St. Cloud Cathedral overcomes Hermantown for the Class 1A boys hockey state championship

The two most pivotal games on St. Cloud Cathedral’s schedule this season came with Hermantown on the opposing bench. The first time was Jan. 11, a Crusaders loss at home.

“I challenged these guys to go 15-0 down the stretch,” Crusaders coach Robbie Stocker said. “And the crazy thing is, we did it.”

That 15th consecutive victory happened in Saturday’s Class 1A state championship game. The No. 3 seed Crusaders upset top seed Hermantown 3-1 at Xcel Energy Center. It’s the second state title for St. Cloud Cathedral, which also won in 2019.

Where does this Cathedral team rank among others? The Crusaders have made a dozen trips to the state tournament.

“Probably top two because we’re the only other team to get a ‘chip,’” senior winger Andrew Dwinnell said.

The offensive production for the Crusaders (26-4-1) came from — where else? — the top line. Dwinnell scored the first two goals, giving his team an early 1-0 lead before a second goal in the third period. John Hirschfeld assisted on a pair of goals, while Joey Gillespie had two assists before he sealed the victory for a 3-0 lead with 4:45 remaining in regulation.

Hermantown coach Patrick Andrews called the Crusaders’ top line “sneaky good.”

“They don’t overpower you,” Andrews said. “All of a sudden they have a 3-on-2 or a 2-on-1 from below the dots.”

The other star of the show for the Crusaders was senior goaltender Nick Hansen, who made 28 saves and finished the season 19-0-1. Hansen, along with his defenders, kept Hermantown (20-9-2) off the board until A.J. Francisco scored with the extra attacker on with 1:14 left in the game. The Hawks went 0-for-3 on the power play.

Cathedral won the consolation championship last season, and Stocker said after this year’s quarterfinals that the Crusaders were just “happy to be here” in the 2023 state tournament.

“But we came this year, we were a pretty driven group,” Stocker said. “We set our goals at the beginning of the season, and No. 1 was to win the state championship. And I think every team says that at the beginning of the year. But this group truly believed in it. And they truly dedicated themselves to doing this.”

Hermantown, in its 20th trip to state, fell short of winning its second state championship in three years and fifth overall. The Hawks won Class 1A titles in 2007, 2016, 2017 and 2022.

Andrew Dwinnell, St. Cloud Cathedral forward: Scored the first two goals to give Cathedral the lead. Finishes with 29 goals this season.

Joey Gillespie, St. Cloud Cathedral forward: Seemingly sealed victory for the Crusaders when he made it 3-0 late in the third period. Also assisted on the first two goals. Team leader with 32 goals this season.

Nick Hansen, St. Cloud Cathedral goaltender: Finishes the season with a 19-0-1 record after making 77 saves in the tournament, including 28 on Saturday.

7: Multi-goal games this season for St. Cloud Cathedral senior forward Andrew Dwinnell.

56: Assists this season for John Hirschfeld, St. Cloud Cathedral junior forward. He assisted on two goals on Saturday.

9: Runner-up finishes for Hermantown in the Class 1A tournament in 20 trips