Hermantown smothers Warroad to win Class A title
The Hermantown Hawks used a strong defensive effort late to defeat the Warroad Warriors 3-2 and win the Class A state championship on Saturday afternoon.
The Warriors drew first blood when Garrett Hennum opened the scoring at 10:45 of the first period. It didn't take long for the Hawks to answer when Dominic Thomas scored at 12:16.
After heading into the first intermission tied at 1-1, both teams opened the second period with a flurry of action.
Zam Plante ripped a laser past Hampton Slukynsky 55 seconds into the second frame to give Hermantown the lead. 46 seconds later, Carson Pilgrim deflected a shot off both of Griffin Marvin's skates to tie the game at 2-2.
After Plante scored his second goal of the game to put Hermantown back on top, the Hawks started to take control. Hermantown outshot Warroad 13-7 in the second period and started to put more pressure on the offensive end.
The Hawks tightened up even more defensively in the third period, which didn't feature a penalty from either team. With Hermantown holding Warroad to three shots in the final period, it was easy work for Dan Callaway, who stopped 19 of 21 shots to secure the Hawks' first state title since 2017.
Hermantown finished the season with a 29-2 record.
