State Boys Hockey: Top-seeded Hermantown beats Alexandria 7-1 in Class 1A Semifinals

Top-seeded Hermantown looked the part of team to beat in the Class A field for the second consecutive game with a 7-1 victory over No. 5 Alexandria in the semifinals on Friday, March 11, 2022, at Xcel Energy Center.

After surrendering an early goal, the Hawks (28-2-0) answered with seven unanswered goals in racing into the Class A championship game on Saturday against Warroad. Junior defenseman Ty Hanson led the way with a goal and four assists while junior center Matt Kauppinen and senior wing Dom Thomas each had a goal and an assist for the Hawks, who are on an 11-game winning streak as they search for their fourth championship and first since 2017.

Warroad, a 5-4 winner in overtime over Mahtomedi in the first semifinal, played Hermantown on Jan. 15 and fell short in a 2-1 setback.

Kauppinen began the Hawks’ avalanche of goals with 9:44 elapsed in the first period. That evened the scoreboard after Alexandria junior forward Tyler Kludt opened the scoring with just more than two minutes elapsed in the first period.

Hermantown’s offense was free-flowing and generated 42 shots compared to just seven for the Cardinals (20-7-2). Hermantown had 22 shots in the first period and another 12 in the second. With a six-goal differential, the clock moved to running time after Thomas scored with 2:04 elapsed in the third period.