HighSchoolHockeyForums.com

Official Section 7A Seeds (10 teams)
Team- (Overall Record)
1- Hermantown - (23-2-0)
2- Duluth Denfeld- (17-8-0)
3- Rock Ridge- (13-10-1)
4- Proctor (16-8-1)
5- Greenway- (12-10-0)
6- Hibbing- (12-13-0)
7- International Falls- (7-16-0)
8- North Shore- (6-18-0)
9- Ely- (4-18-1)
10- Moose Lake- (2-19-1)

Section 7A Playoff Bracket
Play-In Round (2/19/22) @ High Seed
#8 North Shore 7 #9 Ely 1
#7 International Falls 7 #10 Moose Lake 1

Quarterfinals (2/22/22) @ High Seed
#1 Hermantown 13 #9 North Shore 0
#5 Greenway 5 #4 Proctor 3
#6 Hibbing 4 #3 Rock Ridge 2
#2 Duluth Denfeld 9 #7 International Falls 2

Semifinals (2/25/22) @ AMSOIL Arena
#1 Hermantown 6 #5 Greenway 0
#2 Duluth Denfeld 3 #6 Hibbing 0

Section Final (3/2/2022) @ AMSOIL Arena
#1 Hermantown 11 #2 Duluth Denfeld 0

Section 7A Champion: Hermantown (26-2-0)

2022 Section 7A Playoffs Preview

Hermantown has been the unquestioned king of Section 7A since moving back up North in 2014. The Hawks have won seven of the past eight section titles and have only lost to one section opponent – a double OT shocker against Greenway in the 2019 Section Final – during that stretch. But as the Hawks have continued to click at a high level over the last two decades, the rest of 7A has been building to try and compete. This year, a few teams believe they’ve finally caught up to the pace that Hermantown has set and are confident they could be the ones to finally knock the Hawks off their 7A high horse. However, if the regular season is any indication it would take a true “Miracle on Ice” moment for that to occur.

Number one seed Hermantown (23-2-0) enters the 2022 playoffs with maybe one of its best ever teams and is for sure the best on paper that Coach Andrews has had since taking over the program 5 years ago. Led up front by the dynamic underclassman Plante brother forwards, Junior Zam and Sophomore Max, who have a knack for setting up linemate Junior Kade Kohanski to make up one of the state’s most potent lines. Add in Senior defender Beau Janzig and Junior standout blueliner Ty Hanson and that is just the starting five of a very deep bunch. The Hawks have the depth and speed of an elite AA team and what makes this version even more dangerous is they have found the answer to their goaltending issues that have been an achilles heel of previous teams. Duluth East transfer Sophomore Dane Callaway has come and taken the starting job and made this year's version of Hermantown look even more unbeatable than ever.

Number 2 seeded Duluth Denfeld (17-8-0) plays an uptempo hard-nosed style favored by Coach Jago, known for exactly that during his playing days at the University of Minnesota Duluth. The Hunter can score with anybody as they are led up front by the Senior trio of the McClure brothers, Connor & Cooper, and Simon Davidson all who have over 20 goals on the year add in their two Juniors Andy Larson and Kaden Postal who each have double digit goals and Denfeld has no issues on offense. The problem has been keeping the puck out of the net when they face better competition and in order to dethorn the Hawks they will need to be much better in their own end then they showed during the regular season.

One of the biggest question marks heading to the year was how good was the new co-opt number 3 seed Rock Ridge (13-10-1). After some early year growing pains and lackluster play the Wolverines have been one of the better teams in Class A since the turn of the calendar year to 2022. Using a balanced attack of forwards up front led by Senior Brennan Peterson, Junior Dylan Hedly and Sophomore Brant Tiedeman all who have double digit goals and on the back end they are led by stud senior defenseman Nick Troutwine for a lineup that has balance all over the place as they have ten players with at least 10 points. They gave the Hawks their toughest test of all the 7A teams and there's no love loss between the range boys and their nemesis.

Number 4 seed Proctor (16-8-1) has been one the state’s best turn around stories this winter. After winning only 3 games a year ago this group of Rails put together a very impressive season. Senior forward Kennan Reyelts had a massive year as he put up over 20 goals and his playmaking partner Senior Dylan Haala dished out nearly 30 assists. They have played three different goalies all who have had good years with it appearing senior Samuel Johnson will be their guy for the playoffs in net.

