The Hermantown Thread

[hockey59]

Hermantown is hillarious. Part of me hopes they never move up so they continue to look so foolish

Agreed. I feel so bad for them.

I truly do hope they move up because it’s in the best interest of their PLAYERS. If this wasn’t the case, I wouldn’t give 2 rips about this entire FUBAR situation. But it’s like the old saying “a little bit of knowledge can be dangerous” and that’s evidently the case with their school administrators...and already has been the case for several years now

[kniven]

Hermantown is hillarious. Part of me hopes they never move up so they continue to look so foolish

Agreed. I feel so bad for them.

I truly do hope they move up because it’s in the best interest of their PLAYERS. If this wasn’t the case, I wouldn’t give 2 rips about this entire FUBAR situation. But it’s like the old saying “a little bit of knowledge can be dangerous” and that’s evidently the case with their school administrators...and already has been the case for several years now

I just feel bad that they themselves don’t think they can compete in 7AA for a trip to state.

[greenwayraider]

Are you kidding me? Feel bad for them? I hope you are being sarcastic. They KNOW they can compete every year for the 7AA championship. They compete at the youth level and they consistently beat top ten AA teams during the season. They prefer being the big fish in a little pond.

[elliott70]

I hope they stay in A for no other reason than to keep Greenway at home.

Antonovich sucks.


Go Broncos!!!




j/k

[kniven]

Are you kidding me? Feel bad for them? I hope you are being sarcastic. They KNOW they can compete every year for the 7AA championship. They compete at the youth level and they consistently beat top ten AA teams during the season. They prefer being the big fish in a little pond.

I do feel bad that they choose to be mentally ill. They play AA in peewee and bantams in the regular season and playoffs and any state tournament. Somewhere between bantams and high school, they get ill. They choose to be laughed at instead of respected. It is sad.

[northwoods oldtimer]

Are you kidding me? Feel bad for them? I hope you are being sarcastic. They KNOW they can compete every year for the 7AA championship. They compete at the youth level and they consistently beat top ten AA teams during the season. They prefer being the big fish in a little pond.

I do feel bad that they choose to be mentally ill. They play AA in peewee and bantams in the regular season and playoffs and any state tournament. Somewhere between bantams and high school, they get ill. They choose to be laughed at instead of respected. It is sad.

I am not sure that it is sad, its more like illogical to remain in class single A with the progression of the program. I'd venture to say that is what baffles majority of hockey fans outside the community of Hermantown.

Seriously is Scott Pionk the only hockey guy in Hermantown that wishes to see a move to AA level? Lots of alumni in that community, what is with the silence on the subject?

[rainier2]

Agreed. I feel so bad for them.

I truly do hope they move up because it’s in the best interest of their PLAYERS. If this wasn’t the case, I wouldn’t give 2 rips about this entire FUBAR situation. But it’s like the old saying “a little bit of knowledge can be dangerous” and that’s evidently the case with their school administrators...and already has been the case for several years now

I just feel bad that they themselves don’t think they can compete in 7AA for a trip to state.

I feel bad for the players. Year after year, they either win or play tight games against the top AA teams in the state, yet come playoff time they get demoted. Instead of giving a supercharged effort to take down one of the metro mega-schools, they have to give their 4th lines and 3rd pp units heavy minutes to avoid beating a small community team by more than ten goals. While the AD gets to feel "comfortable", the kids are the ones taking crap during games and on social media for sandbagging. Those players KNOW they can beat any AA in the state, so how excited do they really get for the Class A tournament?

I'm starting to feel sorry for coach Andrews too. He has said publicly that they are ready for AA, but it isn't his decision to make. What more does the AD need? I have an idea for the AD, how about you let the person that you picked to run your program, you know, actually run the program!!! Which means letting him decide which class those kids can compete in.

[kniven]

Are you kidding me? Feel bad for them? I hope you are being sarcastic. They KNOW they can compete every year for the 7AA championship. They compete at the youth level and they consistently beat top ten AA teams during the season. They prefer being the big fish in a little pond.

I do feel bad that they choose to be mentally ill. They play AA in peewee and bantams in the regular season and playoffs and any state tournament. Somewhere between bantams and high school, they get ill. They choose to be laughed at instead of respected. It is sad.

