Hermantown looked like it hit snooze twice and forgot the coffee Tuesday night in Virginia, spotting Class 2A Rock Ridge the first period, the momentum, and the crowd. The Hawks were flatter than yesterday’s leftovers — and head coach Patrick Andrews didn’t bother dressing it up in postgame poetry.
“Tuesday night was a really, really good game for us. Not just the win, but how it happened,” Andrews said of the 3-1 win, when his 1A team rallied with three unanswered goals in the third period. “To say we came out flat would be an understatement; we were awful. We were slow to pucks, we lost races, we just didn't have it.”
He wasn’t wrong — Rock Ridge came out flying while the Hawks still looked like they were trying to remember where they parked the bus. A 12-2 shot deficit in the opening period told the story far better than any press box philosopher could.
Andrews chalked it up to something every veteran coach sees, especially with a roster full of new varsity eyes popping like cartoon owls in the bright lights.
“It was a combination of factors, the biggest being inexperience,” Andrews said. “It was the first ‘big’ game for a lot of the boys; the nerves were real, and the eyes were big. There had to be close to 3,000 people there on Tuesday night.”
And yeah — when 3,000 Northlanders pack into a rink for a 218 clash in early December, that’s not a small-town scrimmage anymore. That’s varsity-level heartbeat-in-your-throat hockey.
Remember Hawks goaltender Bryce Francisco? Andrews sure did.
“After the intermission break, we settled in and methodically took the game back,” Andrews said. “Bryce again showed why he is the best goalie in the state as he held us in there, only allowing one goal in the first period.”
The second period wasn’t flashy — it was stubborn. It was Hermantown remembering who Hermantown is. Push pucks, tilt ice, make the other team chase shadows and regret taking deep shifts. No goals, but all the momentum.
“After getting trounced and outshot 12-2 in the first, we flipped the tables and outshot RR 10-2 in the second,” Andrews said. “We didn't score, but we made them chase us which set up a tremendous third.”
Tremendous is one way to put it.
Madill. Martalock. Lendzyk short-handed. Good night, drive safe, thanks for attending. From down 1-0 and wobbling to a 3-1 win and smirks on the bus ride home — that’s the kind of turnaround that sticks to a young roster’s ribs.
And Andrews, who has seen enough championship banners to know what matters and what doesn’t, summed up the win like a coach who understands the value of scars collected in December.
“Bode, Mick, and then Lenny all came through, but it was the combined effort of the whole group, the team coming together and playing together, which flipped the script and gave us a hard-earned victory on the road,” he said.
Hermantown next visits Mahtomedi on Friday night, another test, another packed house, another chance for these rookies to speed up the growing process. Because if Tuesday proved anything, it’s that Hermantown’s worst hockey still travels — and their best hockey hits like a freight train coming downhill in January.
Hawks 2025-26 Schedule / Results
At Cretin-Derham Hall, W 6-3
At Hill-Murray, T 2-2
At Rock Ridge, W 3-1
Friday, Dec. 5 – at Mahtomedi, 5 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 9 – Duluth Marshall, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 11 – Centennial, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 13 – Rosemount, 1 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 16 – at Duluth Denfeld, 7:30 p.m
Friday, Dec. 19 – at Maple Grove, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 23 – at Cloquet, 7 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 26 – Delano, 3 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 27 – White Bear Lake, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 1 – at Rock Ridge, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 3 – Eden Prairie, 2 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 6 – at Proctor, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 8 – at St. Cloud Cathedral, 6 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 10 – Warroad, 3 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 13 – Hibbing-Chisholm, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 17 – at Shakopee, 2 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 20 – Superior, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 24 – Mahtomedi, 2 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 30 – at East Grand Forks, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 31 – at Moorhead, 5 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 6 – at Benilde-St. Margaret’s, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 7 – Holy Angels, 2 p.m.