Wow Winona! Welcome to the postseason! Also, way to bounce back Reds, let's make another run at the Cup! Great job on the league logos as well, they all look great!

The Results are in for this years final MAHL Power Rankings which directly influence playoff seeding, special thanks to our 6 Analysts on the boards here for helping me with this!


The defending champs were far and away the highest ranked team in the league, being ranked first by all but one Analyst who put Edina in the top spot with the Royals in second (The (1) behind Edina represents their 1 first place vote)

Also recieving votes: St. Cloud B-14, New Brighton-13, Coleraine-6, White Bear Lake-4, Duluth V-4, East Grand Forks-3, Inver Grove Heights-2, Cloquet-2, Winona-1


Here is a graphic that shows how many teams from each league were ranked in the top 25 at the end of the season. This year every league managed to have at least one team ranked, this is the first time that has happened, perhaps due to increasing the rankings to 25 from 20. On the other side of the graphic is the bottom 10 teams in the league, it was a rough year for the teams in southeast SD with Yankton and Vermillion finding themselves in the bottom two spots.

I am enjoying the new power rankings system. I can only imagine which scamp would dare to suggest Winona was a top 25 team, but overall I feel that the aggregation of community input tempers any would-be intentional misrankers.

Some matchups I'd like to highlight are the purple duel between Winnipeg and Sauk Rapids, the monochrome melee between Coon Rapids and Mound, and the monogram matchup of Thunder Bay and St. Cloud.

(Also, the names for the Duluth Voyageurs and the Crookston Kings are misaligned in the bracket)

As a reporter for the St Paul Pioneer Press now, I feel like I should make some predictions for the Twin Cities bracket.

Como over Lake Elmo
I really don't see this one being all that close. Como was one of the better teams in one of the top leagues, while Lake Elmo was an average team in a bad conference.

Eau Claire over Roseville
The only Wisconsin team in the tournament gives the St Croix their first playoff victory.

Plymouth over Cottage Grove
Plymouth came through a tough gauntlet in the North Metro that should prepare them for a close game with the Jackets.

Coon Rapids over Mound
The only upset of the first round, at least by seed. The Bandits' season of close North Metro games should help them prevail over the Marauders.

Last edited by sportsfan7 (7/22/2020 4:38 pm)

Sorry for the lack of posts the last week or so, been doing a lot lately and haven't had quite as much time to get posts made. I should be back to posting on a more regular basis soon, thanks for understanding!

1979 Kellogg Cup Playoffs; Knockout Round - Twin Cities


Mound Marauders vs Coon Rapids Bandits
In perhaps the blandest uniform matchup in MAHL history, the Bandits and Bucs went to war on Langdon Lake to see who would keep their season alive. Mound got out to a slow start, letting the Bandits convert on a 2 on 1 chance 5 minutes into the game. Coon Rapids couldn't extend their lead at all, only leading by 1 after 1 despite outshooting the Marauders 13-5. The game was turned on its head in the second as Mound came out looking much more like their usual selves, taking over the flow of the game and eventually tying the game on the powerplay. From there on out it was all Marauders as the Bandits were caught on their heels as the Bucs unloaded 21 shots in the third to jump in front 3-1 and advance.

Como Sea Lions vs Lake Elmo Bluejays
Both sides were unloading on the offensive side of the puck in this one, combining for 8 goals at the end of regulation with the game tied at 4 apiece. We were off to overtime in the Coliseum and the offense did not let up. Both teams were flying back and forth up and down the ice getting shots on goal. The Lions entered the offensive zone with numbers, dropping the puck in the high slot for a quick shot through a Bluejay defenseman's legs, using him as a screen. The Lake Elmo goaltender was screened by his d man, causing him to only get a piece of the shot as it trickled over the line to send Como to the next round. This is the Sea Lions first playoff win in team history.

Plymouth Militia vs Cottage Grove Yellow Jackets
Things were off to a solid start in Plymouth as the Militia outshot Cottage Grove 27-18 after 2 periods and led the game 1-0. Then came the third. The Yellow Jackets truly lived up to their name in the final frame of the game, coming out and putting together a dominant performance for the final 20 minutes. The Jackets tied the score just over 2 minutes in, but they were far from done. Cottage Grove would go on to net 3 more unanswered goals to bury the Militia by a final score of 4-1.

Eau Claire Rubber Kings vs Roseville Rockets
Former EMHL foes faced off in America's Dairyland as the Kings welcomed Roseville back to the playoffs for the first time in 8 years. Offense was the name of the game in this one with both teams playing incredibly well on the attack. Eau Claire struck first, followed by the Rockets. The Kings put two more in before the end of the first to lead 3-1, but Roseville was not ready to give up just yet, roaring back in the second with 3 goals before Eau Claire would finally respond. The Kings extended their lead back to 2 in the third, but the Rockets would once again come back to tie the game up at 5. Roseville was buzzing after the game tying goal, harassing the Eau Claire goalie with shots for the next couple minutes until a rebound found its way to the stick of a Rocket forward who smacked it back on goal, beating the goalie under the arm. Hobbs Municipal Ice Center was in a stunned silence with the exception of the Roseville bench and the small section of Rocket fans who made the trip. Eau Claire would not be able to recover, only getting 3 more shots on goal. The final horn sounded to send Roseville to the next round, completing the comeback to win their second playoff game in team history (Their first came in 1972 when they upset top ranked Edina 3-2) by a final score of 6-5.

Let me know what you think, comments are appreciated!