Northern Star: Will Peterson
Peterson has become the voice of the Hermantown Hawks boys hockey team.
HERMANTOWN, Minn.- In this week’s Northern Star, we’re taking a step off the ice and going behind the scenes. Where we’ll meet a senior at Hermantown high school who has become the voice of the Hawks boys hockey team.
Will Peterson, a Hermantown native who over the past few years found a passion for calling play by play for the boys hockey team. However, his path to being on the call came unexpectedly.
“It was never really a planned thing, I never set out my life saying ‘Yeah I want to be a play by play broadcaster,’ so I started as the equipment manager here my sophomore year and the rink manager, Dave Huddle, just came up to me and said ‘Hey we need somebody to do this, doesn’t have to be anything too glamorous, but would you be willing to?’ and took it,” says Peterson, “I did eight games my sophomore year and people gave really positive feed back so then junior year kept building upon it, started working for different hockey media companies and then this year is kind of a culmination of it all, in my last year where it’s starting to feel like a real palpable profession.”
Equipment manager turned play by play broadcaster. Believe it or not Peterson never actually took the ice himself, but says growing up in Hermantown you learn a thing or two about the game.
“I never played hockey coming up but, obviously growing up in Hermantown, all your friends are hockey players. It’s a way of life. So, growing up in Hermantown you’re enriched in that even if you’re not playing the game. So being a part of that, being with the guys and follow along with the team and everything, it’s been really special,” says Peterson.
Will doesn’t just bring the audience to Hermantown Ice Arena, he also provides a glimpse behind the curtain.
“You see the success year over year, but also getting behind the scenes and seeing what leads into it, even just watching practices, you’ll see them execute a certain system and then it’s Wednesday night at AMSOIL against Duluth Denfeld and that system leads to our second goal, it’s kind of cool seeing the x’s and o’s come together but then also to kind of weave that knowledge into the broadcast as well and kind of eliminate that third wall between you and the viewer,” says Peterson.
Peterson’s career on the headset has come to close, but it’s probably not the last we’ll hear of Will Peterson.
“It’s crazy from where I started sophomore year and then to continually build year over year, to the point now where I feel like I’m putting out truly professional broadcasts and to have people genuinely listening to me, it’s not just my mom. No to have people respect me professionally at such a young age, it’s such a great honor. So I believe if I’m just able to keep putting in the work and have another successful job on the side, I can continue to follow this as a passion,” says Peterson.