I am not sure that it is sad, its more like illogical to remain in class single A with the progression of the program. I'd venture to say that is what baffles majority of hockey fans outside the community of Hermantown.

Seriously is Scott Pionk the only hockey guy in Hermantown that wishes to see a move to AA level? Lots of alumni in that community, what is with the silence on the subject?

I can’t imagine respecting anybody more in Hermantown when it comes to high school hockey.

[pekyman]

I truly do hope they move up because it’s in the best interest of their PLAYERS. If this wasn’t the case, I wouldn’t give 2 rips about this entire FUBAR situation. But it’s like the old saying “a little bit of knowledge can be dangerous” and that’s evidently the case with their school administrators...and already has been the case for several years now

I just feel bad that they themselves don’t think they can compete in 7AA for a trip to state.

I feel bad for the players. Year after year, they either win or play tight games against the top AA teams in the state, yet come playoff time they get demoted. Instead of giving a supercharged effort to take down one of the metro mega-schools, they have to give their 4th lines and 3rd pp units heavy minutes to avoid beating a small community team by more than ten goals. While the AD gets to feel "comfortable", the kids are the ones taking crap during games and on social media for sandbagging. Those players KNOW they can beat any AA in the state, so how excited do they really get for the Class A tournament?

I'm starting to feel sorry for coach Andrews too. He has said publicly that they are ready for AA, but it isn't his decision to make. What more does the AD need? I have an idea for the AD, how about you let the person that you picked to run your program, you know, actually run the program!!! Which means letting him decide which class those kids can compete in.

You are right in pointing your finger at the AD. In my opinion has little understanding or appreciation of the boys hockey program.

[Dog]

Duluth News Tribune article about Hermantown ruining Northern Class A Hockey:

https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/sport ... tus-debate

It's nice to see (at least one) Hermantown parent has integrity when it comes to this single a BS...and by no coincidence... his son currently plays in the NHL...his name is...Scott Pionk

Scott Pionk is my hero!

I was particularly impressed how much emphasis he puts on the Hawks' dominance hurting small Northland programs, as opposed to just focusing on them being good enough for AA. It's great that he sees the bigger picture.

I hope every Hermantown decision maker and parent reads this article, so they realize just how strong their program is now. They are as good as any AA program at this point, and the kids should be given the chance to prove it.

AD Clark only says a few words, but they encapsulate perfectly the problem with Hermantown in Class A: "RIght now, were not going to move up. We're comfortable where we're at." Being comfortable is not a good place to be in life, AD Clark. Successful people (and hockey programs) push themselves to do better, always taking on the next challenge once the last one has been mastered.

My only issue with the article is how Mr. St. George characterized Hermantown's enrollment as being on par with TRF. While numerically true, functionally the enrollments of the schools couldn't be more different. 150,000 people live within a 15 minute drive of open-enrollment-happy Hermantown, while TRF program has only the 8,800 people that live in the isolated town. Hermantown defenders, either willingly or ignorantly, do not grasp the incredible advantage this gives them.

But, I love the hard numbers St. George gave about Hermantown's 7A dominance. They are eye-popping.

It appears Hermantown will be in A for the next two years. Sadly, this means Greenway will not be going to state at all with their excellent group, and the great bantam crop from Denfeld will have to wait until their senior year for a legitimate shot, assuming Hermantown finally does move in two years.

What I'd really like to see is the Hermantown players post an open letter stating their position.

As a guy who's watched and been a part of the Denfeld program the last few years I agree with all above except the last part: just assuming the is no chance unless Hermantown moves up.

The Denfeld group has assumed they wouldn't move up for the last two years and have been preparing past it.

Without getting into the details of what Denfeld is doing, the boys have been preparing, training, building up the schedules over time and building "hate" as they go (a powerful word but a good motivator if used right). I actually liked that when the game was "gone" that Hermantown kept playing just the first two lines against Denfeld when Denfeld played 3rd and 4th lines. It just builds it up more (still have to use it right...at the right time). The attitude has shifted from "seriously, move up already" to not wanting them to move up in order to be the first to knock them out of going to state.