Number 5 seed Greenway (12-10-0) had a good year and has used more of a team approach rather than one true goal scorer. Their top player on most nights is Senior defender Bodie Jourgenson who racks up a ton of minutes from the blueline. They have also relied on Senior Nathan Jurgansen who returned to man the net as their starter for the second consecutive year. Ironically the Raiders drove all over the State for games heading to the metro and northwest multiple times yet they snubbed their local neighbor Proctor of game who they will now play with a lot on the line.

Number 6 seed Hibbing (12-13-0) had started the year with a lot of promise beating Rock Ridge, Proctor and Greenway in the first meeting with each team to have them looking like a top three seed in 7A. However, they didn't finish strong and lost to all three the second time around to drop down to the six seed. Junior goaltender Brayden Boyer had high expectations coming into the year off an impressive sophomore campaign however he along with his teammates haven't had the same magic this year. The Bluejackets will need him to find his game if they have any hopes of making a playoff run.

Number 7 seed International Falls (7-16-0) has beaten the lower tier teams on 7A but not done much else. The Broncos have rode Senior forward Parker Sivonen Junior forwards Colin Kostiuk & Braden Skifstad all who have double digit goals but it's been tough to find scoring depth beyond those three.

Number 8 seed North Shore (6-18-0) has struggled as well this winter against better teams but they are going to generate anything. It will most likely come off the stick of Senior forward Nate Bilben who leads the team in goals and assists.

Number 9 seed Ely (4-18-1) historically struggles just to fill a team not much different this year but the Timberwolves are led by underclassman Junior Kole Macho and Sophomore Drew Marolt each who have had double digit goals this winter.

Number 10 seed Moose Lake (2-19-1) is another team with a historically small roster with only 2 seniors on the roster so the hope is maybe they can use this winter as building blocks for being more competitive in the future.

Section 7A Playoffs Play-In Games (2/19/2022)

#9 seed Ely (4-18-1) vs #8 Seed North Shore (6-18-0) @ Rukavina Arena, Silver Bay MN
These two teams met three times during the regular season with North Shore winning all three games to sweep the series. Each game was very close though as indicated by the scores (Dec. 7th 3-1, Dec. 29th 2-1 & Feb 7 4-2). Each game came down to the wire with North Shore able to pull it out late as Ely Senior goaltender Chase Sandberg was magnificent in net all 3 games. For Ely to pull the semi upset there they will need to contain North Shore Senior Nate Bilben who had 5 pts. To lead all scorers in the three games. Look for this one to be tightly contested with winner head to #1 seed Hermantown for the Section 7A Quarterfinals

#10 seed Moose Lake (2-19-1) vs #7 Seed International Falls (7-16-0) @ Bronco Arena, International Falls, MN
This one looks like a mismatch on paper as International Falls outscored Moose Lake 17-0 while sweeping the season series this winter. For Moose Lake to have a shot they will need to have a better start as they were outscored 9-0 in the 1st periods combined between the two games and were never really able to settle in. Broncos Junior forward Max Dremmel will look to keep his hot stick going against the Rebels as he had 8 points in the two regular season games. The winner head to #2 seed Duluth Denfeld for the Section 7A Quarterfinals.

ClassAGuy wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 12:11 pm
Number 6 seed Hibbing (12-13-0) had started the year with a lot of promise beating Rock Ridge, Proctor and Greenway in the first meeting with each team to have them looking like a top three seed in 7A. However, they didn't finish strong and lost to all three the second time around to drop down to the six seed. Junior goaltender Brayden Boyer had high expectations coming into the year off an impressive sophomore campaign however he along with his teammates haven't had the same magic this year. The Bluejackets will need him to find his game if they have any hopes of making a playoff run.

Frustrating season for Hibbing. The first time they played RR, Greenway, and Proctor, Hibbing won all 3 by a total score of 13-3, outshooting them 90-58. Then at the last part of the season, they played these three teams again and went 0-3, losing by a combined score of 9-1 despite outshooting them by a cumulative 108-78.

For the most part, the defense and goaltending has been there for them all season, keeping games close with teams like Delano, TRF, and Denfeld (for most of the game anyway), but the offense just hasn't been there, as Hibbing has score 1 goal or less in 11 games. The lack of any power play success has just killed them.

Should be an interesting game with RR. Of course RR should be favored, but it wouldn't be the least bit shocking if Hibbing won the game. Heck, ending up as the #6 seed could be blessing in disguise, for if they win they could avoid Hermantown for at least one more week, which is really the goal for any 7A team nowadays.

