Extended bus rides have become as routine as trips to the grocery store for Hermantown, the Duluth-area juggernaut that makes the last of its seven regular-season excursions to the Twin Cities area on Wednesday when it plays at Orono.
The No. 2-1A Hawks (15-2-1) have mostly fared well in their jaunts to the south, most recently beating No. 3-1A Mahtomedi 6-3 on Saturday in a regionally televised Hockey Day Minnesota outdoor game in White Bear Lake. Senior forward Kade Kohanski’s hat trick highlighted the victory in temperatures hovering around zero. Kohanski, a first-line mainstay last season, has played in just eight of the Hawks’ 15 games because of a wrist injury. His return to health could prove to be a boon for Hermantown as it heads down the homestretch of the regular season.
No. 4-2A Orono has quietly fashioned a 16-2-0 record, with the only losses coming against No. 1-1A Warroad (the state’s lone unbeaten team) and No. 2-2A Chanhassen (17-2-0). Senior goaltender Brock Peyton has been stellar in his 10 games since returning from injury, posting a 9-1-0 record and .926 save percentage. Team goal-scoring leader Bradley Walker (14 goals), a 6-foot-1, 195 pound senior, brings a physical element few teams can match.