Jacques and Koepke Lift Hawks to 2-0 Win, Sixth Straight Championship Game Appearance

In what was a defensive struggle between the Hermantown Hawks and St. Cloud Apollo Eagles, Hermantown found the edge to win 2-0 and punch their ticket to their sixth straight boys hockey Class A Championship game. 

After a scoreless first period, Hawks sophomore Jesse Jacques scored in the second period and junior Cole Koepke followed in the third period with another goal to give Hermantown the 2-0 win. The stout efforts of St. Cloud Apollo's defense and goaltender Nick Althaus held the high-flying Hawks offense to under three goals for only the second time this season. In the Hermantown net, Luke Olson posted his second straight shutout, blocking all 13 Eagles shots.

With Hermantown's berth into a sixth straight championship, the Hawks beat a tournament record previously shared by Eveleth and International Falls, who each had streaks of 5 consecutive championship appearances under their belts.

Saturday's Class A Championship is a rematch of the 2014 Class A Championship game between the Hawks and Green Wave of East Grand Forks. In that game, EGF posted a 7-3 win to claim the Class A title. The Hawks and Green Wave have met once since last March, with Hermantown winning 3-0 on December 31. The rematch between these two teams takes place at noon on Saturday (March 7) at the Xcel Energy Center.