Andrew's was particularly disappointing but not surprising. He went from "We're ready to move up (and should)" last year to "no comment" this week.... Why?... Seriously, why would a grown man change his public stance so drastically? A "no comment" is a really weak stance in general but especially from his previous one... (before he didn't come home with the right banner).

He must have thought he could just step in and win it easily. That's really the only reason you could logically say that he changed his stance, he wants to win it all so he changed his mind but doesn't have the nards to say it publically.
Who cares.
They built a good, solid program, made it better with hard work and with some outside help. They're good....oh well... beat them! That's the attitude you need to take or you're f'd from the start.

The next 3 years at least look really for Denfeld. They're preparing hard to knock them off and I can honestly say I trust the leadership and tutelage of coaches Jago, Johnson and Geris over the really weak response I saw from the new "dear leader" over the hill.

Side note: Scott Pionk remains a stalwart supporter of the game of hockey, and especially of all the kids in the 218 area and I couldn't have much more respect for the man. He's always helped kids from many different associations. He says it like it is because it's good for hockey and doesn't care that some people may not like it. Bravo sir!

[rainier2]

It's nice to see (at least one) Hermantown parent has integrity when it comes to this single a BS...and by no coincidence... his son currently plays in the NHL...his name is...Scott Pionk

Scott Pionk is my hero!

I was particularly impressed how much emphasis he puts on the Hawks' dominance hurting small Northland programs, as opposed to just focusing on them being good enough for AA. It's great that he sees the bigger picture.

I hope every Hermantown decision maker and parent reads this article, so they realize just how strong their program is now. They are as good as any AA program at this point, and the kids should be given the chance to prove it.

AD Clark only says a few words, but they encapsulate perfectly the problem with Hermantown in Class A: "RIght now, were not going to move up. We're comfortable where we're at." Being comfortable is not a good place to be in life, AD Clark. Successful people (and hockey programs) push themselves to do better, always taking on the next challenge once the last one has been mastered.

My only issue with the article is how Mr. St. George characterized Hermantown's enrollment as being on par with TRF. While numerically true, functionally the enrollments of the schools couldn't be more different. 150,000 people live within a 15 minute drive of open-enrollment-happy Hermantown, while TRF program has only the 8,800 people that live in the isolated town. Hermantown defenders, either willingly or ignorantly, do not grasp the incredible advantage this gives them.

But, I love the hard numbers St. George gave about Hermantown's 7A dominance. They are eye-popping.

It appears Hermantown will be in A for the next two years. Sadly, this means Greenway will not be going to state at all with their excellent group, and the great bantam crop from Denfeld will have to wait until their senior year for a legitimate shot, assuming Hermantown finally does move in two years.

What I'd really like to see is the Hermantown players post an open letter stating their position.

As a guy who's watched and been a part of the Denfeld program the last few years I agree with all above except the last part: just assuming the is no chance unless Hermantown moves up.

The Denfeld group has assumed they wouldn't move up for the last two years and have been preparing past it.

Without getting into the details of what Denfeld is doing, the boys have been preparing, training, building up the schedules over time and building "hate" as they go (a powerful word but a good motivator if used right). I actually liked that when the game was "gone" that Hermantown kept playing just the first two lines against Denfeld when Denfeld played 3rd and 4th lines. It just builds it up more (still have to use it right...at the right time). The attitude has shifted from "seriously, move up already" to not wanting them to move up in order to be the first to knock them out of going to state.

Andrew's was particularly disappointing but not surprising. He went from "We're ready to move up (and should)" last year to "no comment" this week.... Why?... Seriously, why would a grown man change his public stance so drastically? A "no comment" is a really weak stance in general but especially from his previous one... (before he didn't come home with the right banner).

He must have thought he could just step in and win it easily. That's really the only reason you could logically say that he changed his stance, he wants to win it all so he changed his mind but doesn't have the nards to say it publically.
Who cares.
They built a good, solid program, made it better with hard work and with some outside help. They're good....oh well... beat them! That's the attitude you need to take or you're f'd from the start.

The next 3 years at least look really for Denfeld. They're preparing hard to knock them off and I can honestly say I trust the leadership and tutelage of coaches Jago, Johnson and Geris over the really weak response I saw from the new "dear leader" over the hill.

