Hermantown Gets Last Second Win Against Hibbing

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Feb 19

Wes Vork-NSO

The old saying goes “It isn’t over ’til it’s over.” The Hermantown Hawks proved this saying true in Friday’s hockey matchup against Hibbing. Adam Krause scored the last of three goals in the final 1:08 of the game to give the Hawks a 5-4 home win over Hibbing.

The final game of the regular season for both teams started with each trying to feel the other out. The first goal wasn’t recorded until Ryan Johnson scored for Hibbing-Chisholm at the 11:35 mark of the first period. In a period that saw several penalties called, Hibbing was able to take advantage when Johnson scored his second goal of the period on a Bluejacket power play at 16:01, giving Hibbing-Chisholm a 2-0 lead after one period.

All of the second period scoring belonged to the Hawks with Krause scoring at 5:10 and the assist going to Chad Bakker. Hermantown was able to tie the game at 12:47 when Jared Kolquist notched an unassisted tally sending both teams to the second intermission tied at 2 goals apiece.

The fans saw a great return on their ticket investment in the third period. A total of five goals were scored, including three by the home team. Krause got things started by scoring his second goal of the game at 2:35 into the third period, giving Hermantown its first lead at 3-2. That lead would last until the 10:25 mark when Marcus Bugliosi scored for Hibbing-Chisholm, tying the game at 3-3. Just when it appeared overtime was in store, Johnson completed
a hat trick by scoring his third goal of the game, putting the Bluejackets up 4-3 and setting up a wild ending with 1:08 left in regulation.

With little time to work with, the Hawks pulled goalie Tyler Ampe for an extra skater, allowing the Hawks to put pressure on Hibbing’s goalie. That pressure paid off when, with 36 seconds left in regulation, Charlie Comnick tied the game at 4-4. His assists went to Conner Hady and Garrett Skrbich. Before the announcement of Comnick’s goal could be completed, , Krause scored just eight seconds later (assisted by Skrbich and Jeff Paczynski), picking up a hat trick of his own and
giving the Hawks the 5-4 win.

Ampe picked up the win by making 14 saves on 18 shots on goal, while his counterpart Nathan Tromp saved 34-39 shots for the Bluejackets.

The Hawks finish the season on a five game winning streak and a 22-3 overall record. With the number one seed, Hermantown receives a first round bye in the upcoming Section 5A playoffs. They will host either #8 North Branch or #9 Moose Lake Area in a quarterfinal matchup on February 25 at 7:00pm

Wes Vork can be reached at wes@northlandsportsonline.com