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Stung by a 4-3 Lake Superior Conference road loss at Proctor — the kind of result that can linger in a high school locker room — the Class 1A top-ranked Hawks snapped back with the composure of a team that expects to be playing deep into March.
Hermantown followed that setback with a 2-1 road victory at St. Cloud Cathedral and then a gritty 3-3 overtime tie against third-ranked Warroad on Saturday afternoon at NorthStar Ford Arena.
That response told a louder story than the loss ever could.
Against Warroad, the Hawks leaned on their most reliable weapon. Senior forward Micklain Martalock scored twice in the first period, staking Hermantown to an early lead against one of the state’s most dangerous offenses. Martalock continues to anchor the Hawks’ attack, leading the team with 16 goals and 25 points as Hermantown steadies itself for the stretch run.
The Hawks’ rebound was not limited to the offensive end.
Senior goaltender Bryce Francisco has given Hermantown stability through the turbulence of a demanding schedule. Francisco owns a 2.97 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage, numbers that reflect both the workload he faces and the calm he brings when games tighten.
Hermantown’s 12-1-3 record speaks to consistency, but it is the way the Hawks handled adversity that may define this season more than any single result. Teams with championship ambitions are judged not by perfection, but by how quickly they recover when perfection slips away.
That resilience will be tested again Tuesday night.
Hermantown returns home to face No. 2-ranked Hibbing-Chisholm at 7 p.m., a showdown that brings two of Minnesota’s most accomplished Class 1A programs together. The Bluejackets, the defending Section 7A champions, enter with a 13-1-1 record and one of the state’s most dangerous scoring duos.
Tate Swanson leads Hibbing-Chisholm with 16 goals and 37 points, while Cole Swanson has matched his brother in goals with 16 and added 16 assists for 32 points. Together, they drive a Bluejackets offense that punishes hesitation and thrives in transition.
For Hermantown, the week ahead offers another chance to turn a moment of adversity into momentum.
The Hawks already showed who they are after the Proctor loss — composed on the road, dangerous against elite competition and anchored by leadership at both ends of the ice. That combination is why Hermantown remains where it belongs, at the top of the Class 1A picture, with the belief that its best hockey is still ahead.