Taking anyone but the Arrowhead Hawks is wishful thinking. With that being said I hope it’s anyone but the Arrowhead Hawks to come out of section 7A.

Section 7A Playoffs Play-In Games (2/19/2022) Recaps

North Shore 7 Ely 1
North Shore was able to make sure that the game would not be close with Ely like it was the first three times around. They were able to get on the board and then were able to cruise from there as they put 7 goals away against Ely. North Shore’s Nate Bilben was again a key offensive catalyst like he has been all year and the Storm took care of business and now get the reward of heading to take in the State’s Top Ranked team #1 seed Hermantown in the Section 7A Quarterfinals.

International Falls 7 Moose Lake 0
The Broncos were able to blow open a 1 goal game with a big four goal second period outburst. Sophomore forward Royce Allan’s 2 goal night helped lead the offensive charge as International Falls dominated the game outshooting Moose Lakes 68-12. The Broncos will now move on and take on #2 seed Duluth Denfeld in the Section Quarterfinals.

Section 7A Playoffs Quarterfinal Games (2/22/2022)

#8 seed North Shore (7-18-0) vs #1 seed Hermantown (23-2-0) @ Hermantown Hockey Arena, Hermantown, MN
This one looks like a mismatch on paper as these two teams did not play in the regular season but Hermantown will have the obvious decided advantage. North Shore was able to pick up a nice win over Ely but they do not match up well with the mighty Hawks. Look for Hermantown to come out flying and put this one away early and they set their sights AMSOIL Arena for the next round of the Section 7A Playoffs.

#5 seed Greenway (12-11-0) vs #4 seed Proctor (16-8-1) @ St. Luke's Sports & Event Center, Proctor, MN
These two teams didn’t meet during the regular season due to Greenway not wanting to play. Well now the Raiders will have to play the Rails in what is sure to be a very good 4 vs 5 Section Playoff game. Both teams have played stingy team defense during the year and while the Rails rely on Senior goal scorer Kennan Reyelts and his playmaking partner Senior Dylan Haala to produce offense. Greenway has used a more a team approach for their offensive output on the year. Looking at common opponents this would appear to be a very even match up on paper with the winner looking to move to face the mighty Hawks in the semifinal round.

#6 seed Hibbing (12-13-0) vs #3 seed Rock Ridge (14-10-1) @ Iron Trail Motors Event Center, Virginia, MN
Hibbing and Rock Ridge split their regular season series. Hibbing won the first meeting rather convincely while Rock Ridge was still struggling with their identity. However, they met just a week ago and Rock Ridge won the rematch. Hibbing has struggled to produce offense of late as was evident in these teams last meeting when Hibbing outshot the Wolverines but was unable to score a goal. Rock Ridge played well down the stretch doing (10-4-1) in their 15 games and this match up appears to favor them but don't count on Hibbing who will keep the game tight it will just depend if they can get on the scoresheet to support their defensive efforts.

#7 seed International Falls (8-17-0) vs #2 seed Duluth Denfeld (17-8-0) @ Essentia Duluth Heritage Center, Duluth, MN
When these teams met back in late January International Falls did a nice job of holding its own in the first period and only trailed 2-1. However, the floodgates opened in the second period and before the Broncos knew it the Hunter held a 5 goal lead they would not give up. For International Falls to avoid a similar fate this time around they will need to stay focused on containing the McClure brothers and stay out of the box as they gave Denfeld 6 power plays in the game. The Hunters will be looking to wear down the Broncos like they did in the first meeting and head across town for the Section Semi-final at AMSOIL Arena.

ClassAGuy wrote: ↑Sun Feb 20, 2022 3:10 pm Section 7A Playoffs Quarterfinal Games (2/22/2022)


#6 seed Hibbing (12-13-0) vs #3 seed Rock Ridge (14-10-1) @ Iron Trail Motors Event Center, Virginia, MN
Hibbing and Rock Ridge split their regular season series. Hibbing won the first meeting rather convincely while Rock Ridge was still struggling with their identity. However, they met just a week ago and Rock Ridge won the rematch. Hibbing has struggled to produce offense of late as was evident in these teams last meeting when Hibbing outshot the Wolverines but was unable to score a goal. Rock Ridge played well down the stretch doing (10-4-1) in their 15 games and this match up appears to favor them but don't count on Hibbing who will keep the game tight it will just depend if they can get on the scoresheet to support their defensive efforts.

