Hermantown’s 7-0 shellacking of Hibbing on Thursday night in the regular-season finale may have come as a surprise to some, but not to Hawks coach Bruce Plante.

Heading into the section playoffs, Plante sees his team as playing at the top of its game.

“We’ve been really good lately,” Plante said. “We had a little slump there. We still played fine enough, but the last few games we’ve been playing really good.”

With a 21-2-1 overall record, Hermantown hasn’t had much of a slump during this season.

A two-game stretch in which the Hawks scored four total goals (a 2-1 victory over Greenway and 4-2 loss to Bemidji) might be the closest the No. 1-ranked team in the Class 1A coaches' poll has been a prolonged poor performance.

Since falling to the Lumberjacks, Hermantown has won eight consecutive games while scoring 43 goals (5.375 goals per game).

If anyone has embodied the Hawks’ success of late, it’s their leading scorer, Cole Koepke. This season he’s averaged 2.21 points per game.

After recording one point in that two-game slump, the senior forward has amassed 17 points.

Against Hibbing on Thursday night, Koepke scored two goals: one rebound and another he fired past the Bluejackets' Ryan Ullan.

“We try to go to the net hard. That’s kind of our game,” Plante said. “We’re good around the net, but we’ve also got some really good sniper guys. Guys that shoot the puck, especially Cole Koepke. He can snap it. Man, it’s amazing.”

Koepke and Hermantown’s versatile scoring attack will be a point of emphasis as the Hawks head into the postseason.

Thursday’s win ensured that Hermantown will be the No. 1 seed for the Class 1A, Section 7 tournament.

While Thursday's victory over No. 4-1A Hibbing (22-3-0) should provide the Hawks with a confidence boost, they’re not taking any team lightly moving forward.

“It’s high,” Koepke said of his team’s confidence. “But we’re not going to let that affect our play. We’re going to take it one game at a time and play the best we can.”

Their focus at this point is not on any opponent, but on themselves—and playing their best. Lately, it’s a goal they’ve been able to achieve on both ends of the rink.

Hermantown goaltender Luke Olson recorded just his second shutout of the season against the Bluejackets, but he has been a key part of the Hawks’ success, maintaining a .937 save percentage and a 1.47 goals-against average this season.

“I think what we did tonight, we’re going to have to do everyday: play hard and take every team the same,” Koepke said. “We’re going to have to take it to practice too. We’re not going to get lazy in practice.”


Scott Perunovich of Hibbing tries to get around Hermantown defenseman Wyatt Aanodt during first period action. (Photo By Matthew Moses)


Peter Grytdahl (25) of Hermantown and Hibbing's Riley Versich (13) watch Peter's snapshot get past Hibbing Goalie Ryan Ullan late in the 3rd period. (Photo by Matthew Moses)

First Report

Logan Judnick had three assists to help Hermantown lock up the No. 1 seed in Class 1A, Section 7A with a convincing 7-0 home win over Hibbing/Chisholm on Thursday night.

Senior goalie Luke Olson earned a shutout in the win, finishing with 22 saves.

Four third-period goals put a lopsided spin on what was, at times, a back-and-forth contest.

Even so, the Hawks controlled much of the game, including outshooting the Bluejackets 11-2 in the first period.

Hermantown (21-2-1), ranked No. 1 in the Class 1A coaches' poll, capitalized 30 seconds into the game, scoring on Tyler Watkin's rebound goal after Hibbing/Chisholm’s Scott Perunovich took a roughing penalty in his offensive zone. It was the first of three second-chance goals tallied by the Hawks.

Bluejackets goalie Ryan Ullan made 36 saves in the loss and had little help from his team’s offense. Hibbing/Chisholm failed to convert on four power-play chances and 20 total shots on goal.

After being dominated in the first period, the No. 4-1A Bluejackets (22-3-0) pushed back and outshot Hermantown 13-10 in the second period.

But it was enough to overcome the Hawks, who broke open the game in the middle period with rebound goals from Cole Koepke and Parker Simmons.

Koepke increased his team-high goal total to 30 with a third-period power-play goal and senior Peter Grytdahl added two goals late in the game to ice the victory.

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