the Hilltoppers, having ousted Marshall from the state tournament a year ago in the Class A state quarterfinal when coach Bruce Plante’s Hawks qualified in Section 5A. Hermantown rolled through Section 7A, outscoring its opponents—International Falls and Duluth Denfeld being the others—by a combined 21-3.

Hermantown’s top line, consisting of Nate Pionk, Scott Wasbotten and Ryan Kero, crashed the net at 2:29 of the first and Pionk potted a Wasbotten rebound for his first goal of the night to take an early lead.

Duluth Marshall’s Luke Pavelich sneaks a puck past Hermantown goalie Adam Smith during the 7A boys hockey final at Amsoil Arena in Duluth. (Photo / Dave Harwig viewthroughmylens.net)

Marshall fought back with a goal of its own, however, less than four minutes later. Hilltoppers forward Luke Pavelich took advantage of a wide rebound from just inside the left circle for a backhanded goal.

The rapid-fire scoring did not end there as the Hawks would add another, Pionk’s second goal of the game, all within eight minutes of the opening faceoff. A third Hermantown goal would be added before the period ended, this time by Wasbotten.

“We knew Marshall was a good team,” Pionk said. “Every game was tough and they battled, everyone battles in this section. We knew we’d have to bring it in this section, the compete level is so high.”

The second period saw more even exchange of chances early, with both Marshall and Hermantown creating opportunities for themselves. Marshall struck first in the period, taking advantage of a weird bounce of its own nine minutes into the frame. Jon Hansen beamed a puck in from the point that deflected in over Hawk goaltender Adam Smith’s shoulder.

Smith quickly redeemed himself with a big save seconds later and was lights out from that point on, finishing with 22 saves.

Hermantown was not done with the scoring however as Pionk would complete his hat trick while Kero added a goal of his own.

Duluth Marshall did a much better job of controlling the Hermantown offense in the third period, allowing just one shot on goal through the first ten minutes of the stanza and only four overall in the third. The Hilltoppers had a strong offensive surge in the last dozen minutes of the game, but were unable to convert.

Adding insult to injury, Hermantown’s Kero added an empty net goal as time expired for a final score of 6-2 to advance on to the state quarterfinals.

“It feels great, it’s amazing,” Pionk said. “To win here in Duluth in front of all these people, I’m pumped.”

Hermantown team picture with the Section 7A championship trophy. (Photo / Dave Harwig viewthroughmylens.net)

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