The Class A tournament continued to go according to chalk on Semifinal Friday when #2 seed Hermantown defeated New Prague 4-2, and the tournament's top seed, East Grand Forks, got a third period game-winning goal from Tanner Tweten to hold off St. Cloud Cathedral 2-1. The two teams will now face-off on Saturday afternoon for the Class A title.
For Hermantown, this will be their fifth consecutive trip to the Class A final game, though they have fallen in the previous four Class A finals. East Grand Forks victory over St. Cloud Cathedral guarantees that the Class A winner will be a public school for the first time since Hermantown won the title in 2007.
The final will be match-up of two teams with excellent defenses that like to play a very physical brand of hockey, and some strong forwards that can put the puck in the net. The two teams did not meet during the course of the regular season, though scores against common opponents suggest the two teams are pretty evenly matched.