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Hermantown cruises past Alexandria and into semifinals

By Legacy Hockey staff, 03/06/24, 6:45PM CST

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State Class 1A quarterfinal: Defenseman Henry Peterson scores twice in the second as Hawks pull away from Cardinals


Hermantown’s Jack Slattengren (11) and Josh Kauppinen celebrate after Kauppinen’s first period goal against Alexandria. Photo by Jeff Lawler, LegacyHockeyPhotography.com

Quick Recap

Junior defenseman Henry Peterson scored twice and senior goaltender Dane Callaway made 16 saves for the shutout as No. 1 seed Hermantown beat unseeded Alexandria 6-0 on Wednesday in a state Class 1A quarterfinal at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

Peterson put Hermantwon ahead 2-0 midway through the second period, scoring on a power-play blast from the point. The junior defenseman scored again with 1:30 left in the period, again from long range.

 A.J. Francisco scored with 54 seconds left in the second period, giving the the Hawks a 4-0 lead entering the third. Hermantown outshot Alexandria 18-2 in the second.

Charlie Marchand and River Freeman scored third-period goals for the Hawks. Freeman’s goal was his team-leading 20th of the season.

The shutout was Callaway's 15th of the season, the most for a Hermantown goaltender.

Senior Josh Kauppinen scored 4 minutes into the opening period on feed from Evan Gunderson. After faking a shot, Gunderson dropped the puck to Kauppinen who had a clear look at the net with the Alexandria defense and goalie Brady Metcalf out of position. The goal was Kauppinen’s 13th of the season.

Hermantown outshot Alexandria 13-12 in a first period in which No. 10-1A Alexandria (18-10-1) controlled play in the No. 1-1A Hawks’ (19-8-2) end for long stretches.

Key Moment

Junior defenseman Henry Peterson’s long-range blast with 1:30 left in the second period put Hermantown ahead 3-0. The goal was Peterson’s second of the period and part of a three-goal second-period scoring flurry.

By the Numbers

3-2: Hermantown scored three goals in the second while Alexandria only had two shots on goal in the period.

12: Hermantown has not allowed a goal in 12 of its last 14 periods, dating to the regular season. The Hawks have recorded three shutouts in that run.

15: Dane Callaway recorded his 15th career shutout in the win, tying the school record held by Garron Opsahl.

20: This trip is Hermantown's 20th trip to the state tournament and 14th in the past 15 years.

They Said It

We kind of knew it was coming. He sent us a picture in our group chat, and we were like, 'Alright, do it. Why not?'

-- Hermantown's Will Esterbrooks on teammate Graff Mellin opting to go with a leopard-print hairstyle (a throwback to the days of the NBA's Dennis Rodman) for the tourney

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