Side note: Scott Pionk remains a stalwart supporter of the game of hockey, and especially of all the kids in the 218 area and I couldn't have much more respect for the man. He's always helped kids from many different associations. He says it like it is because it's good for hockey and doesn't care that some people may not like it. Bravo sir!

I admire your mindset, but I've seen this movie a couple times now, so I just can't get excited that one good class in a 7A team is going to knock off Hermantown. Hibbing and Greenway over the past couple years have shown that one great class or a great class and-a-half just isn't enough.

I'm not picking on Denfeld, but when I compare their bantam A results to those of Hermantown's AA results vs common opponents, they look pretty similar. And the Denfeld PWA team seems really weak this year, so it doesn't appear they will add much sophomore talent to boost the Denfeld class, while the Hermantown PWAAs are playing competitive games vs every top AA team in the state.

So, here's how it stacks up:
-The current Hermantown varsity, which is as good as any AA team in the state, will only lose 4 players to graduation.
-To this juggernaut they will add a bantam class that appears to be about as good as the great Denfeld bantam class.
-The next year, the incoming Hermantown bantam class was ranked #8 in AA as PWs a year ago.
-And the eventual sophomore class for Hermantown is competitive with almost all AA youth programs.

I see the Denfeld bantams and pee wees both had good records last year, but they did it against a very Class A-heavy schedule, while Hermantown's teams were playing Edina, Eden Prairie, Tonka, etc. on a regular basis. Hibbing's great bantam group with Perunovich opted up to AA for bantams, and they were competitive with the top AA teams for crying out loud, yet when they got to HS Hermantown destroyed them. It was eye-opening.

Again, I like your mindset, and I would like nothing more than to see any 7A team knock off the Hawks. If the Hunters can get it done you can serve me a big plate of crow and I will gladly eat it.

[northwoods oldtimer]

It's nice to see (at least one) Hermantown parent has integrity when it comes to this single a BS...and by no coincidence... his son currently plays in the NHL...his name is...Scott Pionk

Scott Pionk is my hero!

I was particularly impressed how much emphasis he puts on the Hawks' dominance hurting small Northland programs, as opposed to just focusing on them being good enough for AA. It's great that he sees the bigger picture.

I hope every Hermantown decision maker and parent reads this article, so they realize just how strong their program is now. They are as good as any AA program at this point, and the kids should be given the chance to prove it.

AD Clark only says a few words, but they encapsulate perfectly the problem with Hermantown in Class A: "RIght now, were not going to move up. We're comfortable where we're at." Being comfortable is not a good place to be in life, AD Clark. Successful people (and hockey programs) push themselves to do better, always taking on the next challenge once the last one has been mastered.

My only issue with the article is how Mr. St. George characterized Hermantown's enrollment as being on par with TRF. While numerically true, functionally the enrollments of the schools couldn't be more different. 150,000 people live within a 15 minute drive of open-enrollment-happy Hermantown, while TRF program has only the 8,800 people that live in the isolated town. Hermantown defenders, either willingly or ignorantly, do not grasp the incredible advantage this gives them.

But, I love the hard numbers St. George gave about Hermantown's 7A dominance. They are eye-popping.

It appears Hermantown will be in A for the next two years. Sadly, this means Greenway will not be going to state at all with their excellent group, and the great bantam crop from Denfeld will have to wait until their senior year for a legitimate shot, assuming Hermantown finally does move in two years.

What I'd really like to see is the Hermantown players post an open letter stating their position.

As a guy who's watched and been a part of the Denfeld program the last few years I agree with all above except the last part: just assuming the is no chance unless Hermantown moves up.

The Denfeld group has assumed they wouldn't move up for the last two years and have been preparing past it.

Without getting into the details of what Denfeld is doing, the boys have been preparing, training, building up the schedules over time and building "hate" as they go (a powerful word but a good motivator if used right). I actually liked that when the game was "gone" that Hermantown kept playing just the first two lines against Denfeld when Denfeld played 3rd and 4th lines. It just builds it up more (still have to use it right...at the right time). The attitude has shifted from "seriously, move up already" to not wanting them to move up in order to be the first to knock them out of going to state.