Boyer coming up big when it mattered most, saving 38/40. Great bounceback win for Hibbing after falling to RR 4-0 just a week ago.

Section 7A Playoffs Quarterfinal Games (2/23/2022) Recaps

Hermantown 13 North Shore 0
Hermantown took care of business against North Shore as they dominated the Storm and outshot them by an eye popping 77 to 12 to move on in Section 7A. Senior Gavin Blomdahl led all Hawks in scoring as he put up 4 points on the night and now Hermantown will head to AMSOIL Arena for the Section 7A Semifinals.

Greenway 5 Proctor 3
Greenway used a big two goal second period to break open a tie game and lead 3-1 after two periods of play. Proctor’s Senior sniper Kennan Reyelts cut the deficit to 4-3 with at the halfway point of the third period on a power play goal but the Greenway goaltender Nathan Jurganson shut the door from there and the Raiders would score an empty net gal late to help move on to play in the Section 7A Semifinals.

Hibbing 4 Rock Ridge 2
Hibbing went up 3-0, Rock Ridge scored with 5 seconds left in the 2nd, then Hibbing made it 4-1 with 8 min left, then Rock Ridge scored with a minute left. Hibbing Junior goaltender Brayden Boyer was fantastic in the critical moments of this one as he stopped 38 of 40 shots and the Bluejackets picked up a big 4-2 upset win over the Wolverines. Hibbing will now head to Duluth to take on the #2 seeded Hunters in the 7A Semifinals.

Duluth Denfeld 9 International Falls 2
International Falls put a little scare into Duluth Denfeld in this one as they scored 2 power play goals in the second period and tied the game at 2-2 due to a major penalty by Connor McClure. However, Connor’s twin brother picked him up as Cooper McClure took over the game from there and had a hat trick as the Hunters scored seven unanswered goals and blew out the Broncos to move on to the Section 7A Semifinals at AMSOIL Arena on Friday.

ClassAGuy wrote: ↑Thu Feb 24, 2022 2:46 pm Section 7A Playoffs Quarterfinal Games (2/23/2022) Recaps



Hibbing 4 Rock Ridge 2
Rock Ridge jumped out to an early 2-0 lead but Hibbing would chip away at that and eventually take the lead. Hibbing Junior goaltender Brayden Boyer was fantastic in the critical moments of this one as he stopped 38 of 40 shots and the Bluejackets picked up a big 4-2 upset win over the Wolverines. Hibbing will now head to Duluth to take on the #2 seeded Hunters in the 7A Semifinals.

I didn't see the game, but looking at the RR team twitter feed, it appears Hibbing went up 3-0, RR score with 5 seconds left in the 2nd, then Hibbing made it 4-1 with 8 min left, then RR score with a minute left.

I don't see Davidson's name in the boxscore for the Denfeld-I Falls game, wonder if he'll play tomorrow?

rainier2 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 24, 2022 8:21 pm

ClassAGuy wrote: ↑Thu Feb 24, 2022 2:46 pm Section 7A Playoffs Quarterfinal Games (2/23/2022) Recaps



Hibbing 4 Rock Ridge 2
Rock Ridge jumped out to an early 2-0 lead but Hibbing would chip away at that and eventually take the lead. Hibbing Junior goaltender Brayden Boyer was fantastic in the critical moments of this one as he stopped 38 of 40 shots and the Bluejackets picked up a big 4-2 upset win over the Wolverines. Hibbing will now head to Duluth to take on the #2 seeded Hunters in the 7A Semifinals.

I didn't see the game, but looking at the RR team twitter feed, it appears Hibbing went up 3-0, RR score with 5 seconds left in the 2nd, then Hibbing made it 4-1 with 8 min left, then RR score with a minute left.

I don't see Davidson's name in the boxscore for the Denfeld-I Falls game, wonder if he'll play tomorrow?

THANKS!

Dint see the game either was doing wrap ups and this was the ONLY game in the entire state that didnt post a boxscore anywhere I waited all day until 2:30 and then just had to try to make it from scratch. Someone on the Forum said they came back from 2-0 down glad you got the right info!

Davidson has not played since Duluth East game was he hurt in that game as well?

