Teammates have dubbed Ryan Kero and Nate Pionk “The Dynamic Duo,” and for good reason.
The Hermantown senior forwards have been setting each other up for goals at a prolific rate. They finished last season tied for the team lead in points, with each player posting 53, and are tied with a team-high 13 points this season.
“We’ve played together forever and always had that chemistry,” Kero said. “It’s nice to see it come together in high school.”
The pair put their play on display in the Hawks’ 3-1 victory over Duluth Denfeld in a Lake Superior Conference matchup Thursday at the Duluth Heritage Sports Center.
Kero had a goal and an assist, while Pionk tallied two assists, including one on Kero’s goal.
Hermantown coach Bruce Plante is not surprised by Kero and Pionk’s chemistry.
“They played all through Bantams and Pee Wees together,” Plante said. “They’re just very good players, and good hockey players like to play with each other. They feed off each other really well.”
The Hunters have been the one team Kero and Pionk haven’t had much success against. Neither player has scored against Denfeld, but that changed less than 6 minutes into the opening period.
Pionk received the puck from junior winger Cole Koepke, and then threw a backdoor pass to Kero, who sent a shot past Hunters goalie River Alander to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead.
Denfeld charged back to tie the game, scoring off a rebound with less than 5 minutes remaining in the initial frame.
Hermantown, however, regained the lead late in the second period when Tanner Kimball’s shot found the net after the puck deflected off a Denfeld defenseman. Kero earned an assist on the score.
The Hawks then fended off a hungry and desperate Denfeld team in the third period. Hermantown withstood the Hunters' comeback attempt before sealing the victory on Wyatt Aamodt’s power-play goal just before time expired. Pionk and Kimball recorded assists on the insurance goal.
Plante said he was pleased with how Hermantown played in the final period.
“We had to grind it out tonight,” Plante said. “We’re missing three of our starting defensemen, so we had a couple JV guys playing on defense. But I loved the way we played the third period. It was a pretty simplistic game, but that tired them out, which was good because we were tired too.”
Kero and Pionk didn’t just shine offensively, the pair were active on defense. From backchecking to forechecking, the devastating duo were all over the Sill Arena ice sheet.
Kero was especially noticeable in the defensive zone, using dynamic stick work to put the Hunters’ offense off their game.
“They’re both two-way players,” Plante said. “All of our guys are. We don’t have hardly anyone on the ice who is just an offensive guy.”
Those qualities earned Kero and Pionk the honor of wearing letters on their jerseys. Pionk serves as team captain, while Kero is the assistant. They were selected by their teammates to fill the roles, and have been model Hermantown players.
“They hold themselves accountable, and they’re both just very good on both ends of the ice,” Plante said.
Kero's goal gives him four on the season. He also has a team-high nine assists.
Pionk leads the team with seven goals and has six assists.
