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Hermantown boys hockey coach Pat Andrews called it “a good first weekend,” as the Class 1A No. 2-ranked Hawks opened their season with a 6-3 win at Cretin-Derham Hall and a 2-2 overtime tie at 2A No. 2 Hill-Murray.
“Cretin and Hill are two perennial powers, and we skated right with them,” Andrews said. “Of course, being the opening weekend, there are a lot of areas for improvement, but most importantly, our boys competed and had great energy.”
Hermantown (1-0-1) struck immediately Friday in St. Paul when junior forward Ford Skytta scored 24 seconds into the game.
“We played with the lead from the start against Cretin, which is always huge in high school hockey, especially on the road,” said Andrews. “Ford got us going with a beautiful individual effort, and then four other players scored goals for us, showing depth of scoring across the board with all three lines, and the defense getting in on the scoring.”
Beau Christy led the Hawks with two goals and an assist, and goaltender Bryce Francisco made 25 saves in what Andrews described as another example of why “he is the best goalie in the state.”
Hill-Murray featured a different script.
“Saturday was a much more defensive battle, as always with Hill,” Andrews said.
The Pioneers scored first, but Andrews said he “loved our response,” as the Hawks tied it on a power play before senior captain Bode Madill put Hermantown ahead 2-1 later in the first period.
“Unfortunately, we gave one back halfway through the third but were able to hold on for a tie against a very talented team,” Andrews said.
Francisco stopped 40 shots.
Andrews said he was encouraged by the team’s resilience and growth after falling behind early Saturday.
“I really liked our response on Saturday after going down early, and the way we were able to right the ship defensively and play much more soundly in our own end than we did on Friday night,” said Andrews.
Andrews noted strong balance throughout the lineup.
“The Christy, Nicklin, Madill line generated a lot of offense and countless chances all weekend; however, all the lines showed the ability to score, including the back end,” he said. “Our young guys were impressive, and our returning upperclassmen have all taken big strides over the last few months and are showing that the experience they learned the hard way last season is going to pay off this season.”
Special teams also stood out.
“Coach Buck had the penalty kill dialed as we were 100 percent on the kill, and the power play showed tremendous promise,” Andrews said. “We created many chances and were able to cash in when we needed it to take some momentum away from Hill in the first period on Saturday.”
Overall, Andrews said the opening weekend provided plenty to build on.
“It was a great start for us to play on the road in hostile environments and have success,” he said. “Overall, the season is shaping up to be an exciting one.”
Hermantown now turns to another demanding stretch.
“We have another big week — as always, our schedule doesn’t let up,” Andrews said. “On Tuesday, we go to Rock Ridge for a conference rivalry game, and then on Friday we head down to Mahtomedi, which is always a battle.”
