Hermantown earned the No. 1 seed for the Class A boys hockey state tournament Friday and will play unseeded Dodge County in a quarterfinal at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
The Hawks (19-1) were ranked second behind unbeaten Gentry Academy in the final Let’s Play Hockey poll, but the 17-time state tournament entrants and three-time state champions earned the top spot ahead of the tournament debutants.
Hermantown captured its 11th Section 7A title in the past 12 years with a 7-1 win over Duluth Denfeld — its 12th consecutive victory over the Hunters — in Thursday’s title game.
Dodge County is also making its first appearance at state after winning the Section 1A crown, 4-3 over Mankato West on Wednesday.
The winner of the Hermantown-Dodge County game will play the winner of the game between No. 4 Little Falls and No. 5 Delano on Friday, April 2. The championship game is set for 6 p.m. April 3.
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Due to changes relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, there are no consolation games this year.
