1977/78 Regular Season - South


It was a runaway league title for the Moose who finished 5 games ahead of the second place Owls, earning a top 10 ranking in the process. Owatonna, Faribault, and St. Peter kept it going, all remaining in the playoff picture. New Ulm continues to just barely miss that cut off, missing their 3rd playoffs in a row. Next up were the Musicians and Dragoons who were middle of the pack teams who both finished with losing records. The Green Giants took another step back after making the playoffs 2 years ago, falling all the way to eighth. Fairmont had another tough season, finishing in last place yet again.


Back to back to back, that is what Apple Valley has managed to do in the South Metro Hockey League, clinching their third consecutive league title to become the winningest team in SMHL history. Flying up into second was Cottage Grove who had a bit of a renaissance season to their league title 4 years ago, making it back to the playoffs in the two spot. Shakopee had another solid season, but some are wondering if they are cut out to continue this success in the years to come. The new look Bucks slip into the four spot to extend their playoff streak to 7 years. After a horrific season a year ago, Eagan was somewhat back this year as the Oaks were in the picture all season, winding up just outside in 5th, ahead of IGH and Rosemount. The surprise decline of the Rivermen was not expected, but became clear early on in the season as the teal and gold didn't get their first win of the year until game 9. Lakeville dropped down to last place having a tough time on defense, allowing over 5 goals a game on average.


The Packers were determined to prove last year was a fluke and to shut up the doubters, they did just that. Sioux Falls looked as good as ever as they reclaimed the Sioux Cup and the Association crown for the 6th time. Luverne and Marshall came second and third, both look like dark horse threats to make some noise in the playoffs. City remained in the four seed to remain in the playoffs despite losing the Cup to the Hogs. Brookings finished above .500 but just didn't seem to have the "it" that they had the last couple years. Worthington had a solid first year, doing better than expected despite having a losing record. The Stamps were in a similar situation, decent, but not good. Vermillion and Yankton found themselves way down at the bottom of the table as the two combined for a whopping 4 wins on the year (not including games against each other).


The oldest team in not only the VHL, but the entire south region, is finally a champion. The Chiefs came out of nowhere midway through the season to move from 4th to first by the end of the season, claiming their first ever Valley Hockey League title. The perennial powerhouse from Rochester came in second with Northfield not far behind. Austin did not turn their playoff run into a league championship like the first time around, but they did manage to stay in the top four to give themselves a chance once again. There were a couple other teams that gave the Mavericks a run for their money, Winona, Rochester, and La Crosse who came up just short in 5th, 6th, and 7th. The bottom three were all pretty bad this year, Lake City found themselves in last for the first time ever with the Artillery passing them in 9th.

Let me know what you think, comments are appreciated!

Cannon Falls and Winona aren’t last?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rmQFcVR6vEs

So close New Ulm...

Sauk Rapids and Winona were both one spot out of the playoffs... So close, yet so far.

Something I would like to see for future season is the ranking of all that teams in in league. Maybe making the top 20 in red, and the rest in black. I am not sure how difficult this would be to pull off. But I think it would be interesting to see how strong one league is compared to another