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.
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.
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.
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
WTF#TheTourney24 pic.twitter.com/EOwMx8D6I5
— MNStateOfHockey (@StateOfHawkey) March 7, 2024