Cadets down Hermantown in Randolph’s return to the Twin Ports – Duluth News Tribune

HERMANTOWN — It was a long night for Hermantown forwards in their matchup against St. Thomas Academy.

The Cadets are typically a strong defensive squad and they showed why it has helped them to a No. 8 ranking in Class AA when they shut out the Hawks 3-0 Friday in Hermantown.

The Hawks weren’t as sharp as normal, but it wasn’t a lack of focus, according to Hermantown coach Pat Andrews.

“Part of that is St. Thomas, they just make it hard,” Andrews said. “I thought it was a great game in some ways. We had good effort, but they make it hard to get to the house and we generally do too — they didn’t have that many good looks either. I just think their two tips went in and tips didn’t. We needed to generate more — we can’t not score.”

Cadets coach Mike Randolph, who spent more than three decades on the bench with Duluth East, was happy with the way his team played defensively, especially with three defensemen out and two freshmen playing quality minutes, but that’s also why he tries to load the schedule with teams like Edina, Benilde-St. Margaret’s and other top programs.

“We’ve worked really hard defensively, because if you’re going to play a really tough schedule, you learn that you’re not going to have the puck,” Randolph said. “If you want the puck, you better learn to play without it or you’re not going to have it — the only time you will is when you pick it up out of the net. I thought defensively, we kept a lot of shots outside and we believe we’ve got a goalie that’ll stop those shots. I was really proud of our guys and the way they played.”

Cody Niesen stopped 33 shots for STA, with Jimmy Savoral and Gus Olson scoring about 3 minutes apart in the second period and Niko Russ adding an empty net goal late in the third period.

For Hermantown, it’s a tough stretch with Maple Grove, the fifth-ranked Class AA team, coming to town…