A QF- #1 Hibbing vs #8 Dodge County

[ClassAGuy]

#1 seed Hibbing/Chisholm Blue Jackets (7A) (24-2-2) vs #8 seed Dodge County Wildcats (1A) (19-8-1)
March 4th, 2025 | 11:00 AM CT | Class A Quarterfinals | @ Grand Casino Arena, St Paul MN

Hibbing/Chisholm enters the State Tournament for the 15th time overall but for the 2nd consecutive year. This group of Hibbing players has been anticipated by the Class A world ever since they took the youth hockey scene by storm a few years ago, winning multiple State Titles. They started the year as the prohibitive favorite in Class A, and after a little bit of midseason stall, they have been on a mission to get back to State. They now return and fully understand the pressure of being the #1 seed under the big lights of the Tourney as they look to make amends for last year.

Blue Jackets Leaders- Srs #8 Tate Swanson (27-41-68 pts), & #5 Isaiah Hildenbrand (17-38-55 pts) and Soph. #22 Cole Swanson (28-33-61 pts) lead an elite offensive attack. Sr #6 Ethan Sundvall (8-17-25 pts), Jr. #28 Jackson Strukel (9-18-27 pts) & Soph. #10 Whitaker Rewertz (19-25-44 pts) are gifted elite playmakers and gifted skaters on the blueline.

Blue Jackets Goalie- Sr #31 Gavin Lamphere (22-2-2) 2.22 GAA .919 SV% has been their starter this year and he has been their unsung hero for most of the winter. Many said the net would be a weakness for Hibbing but he has been steady all year.

Blue Jackets Final Trophy Chase- This core group of Blue Jackets has won at every level, and they took home multiple district and youth State Championships trophies on the rise throughout the youth ranks. Last year, they added a Section Championship to that trophy case, and they were able to win their second one this winter. Now they will look to get the final piece to complete their legacy as they enter St Paul on the hunt to bring home a State Title Trophy to a community in need of something good to rally around, and they want to put a final stamp of success on their overall legacy.

Blue Jackets Special Teams- The Power Play is at 29.1% and Penalty Kill is at 82.2%

Dodge County enters the State Tournament as the only unranked team in the field, as they are the underdog of the A Tourney this year. The Wildcats had a young team that grew up throughout the year, and they played great hockey down the stretch, going (11-2-1) in their last 14 games. They were able to knock off the Section 1A Kings Northfield in a shocking upset, and now they arrive back at State for only the 2nd time in program history. Now they draw Class A’s #1 team in Hibbing, and they will be a heavy underdog, but this group believes they have more to prove.

Wildcats Leaders- Sr. #3 Gabe Coshenet (28-33-61 pts), Soph. #10 Camryn Koch (20-26-46 pts) & 9th grader #21 Nolan Steele (18-27-45 pts) give Dodge County a strong top line, and they account for the majority of the offense. On the blueline Sr. #40 Jeremiah Peterson-Gordon (4-4-8 pts) returned to the team midseason and has been a big spark on the back end.

Wildcats Goalie- Jr. #31 Wes Wegner (13-6-1) 2.68 GAA .898 SV% has really improved and gained confidence as the year has gone along. It's no surprise that one of the big reasons for this team is here on their Cinderella run.

Wildcats Underdog Run- The Wildcats, as noted above, are the only team in St Paul this week that was not ranked in the Top 20 at season’s end. That is totally fine with this group, as they seem to thrive in the underdog role. They have already taken down two Top 20 teams on their path to get here in Section 1A when they upset #15 Waseca and #7 Northfield. This is a team that grew throughout the year and got great senior leadership that really helped their youngsters grow and learn varsity hockey. They will now be the big underdog again in this one, but that's just the way they like it.

Wildcats Special Teams- The Power Play is at 22.3% and Penalty Kill is at 88.2 %

[ClassAGuy]

One Note Hibbing Cole Swanson will be suspended for this game. He will be back for the next game.

[rainier2]

One Note Hibbing Cole Swanson will be suspended for this game. He will be back for the next game.

Ah, so the rumor is confirmed. Not a smart move by him, hope he gets the message from this going forward.

[ClassAGuy]

One Note Hibbing Cole Swanson will be suspended for this game. He will be back for the next game.

Ah, so the rumor is confirmed. Not a smart move by him, hope he gets the message from this going forward.

Agree

[elliott70]

One Note Hibbing Cole Swanson will be suspended for this game. He will be back for the next game.

They can probably be fine in the first game.

[Upfan111]

Stay classy Cole...

[raidergrad72]

One Note Hibbing Cole Swanson will be suspended for this game. He will be back for the next game.

I missed that. What happened?

Also, didn't Dodge County win it all during Covid when they had Brody Lamb? That was also the year Hermantown was short on players and Plante played most of the game.

[grindiangrad-80]

I think Gentry beat Dodge County in the championship in 2021. Not sure though.

[raidergrad72]

I think Gentry beat Dodge County in the championship in 2021. Not sure though.

I went back and looked. You're right, Gentry beat Dodge County 8-1 in the championship game. No mention of Hermantown in that tournament.

[rainier2]

I think Gentry beat Dodge County in the championship in 2021. Not sure though.

I went back and looked. You're right, Gentry beat Dodge County 8-1 in the championship game. No mention of Hermantown in that tournament.

IIRC, that was the COVID year where essentially Hermantown's entire varsity couldn't play because of a COVID exposure, so their JV + Zam Plante, who missed the last varsity game, had to take on DC.

[rainier2]

One Note Hibbing Cole Swanson will be suspended for this game. He will be back for the next game.

I missed that. What happened?

Also, didn't Dodge County win it all during Covid when they had Brody Lamb? That was also the year Hermantown was short on players and Plante played most of the game.

I hear he saluted the Cloquet student section after the game-winning goal, but he apparently only used one finger...

[Nostalgic Nerd]

Dodge will be in town so that's good. Fan section was probably the best at the girls tourney.

[elliott70]

I’ll take Hibbing by 5