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M H J O N L I N E . C O M | D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 18 I know that's warm and fluffy...but that's the truth. That's what it is. That's what makes it go." For Andrews, it meant his father went from not playing and knowing very little about hockey to coaching. These days, it's a little different. The support still comes from the community. Andrews knows he can drop his son off at the rink on a Saturday and know someone else will be watching out for him, and vice versa. Hermantown's success on the ice means the community is filled with plenty of coaches who did not learn the game out of a book. "From Mites coaches on up, we have ex-Di- vision 1 players and ex-pro players coaching our teams," Andrews says. "All of our guys who have had success with Hermantown hockey as it was taking off, they are at that age where they are coming back and they are in the program. There's a lot of UMD Bulldogs that wanted to stay in the area and wanted to stay too, so we have that influx of tremendous hockey knowledge. "There's so much hockey knowledge in the program that, as a head hockey coach at the pinnacle, at the top of it, I don't have to worry about what's going on with our youth program because it's great." One of those parents and coaches includes Sandelin, whose children went through the Hermantown program. The system reminded him of growing up in Hibbing with an outdoor rink a half a block away from his house. " When I first moved to Hermantown, I was really impressed with seeing the five outdoor rinks they had. I didn't know they had this," he said. "The rinks were full. The kids were going there right after school and they get some open ice. So I think continuing to have that ability to get that ice time and have some fun is very critical." THE TRICKLE EFFECT As both Minnesota Duluth and the Duluth area as a whole continue to find success, it's apparent that the two are intertwined. The 2011 NCAA championship was a massive moment for those growing up wanting to be Bulldogs. "I hope the more success we have that it trickles down to those kids," said Sandelin. "I don't know if it helps them so much, but hopefully it does a little bit and maybe gets them excited about becoming a better hockey play- er themselves." Biondi, whose father Joe played for UMD in the 1980s, was one of them. He was at Xcel Energy Center, a moment that solidified him wanting to be a Bulldog. So was Samberg. He was there in 2018 as well, helping win the program's second championship alongside two other Hermantown natives and two more local players. "We were a good community. After 2011, people saw a couple guys— Chad Huttel, who is a Hermantown native, and Kyle Schmidt, who scored the game-winning goal—that was pretty cool," Samberg said. "A lot of the younger guys looked up to that and wanted to do that themselves. It drove them to be better hockey players." While Sandelin makes an effort to reach out to the com- munity with his team, it's not just at the college level where younger players look up to older players. DAHA programs see high school players encouraged to be at the rink to play with the younger kids. They are able to go from the youth levels to high school to potentially Division 1 and beyond. And whether it's outdoors or indoors, Duluth and the entire area remains an example to others. It's no miracle that the community continues to be near the top of the hockey world. Make no mistake, it is a community effort. Volunteers and parents and the community as a whole play a role. "Success breeds success. You have the high-end hockey at different levels and the best at each level," Biondi said. "I've thought of it the same way and so do a lot of people in the area." "Now the outdoor rinks are such a part of our culture at Hermantown. That is our hockey culture, that is our hockey success," added Andrews. "The ADM Model that USA Hockey is pushing out where it's all about small-area games and puck touches comes because most places in the country and even Minnesota don't have any outdoor ice anymore. Kids aren't learning to be creative and learn to play like a rink rat. "We're fortunate enough that our kids are able to do that all the time. It's such a part of our community." Whether it's players like Biondi and Samberg, moving up from youth to high school and college and inspire the next generation, or the fun of a sold-out arena, or the excitement that comes with playing as part of the only outdoor hockey association in North America, there are les- sons other communities can take away. Even for those places where outdoor ice may not be an option. "You want to see that kids are having fun and want to play," Sandelin said. "Hopefully, you can add new kids along the way, but it's about making the sport fun. That's a big part of it because sometimes when you don't have the numbers it's hard to get the quality of programs." That hasn't been an issue in Duluth, a place where the sport contin- ues to be a boost and part of the fabric that makes up the area. "Duluth has just got that rich history going back, starting with those outdoor rinks. I think the biggest thing you can say about Duluth hockey is that we have one foot in the old school and one foot in the new school," Watt said. "I think that serves us well." Photos / MHJ Archives "Success breeds success. You have the high-end hockey at different levels and the best at each level. I've thought of it the same way and so do a lot of people in the area." THE DULUTH WAY