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Howie on local prep hockey

I’m not handing Hermantown a boys hockey state trophy in January. I’ve been around too long for that. But when the Section 7A tournament begins and the pressure turns real, I know who I’m riding with. I’ve seen this movie before. It usually ends with everyone else wondering how they missed it.

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50 Yard Football: Inside a typical arena football team budget

Howie Hanson is editor & publisher of 50-Yard Football, which covers arena/indoor football leagues. While every arena football team operates with slightly different resources, league officials and front-office executives say the financial pressures are largely the same across the sport. Travel, payroll and arena expenses consume most of the

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Howie: Hawks boys eye strong basketball regular season finish

Howie's daily online column is powered by Lyric Kitchen · Bar  Hermantown’s boys basketball team is about to find out who it really is. Grand Rapids comes to Hermantown High School on Friday night, the start of a stretch that will define whether the Hawks can turn a

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National Scouting Combine roster announced
Jimmy Kibble (left) and Gary Compton. Submitted

National Scouting Combine roster announced

National Scouting Combine has released its player roster for 2026. Draft-eligible athletes and free agents from across the country will compete Tuesday through Friday at the Paradise Coast Sports Complex in Naples, Florida. The world-class event will provide players the opportunity to showcase their skills in front of professional football

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Hermantown girls riding a 7-game winning streak

The Hermantown girls basketball team has found its rhythm — and its confidence — heading into January. After navigating an early stretch that tested the Hawks against quality competition, Hermantown has posted seven straight victories and enters the week at 8-2 overall and 3-1 in the Lake Superior Conference. “After a tough

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Howie: Bulldogs, Prep Hockey Notebook

Howie: Bulldogs, Prep Hockey Notebook

UMD men's hockey is surrounding its future core with the kind of balance you rarely see in a single signing haul: scoring up front, size and skating on the back end, and a top-flight goaltender to anchor the whole operation.

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Howie: Northstar Ford Arena opens January 3

For the broader community, Northstar Ford Arena is a gathering place — the kind that small towns understand better than anyone. Rinks aren’t just buildings here. They’re living rooms. Story banks. Time machines. They hold memories whether they’re supposed to or not.

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Hermantown Sports Notebook

Hermantown delivered a three-sport statement Friday night, with the Hawks’ boys hockey, boys basketball and girls basketball teams all turning in convincing wins. The Class A top-ranked Hawks hockey team knocked off host Maple Grove 7-4. Defenseman Gabe Swenson had five assists. Bryce Francisco stopped 25 shots in goal for

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Howie: Monsters to move to Amsoil
DECC Marketing Director Lucie Amundsen introduced Minnesota Monsters minority owner and general manager Steve Walters at a press event on Thursday at Amsoil Arena. Howie / HowieHanson.com

Howie: Monsters to move to Amsoil

Duluth has always supported teams that show up honestly and invest consistently. The formula hasn’t changed. Don’t overpromise. Don’t disappear when things get hard. Build something people can recognize as theirs. When that happens, this city responds — not with blind loyalty, but with earned trust.

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Howie: Hermantown blitzes Denfeld, 9-2
Hermantown senior assistant captain Ford Skytta. Guy Meeker / HermantownNews.com

Howie: Hermantown blitzes Denfeld, 9-2

Denfeld had seen this movie before. Hermantown coach Patrick Andrews reminded his team before the Lake Superior Conference game that the Heritage Center has been tricky for his team in recent years — ties, slow starts, even a three-goal hole a season ago. This time, there was no messing around.

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Red-hot Hermantown to visit Duluth Denfeld on Tuesday night

Four-time Minnesota Class A boys hockey state champion Hermantown closed a demanding stretch of its schedule with its most complete performance Saturday night, scoring four unanswered goals in the third period to pull away for a 7-3 victory over nonconference Rosemount at Hermantown Arena. The Hawks led 3-2 entering the

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