Andrew's was particularly disappointing but not surprising. He went from "We're ready to move up (and should)" last year to "no comment" this week.... Why?... Seriously, why would a grown man change his public stance so drastically? A "no comment" is a really weak stance in general but especially from his previous one... (before he didn't come home with the right banner).

He must have thought he could just step in and win it easily. That's really the only reason you could logically say that he changed his stance, he wants to win it all so he changed his mind but doesn't have the nards to say it publically.
Who cares.
They built a good, solid program, made it better with hard work and with some outside help. They're good....oh well... beat them! That's the attitude you need to take or you're f'd from the start.

The next 3 years at least look really for Denfeld. They're preparing hard to knock them off and I can honestly say I trust the leadership and tutelage of coaches Jago, Johnson and Geris over the really weak response I saw from the new "dear leader" over the hill.

Side note: Scott Pionk remains a stalwart supporter of the game of hockey, and especially of all the kids in the 218 area and I couldn't have much more respect for the man. He's always helped kids from many different associations. He says it like it is because it's good for hockey and doesn't care that some people may not like it. Bravo sir!

Why is Scott Pionk the only "hockey guy" in Hermantown calling for a move up to AA level? Can anybody answer that question? With enough hockey clout pressure that wimp of an AD would cave in to a move up. The hockey athletes at Hermantown deserve a better fate than what is being dealt by their AD handler.

[CanAm Hockey]

Here's a thought... All Section 7A teams should drop Hermantown from their regular season schedule, so they have to pick up 8 or so games throughout the year. They can keep traveling to the Cities to play those AA games they do throughout their entire youth seasons. 7A teams need to band together and show them enough is enough. And like Scott Pionk pointed out, "play where they belong, and quit taking away from small school Northern Mn hockey!"

[greenwayraider]

Here's a thought... All Section 7A teams should drop Hermantown from their regular season schedule, so they have to pick up 8 or so games throughout the year. They can keep traveling to the Cities to play those AA games they do throughout their entire youth seasons. 7A teams need to band together and show them enough is enough. And like Scott Pionk pointed out, "play where they belong, and quit taking away from small school Northern Mn hockey!"

Great suggestion. The Range schools could easily do that but Denfeld and Proctor probably couldn’t because they are in the same conference. Maybe the MSHSL could actually do something helpful for a change and put in the “Hermantown Rule”. If you play AA in youth hockey you must play AA at the high school level.

[zooomx]

"Why is Scott Pionk the only "hockey guy" in Hermantown calling for a move up to AA level? Can anybody answer that question? With enough hockey clout pressure that wimp of an AD would cave in to a move up. The hockey athletes at Hermantown deserve a better fate than what is being dealt by their AD handler."

Are we sure that Scott Pionk is the only hockey guy making a call for a move up? It seems to me that if he had zero support from his peers in HT, he wouldn't be stepping forward. I would guess he is one of at least a handful of hockey guys that feel this way and is most likely the obvious choice to step forward and say something. Seems like everyone has gone from trashing all of Hermantown to now trashing all but Pionk.

[elliott70]

Here's a thought... All Section 7A teams should drop Hermantown from their regular season schedule, so they have to pick up 8 or so games throughout the year. They can keep traveling to the Cities to play those AA games they do throughout their entire youth seasons. 7A teams need to band together and show them enough is enough. And like Scott Pionk pointed out, "play where they belong, and quit taking away from small school Northern Mn hockey!"

Great suggestion. The Range schools could easily do that but Denfeld and Proctor probably couldn’t because they are in the same conference. Maybe the MSHSL could actually do something helpful for a change and put in the “Hermantown Rule”. If you play AA in youth hockey you must play AA at the high school level.

Of course this "Hermantown rule" would effect others. Mahtomedi comes to mind. And how would they handle private schools such as St. Cloud Cathedral with kids coming from multiple associations.
It is a complex question. If - when Hermantown moves up will the fault shift to Denfeld?
St. Cloud Catholic is a dominate force in 6, at some point should they move up? Monticello?

[rainier2]

Here's a thought... All Section 7A teams should drop Hermantown from their regular season schedule, so they have to pick up 8 or so games throughout the year. They can keep traveling to the Cities to play those AA games they do throughout their entire youth seasons. 7A teams need to band together and show them enough is enough. And like Scott Pionk pointed out, "play where they belong, and quit taking away from small school Northern Mn hockey!"

