Pat Andrews always wanted to be from a hockey town. 

He said as much after his Hermantown Hawks returned to the school after a runner-up finish in the 1998 Class 1A State Tournament. 

“I remember saying something to the effect of wanting to be from a hockey community,” Andrews said on Monday afternoon. 

“I always wished we had a tradition at Hermantown like (Grand) Rapids and the Warraod’s and the Cloquet’s,” Andrews continued. 

“I never in my wildest dreams thought that what has happened in the last twenty years and how (it’s) totally changed.”

Totally changed is one way to put it. 

The Hawks have been nothing short of dominant over the last two decades, making the trip to St. Paul for the state tournament 13 times since Andrews’ 1998 team fell to Eveleth-Gilbert in the finals.

Highlighting that run of appearances were eight consecutive appearances in the championship game, a crown the Hawks claimed three times including back-to-back title victories in 2016 and 2017.

The architect of that unprecedented run, Bruce Plante, stepped down after the season, and Andrews is the chosen son of Hermantown to fill the void.

Plante’s retirement has understandably heightened the media attention surrounding the Hawks, with questions abounding about how Andrews will adjust to filling the skates of a giant. 

“I don’t get tired of answering that type of question, (but) I am ready to practice,” Andrews said with a chuckle. 

“You know you’re going to get those questions, and you should get those questions,” Andrews added. 

“Most of us probably wouldn’t be here without him,” Andrews said of Plante, whom he still refers to as Coach, which Andrews says is equally a term of endearment and respect.

"Besides being called a husband and father, I don't think there's a greater honor than somebody calling you coach," Andrews said.

“It still doesn’t feel right to say the name (Bruce). “

"He’s Coach, and he’ll always be Coach.”

This season, a new kettle of Hawks will call Andrews their coach, a group that still features several standouts despite losing a loaded senior class.

Senior forward Tyler Watkins racked up 22 goals and 50 points last season, and powerplay maestro and junior defenseman Darian Gotz will look to build on his first varsity campaign of 17 assists and 20 points. 

“I don’t think people realize how great of a young class we had last year behind these guys,” Andrews said, citing Upper Midwest High School Elite League standouts Watkins, Gotz, and incoming sophomore Blake Biondi. 

“I expect them to step up and play big for us this year.”

The Hawks will be playing big for a group of coaches that are certainly no strangers to the Hawk program. 

“Matt Swanson is the only guy not from Hermantown, but he was Coach Plante’s goalie coach, so he’s been around for thirty years,” Andrews explained.

The hometown staff will be tasked with guiding the Hawks through an excruciatingly tough schedule, which features matchups against Class 2A powers Eden Prairie, Grand Rapids (twice), and Minnetonka among others. 

To run through that gauntlet, Andrews will need to tap into his seemingly boundless energy, which he credits to his career in the classroom and behind the bench as a social studies teacher and longtime bench boss. 

“When I come to work every day, I’m not coming into an office building with a bunch of adults who don’t really want to be there,” Andrews said. 

“(Kids) have a great energy to them, and I think it’s contagious,” Andrews continued.

After he’s done molding minds in the classroom, Andrews heads to the Hermantown Arena, where he finds his puck bliss.  

“And then going to the rink? How can you not be excited to go to the rink every day?” Andrews said.

“It’s the greatest place in the world.”