Hermantown boy’s hockey hungry to defend section, state titles

After a summer of celebration, the defending Class A state champion Hermantown boy’s hockey team returned to work for the first week of practice.

While they’re minus two pieces to their title puzzle in Zam and Max Plante, who have moved to play hockey in Chicago and with the U.S. National Development Program, the Hawks are hungry to get back to the top of the mountain.

RELATED STORY: UMD’s Derek Plante talks rejoining Blackhawks staff, future for Hermantown hockey family.

“Them winning last year, that is their adversity. Literally everyone is chasing you and until you’re not the champs, you are the champs so everyone’s chasing you. It’s a great opportunity for them to learn how to live with that excitement and stress like that. You know, that responsibility of expectation that they have to live with every day is a great opportunity for them to learn how to handle that,” claimed head coach Patrick Andrews.

“We have a new team this year. We’re all competitive, you know. We got to keep that competitiveness up and then go into the season hungry,” said senior assistant captain Wyatt Carlson.

The team’s title defense opens in three weeks on December 2 when they are set to battle Cretin-Derham Hall in Eden Prairie.