Minnesota hockey power Hermantown given run for money in section semifinals

Hibbing/Chisholm nearly upset the Class A powerhouse.
Minnesota hockey power Hermantown given run for money in section semifinals
Minnesota hockey power Hermantown given run for money in section semifinals /

Hermantown is once again knocking on the door of the Minnesota State High School League boys hockey tournament after a thrilling section semifinal against Hibbing/Chisholm Monday night at Amsoil Arena in Duluth. 

Hermantown, the No. 1-ranked team in Class A, has made the state tournament 12 of the last 13 years and has reached the state championship game 11 times since 2007, including an incredible run of eight title shots from 2010 to 2017, when they lost six straight before winning back-to-back championships in 2016 and 2017. 

Their road to the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul is still on track but it wasn't easy in a 3-2 win over Hibbing/Chisholm. In fact, the game was tied 2-2 until Aaron Evjen scored with 15.8 seconds left in the third period to send the Hawks to the section title game. 

Hermantown will face Rock Ridge or Duluth Denfeld in the section championship game Wednesday night at Amsoil Arena. The last three Section 7 finals have been between Hermantown and Denfeld, with Hermantown outscoring Denfeld 24-1 in those affairs – prompting calls for Hermantown to move up to Class AA. 

Hibbing/Chisholm is just the second Class A opponent to score more than one goal against Hermantown this season. In their previous meeting, Hermantown dominated 6-0. 

Hermantown beat Rock Ridge 6-1 on Feb. 7 and the Hawks defeated Denfeld 8-1 back in December, making them a heavy favorite to reach the state tourney once again. 

Of Hermantown's four state titles,  tied with Breck and Warroad for the second most in Class A history and just one behind St. Thomas Academy's five championships, the most recent was last year when they defeated Warroad 3-2 at the Xcel Energy Center. 

Related: It's section championship week in boys high school hockey


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Joe Nelson
JOE NELSON

Title: Bring Me The Sports co-owner, editor Email: joe@bringmethenews.com Twitter: @JoeBMTN Education: Southwest Minnesota State University Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Expertise: All things Minnesota sports Nelson has covered Minnesota sports for two decades, starting his media career in sports radio. He worked at small market Minnesota stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before joining one of the nation's highest-rated sports stations, KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. There, he was the producer of the top-rated mid-morning sports show with Minnesota Vikings announcer Paul Allen.  His radio experience helped blossom a career as a sports writer, joining Minneapolis-based Bring Me The News in 2011.  Nelson and Adam Uren became co-owners of Bring Me The News in 2018 and have since more than tripled the site's traffic and launched Bring Me The Sports in cooperation with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation umbrella. Nelson has covered the Super Bowl and numerous training camps, NFL combines, the MLB All-Star Game and Minnesota playoff games, in addition to the day-to-day happenings on and off the field of play.  Nelson also has extensive knowledge of non-sports subjects, including news and weather. He works closely with Bring Me The News meteorologist Sven Sundgaard to produce a bevy of weather and climate information for Minnesota readers.  Nelson helped launch and manage the Bring Me The News Radio Network, which provided more than 50 radio stations around Minnesota with daily news, sports and weather reports from 2011-17.