Section 7A Playoffs Semifinal Games (2/25/2022)

#5 seed Greenway (13-11-0) vs #1 seed Hermantown (24-2-0) @ Amsoil Arena, Duluth, MN
This one looks like a mismatch again again on paper as when Hermantown played Greenway back on Jan 17th they did so without the services of Zam Plante and still drilled the Raiders 9-0. The Hawks outshot Greenway in that one 64-6 and we are looking at much of the same in this one. Greenway will need goaltender Nathan Jurganson to stand on his head in this one just to keep it close. Look for the Hawks to keep on buzzing and you will see another big night in the stat sheet here for them. The winner will move on to the Section 7A Championship Game back at Amsoil Arena.

#6 seed Hibbing (13-13-0) vs #2 seed Duluth Denfeld (18-8-0) @ Amsoil Arena, Duluth, MN
These two met way back on Dec. 7th and in that game it was 1-0 after two periods with Hibbing failing to capitalize on 7 minutes of Powerplay time in the 2nd period. The Hunters would solve Hibbing Junior goaltender Brayden Boyer in the third and win a nice road game. Fast forward to now and Hibbing comes into this one off of a nice upset win over Rock Ridge and they will give Denfeld all they want. Keys will be for Denfeld to stay out of the box which has been an issue that plagued them at times this season and for Hibbing they need to capitalize on those chances when they come. Also, the health of Denfeld Senior standout Simon Davidson could play a big role in this game. This will be a good 7A Semi with the winner fighting for the right to go up against the mighty Hawks next week.

Section 7A Playoffs Semifinal Games (2/25/2022) Recaps

Hermantown 6 Greenway 0
The Plante brothers flexed their muscles again for Hermantown as Sophomore Max Plante had four assists and older brother Zam Plante had a goal and two assists as Hermantown beat Greenway 6-0 at Amsoil Arena to earn an eighth straight appearance in the section title game since moving into Section 7A. Greenway was scrappy in this one and were able to stick around thanks to Senior goaltender Nathan Jurganson who made 46 saves for the Raiders. However, the Hawks depth and skill were just too much and they will their sights on Duluth Denfeld as they look to make their annually trip south for the Class A State Tournament.

Duluth Denfeld 3 Hibbing 0
Duluth Denfeld will get its shot at Hermantown in the Section 7A Title Game for a third year in a row as they were able to get by Hibbing in the night cap of the Section 7A Semis. The game was tied at 0-0 after one and it was the Hunter McClure Twins who broke the game open in the 2nd when Cooper scored two goals assisted both times by brother Connor. Andy Larson’s early goal in the third period iced the game for Denfeld who got a good battle from Hibbing but their offensive struggles returned in this one. Brayden Boyer did stop 34 of 37 shots but with no offensive support it would not be enough for Hibbing. Now the Hunters will look to pull off the miracle as they take on the Mighty Hawks with their last shot at a State Tournament berth for some time most likely on Wednesday Night at AMSOIL Arena.

Section 7A Playoffs Championship Game (3/2/2022)

#2 seed Duluth Denfeld (19-8-0) vs #1 seed Hermantown (25-2-0) @ Amsoil Arena, Duluth, MN
This is the matchup most would have predicted in 7A at the start of the year. Duluth Denfeld will get its third shot at Hermantown in the 7A Title game and it will be the last shot they have for some time most likely. When these two teams met back in early January the Hawks were missing Zam Plante and the Hunters jumped out 1-0 however, Max Plante scored a mere 20 seconds later and the Hawks would go out to dominate Denfeld the rest of the way. For the Hunters they need a lot to go right in this one first key is the health of Simon Davidson if he is out there depth takes a severe hit they will need to play outstanding defense and withstand the waves of pressure and onslaught like Greenway did and stay in the game when they took the giant to OT in 2018 and then took them out in 2019. It's a big ask and this might be the best bunch of Hawks we have seen. Their depth is outstanding and their team speed is just so much for a Class A team to handle. This one appears to be favoring Hermantown by around 3 to 4 goals but we will have to see how it plays out on the ice.

Section 7A Playoffs Championship Game (3/2/2022) Recap

Hermantown 11 Duluth Denfeld 0
The Hawks embarrassed the Hunters in the Section Final as they jumped out to 6-0 in the first period and never looked back from there. Zam Plante and Dallas Vieau each had hat tricks on the night to lead the way from Hermantown. The 11-0 rout finished the mockery Hermantown made out of the small school sectional this winter as they outscored their opponents by an outstanding 30-0 difference which screams well you know maybe they are in the wrong grouping or they are just that dominant this year. They now will make the annual trip to St Paul and see if Coach Andrews can finally win a title as he has had the best team down there many times and has yet to find the formula to win the big one.