New roles and fresh faces are colliding this winter at Hermantown, where graduation and early departures created an abundance of job openings.

Hermantown, No. 1 in Legacy’s preseason Class 1A ratings, is young, untested, and relatively unknown, with six sophomore regulars on varsity who are making the leap from Bantams.

The four stars on their shoulders (one for every state championship) carry some weight and expectations for the Hawks, and seventh-year coach Patrick Andrews will be the first to tell you this group needs some work.

What better way to get everyone on the same page than a successful road trip?

“It’s a good time on the bus,” senior captain Will Esterbrooks said. “Everyone is talking, and new people begin talking to each other and slowly we start figuring each other out.”

Hermantown exited Aldrich Arena in the early evening Saturday to head north, having just battled Hill-Murray to a 3-3 draw, and less than 24 hours removed from a 2-1 win in St. Paul against Cretin-Derham Hall on Friday night. 

The Hawks got just what they needed. They went down I-35 South as one kind of team, and return on the northbound lanes something different. A team more forged.

“We come on this road weekend every year, and there is a reason,” Andrews said. “We get out of town, the boys bond, and it’s hard. We’re going to play two very good teams, on the road, and it’s hard. We found out a lot about how our guys compete, and I was very impressed.”

Esterbrooks scored once, and assisted on two other goals to give the Hawks a fast start against Hill-Murray. He sees a growing team chemistry.

“The younger guys are starting to buy in, and we are figuring it out,” Esterbrooks said. “We’ve got a super young group that is coming in from Bantams, and this is a lot faster and a lot more physical. But we’re buying in.”

Esterbrook’s heavy shot fed into his second assist when a blast from just inside the blueline was tipped by sophomore AJ Francisco, a highly-touted newcomer from the Bantam AA level who is centering the Hawks’ top line.

Francisco, who had two points against Cretin-Derham Hall, is one of four sophomore forwards on the Hawks’ top three lines. They complement a particularly deep defensive foursome of Esterbooks, St. Thomas commit Henry Peterson, and seniors Drew Nelson and Weston Bohlman.

But for a team looking to reload and mesh, a team truly becomes a team away from the rink.

“It was an awesome weekend, and everyone got to know each other a little better,” Esterbrooks said. “The sophomores had never really played with the seniors before, but just being around each other at dinner, lunch and on the bus is helping with the team bonding.”

This is the first of three trips south to the metro on the Hermantown schedule this winter, and not a bad first step forward, Andrews said.

“Honestly, you don’t like to tie, but if you told me when this schedule came out, that we’d come out of this weekend with a win and a tie, against these teams, with a bunch of kids who’ve never played high school hockey before, I’d be pretty excited,” he said.

Hill-Murray spotted visiting Hermantown a three-goal lead, then chipped away to settle for a 3-3 tie Saturday afternoon at Aldrich Arena in Maplewood.

Hermantown, ranked. No. 1 in Legacy’s preseason Class 1A ratings, got things rolling early when senior defenseman Will Esterbrooks scored once and assisted on the other two to put the Hawks ahead 3-0 with 46 seconds left in the opening period. 

AJ Francisco and River Freeman also scored for Hermantown.

The second and third periods would burn much hotter for the Pioneers, who put up 20 shots in the second en route to outshooting the Hawks 43-23.

Senior forward Simon Seidl factored into all three of Hill-Murray’s goals, including the game-tying score that came shorthanded less than five minutes into the third. Graham Greeder finished with two assists for the No. 5-2A Pioneers (1-0-1). Landon Cottingham scored once, as did fellow blue-liner Joseph Luger.

Hermantown (1-0-1) goalie Dane Callaway proved tough down the stretch and finished with 40 saves. Hill-Murray goalie Andrew Lane stopped 19 shots.