Great suggestion. The Range schools could easily do that but Denfeld and Proctor probably couldn’t because they are in the same conference. Maybe the MSHSL could actually do something helpful for a change and put in the “Hermantown Rule”. If you play AA in youth hockey you must play AA at the high school level.

Of course this "Hermantown rule" would effect others. Mahtomedi comes to mind. And how would they handle private schools such as St. Cloud Cathedral with kids coming from multiple associations.
It is a complex question. If - when Hermantown moves up will the fault shift to Denfeld?
St. Cloud Catholic is a dominate force in 6, at some point should they move up? Monticello?

If/when those teams start routinely beating AA powerhouses, then yes, they should move up.

[greenwayraider]

The Hermantown rule would only affect those schools that play AA at the youth level. I have no problem with Cathedral. Don’t know what other A Schools play at the AA level but if Mahtomedi does move them to AA. For all the abuse private schools take I do give them credit for moving to AA when they commit to a stronger hockey program. Holy Family and Blake come to mind. Even St, Thomas eventually made the move. The Hermantown Rule would solve what many perceive as one of the biggest inequities in high school hockey.

[northwoods oldtimer]

"Why is Scott Pionk the only "hockey guy" in Hermantown calling for a move up to AA level? Can anybody answer that question? With enough hockey clout pressure that wimp of an AD would cave in to a move up. The hockey athletes at Hermantown deserve a better fate than what is being dealt by their AD handler."

Are we sure that Scott Pionk is the only hockey guy making a call for a move up? It seems to me that if he had zero support from his peers in HT, he wouldn't be stepping forward. I would guess he is one of at least a handful of hockey guys that feel this way and is most likely the obvious choice to step forward and say something. Seems like everyone has gone from trashing all of Hermantown to now trashing all but Pionk.

??
Well @zooomx please enlighten us with your inside knowledge. Seeing as the article mentions but 2 Hermantown hockey guys: Scott Pionk and current head coach Andrews with the coach backtracking from his earlier statements on the subject regarding move to AA.

[pekyman]

Here's a thought... All Section 7A teams should drop Hermantown from their regular season schedule, so they have to pick up 8 or so games throughout the year. They can keep traveling to the Cities to play those AA games they do throughout their entire youth seasons. 7A teams need to band together and show them enough is enough. And like Scott Pionk pointed out, "play where they belong, and quit taking away from small school Northern Mn hockey!"

Great suggestion. The Range schools could easily do that but Denfeld and Proctor probably couldn’t because they are in the same conference. Maybe the MSHSL could actually do something helpful for a change and put in the “Hermantown Rule”. If you play AA in youth hockey you must play AA at the high school level.

Of course this "Hermantown rule" would effect others. Mahtomedi comes to mind. And how would they handle private schools such as St. Cloud Cathedral with kids coming from multiple associations.
It is a complex question. If - when Hermantown moves up will the fault shift to Denfeld?
St. Cloud Catholic is a dominate force in 6, at some point should they move up? Monticello?

Before you would implement your "Hermantown Rule", ALL PRIVATE SCHOOLS need to be required to play AA. Private schools don't even have youth programs, and get all their players from the public schools that do. Too bad if some of them never have a chance at state. The majority of A and AA schools are in that same boat. Give them channel to opt down if they desire but let the section teams vote on it. The only thing that has kept SCC from dominating is Hermantown. If HT had not been in 5A those years SCC would have been at state. Also, comparing HT to a private school is a joke. I would be for a Hermantown Rule only if the privates were all moved to AA. Bottom line is there needs to be a system because this public opinion/pressure is not the right way to run a league.

[Jeffy95]

Here's a thought... All Section 7A teams should drop Hermantown from their regular season schedule, so they have to pick up 8 or so games throughout the year. They can keep traveling to the Cities to play those AA games they do throughout their entire youth seasons. 7A teams need to band together and show them enough is enough. And like Scott Pionk pointed out, "play where they belong, and quit taking away from small school Northern Mn hockey!"

Great suggestion. The Range schools could easily do that but Denfeld and Proctor probably couldn’t because they are in the same conference. Maybe the MSHSL could actually do something helpful for a change and put in the “Hermantown Rule”. If you play AA in youth hockey you must play AA at the high school level.

St. Cloud Catholic is a dominate force in 6, at some point should they move up?

How did Cathedral do at State last year? I can't find them in my program anywhere.

[kniven]

Great suggestion. The Range schools could easily do that but Denfeld and Proctor probably couldn’t because they are in the same conference. Maybe the MSHSL could actually do something helpful for a change and put in the “Hermantown Rule”. If you play AA in youth hockey you must play AA at the high school level.

Of course this "Hermantown rule" would effect others. Mahtomedi comes to mind. And how would they handle private schools such as St. Cloud Cathedral with kids coming from multiple associations.
It is a complex question. If - when Hermantown moves up will the fault shift to Denfeld?
St. Cloud Catholic is a dominate force in 6, at some point should they move up? Monticello?

Before you would implement your "Hermantown Rule", ALL PRIVATE SCHOOLS need to be required to play AA. Private schools don't even have youth programs, and get all their players from the public schools that do. Too bad if some of them never have a chance at state. The majority of A and AA schools are in that same boat. Give them channel to opt down if they desire but let the section teams vote on it. The only thing that has kept SCC from dominating is Hermantown. If HT had not been in 5A those years SCC would have been at state. Also, comparing HT to a private school is a joke. I would be for a Hermantown Rule only if the privates were all moved to AA. Bottom line is there needs to be a system because this public opinion/pressure is not the right way to run a league.

So only public schools are allowed to do this and not private schools in high school hockey.

[pekyman]

Of course this "Hermantown rule" would effect others. Mahtomedi comes to mind. And how would they handle private schools such as St. Cloud Cathedral with kids coming from multiple associations.
It is a complex question. If - when Hermantown moves up will the fault shift to Denfeld?
St. Cloud Catholic is a dominate force in 6, at some point should they move up? Monticello?

Before you would implement your "Hermantown Rule", ALL PRIVATE SCHOOLS need to be required to play AA. Private schools don't even have youth programs, and get all their players from the public schools that do. Too bad if some of them never have a chance at state. The majority of A and AA schools are in that same boat. Give them channel to opt down if they desire but let the section teams vote on it. The only thing that has kept SCC from dominating is Hermantown. If HT had not been in 5A those years SCC would have been at state. Also, comparing HT to a private school is a joke. I would be for a Hermantown Rule only if the privates were all moved to AA. Bottom line is there needs to be a system because this public opinion/pressure is not the right way to run a league.

So only public schools are allowed to do this and not private schools in high school hockey.

Let AA Schools petition to opt down... Sounds like another can of worms. Just require all private schools to play AA and leave it at that.

[kniven]

when it comes to Hermantown Hockey, I will cheer loudly for them when they represent the 218. As far as high school. Well, they take advantage of area code 218. I’ll pass on the high school until they choose to represent and not just take advantage of.

As far as Denfeld the next 3 to a zillion years, they have zero shot at ever defeating Hermantown. Maybe Cloquet, but not the Hawks.

[zooomx]

"Why is Scott Pionk the only "hockey guy" in Hermantown calling for a move up to AA level? Can anybody answer that question? With enough hockey clout pressure that wimp of an AD would cave in to a move up. The hockey athletes at Hermantown deserve a better fate than what is being dealt by their AD handler."

Are we sure that Scott Pionk is the only hockey guy making a call for a move up? It seems to me that if he had zero support from his peers in HT, he wouldn't be stepping forward. I would guess he is one of at least a handful of hockey guys that feel this way and is most likely the obvious choice to step forward and say something. Seems like everyone has gone from trashing all of Hermantown to now trashing all but Pionk.

??
Well @zooomx please enlighten us with your inside knowledge. Seeing as the article mentions but 2 Hermantown hockey guys: Scott Pionk and current head coach Andrews with the coach backtracking from his earlier statements on the subject regarding move to AA.

I do not have any inside knowledge. It just seems that it is a sillier assumption that everyone in HT, besides Pionk, is happy to stay at Class A versus the assumption that Pionk does not stand alone. People are calling out everyone in HT hockey. I am just saying there is a good chance that there are at least a handful of HT hockey people who would love to see them go to AA.