1952 Kellogg Cup Finals 

Game 1: Ely went down to Minneapolis, went up early, and kept their foot on the accelerator. The Black Bears completely outplayed the Millers, winning game 1 5-1 and looking like the superior team.

Game 2: The Millers, embarrassed after game 1, came out much stronger. Minneapolis was up 2-0 at the end of the first, but that didn't last. The Bears went on to score 3 unanswered goals in the second and third to take a 2-0 series lead heading back north to the Range.

Game 3: The offensive onslaught led by Andrusko continued in game 3 as Ely coasted to an easy 4-0 win.

Game 4: Up in the series 3-0, with the chance to win their first cup in 12 years, it seemed like all 5,000+ in the city were on the shores of Shagawa Lake to cheer on their Black Bears. The Millers were overwhelmed by just how loud the supporters were, this just fed the Black Bears even more. Ely went on to score 2 goals in the first period, and despite allowing one against in the second, they put the final nail in the coffin when they scored with just under 7 minutes in the game to take a two goal lead. The Ely Black Bears held on, claiming their fifth Kellogg Cup!

  

Last edited by Section30 (7/16/2019 12:16 pm)

Section30 wrote:

1952 Kellogg Cup Finals 

Game 1: Ely went down to Minneapolis, went up early, and kept their foot on the accelerator. The Black Bears completely outplayed the Millers, winning game 1 5-1 and looking like the superior team.

Game 2: The Millers, embarrassed after game 1, came out much stronger. Minneapolis was up 2-0 at the end of the first, but that didn't last. The Bears went on to score 3 unanswered goals in the second and third to take a 2-0 series lead heading back north to the Range.

Game 3: The offensive onslaught led by Andrusko continued in game 3 as Ely coasted to an easy 4-0 win.

Game 4: Up in the series 3-0, with the chance to win their first cup in 12 years, it seemed like all 5,000+ in the city were on the shores of Shagawa Lake to cheer on their Black Bears. The Millers were overwhelmed by just how loud the supporters were, this just fed the Black Bears even more. Ely went on to score 2 goals in the first period, and despite allowing one against in the second, they put the final nail in the coffin when they scored with just under 7 minutes in the game to take a two goal lead. The Ely Black Bears held on, claiming their fifth Kellogg Cup!

  

Let's go Ely! Dare to beat the Bear!

MyTeamIsDr.Pepper wrote:

My first time to comment on this since you've restarted it. But I have been paying attention and I never really had a team before but I've found the Reds as a team i'm really interested in, especially considering their upcoming future controversies. Really glad to see this doing well here!

Thank you, the Reds are a good pick!
 

The 1952/53 season concluded and here are the stories. 

Iron Range Hockey League: The Hibbing Greyhounds finally managed to slay the Reds, ending their bid for their sixth straight league title. Eveleth did manage to stay in second play, in large part to their star Center and last years MVP Marco Palazzari, there appears to be interest in the 24 year old, with NHL scouts appearing at multiple games this season. Grand Rapids improved to third place thanks to a monster season from Smith in goal, who put up new MAHL records for save percentage (.946) and goals against average of (1.43). The defending champions appeared to have championship hangover as they really did not look great, though they finished in 4th place and made the playoffs. Virginia just missed out on the playoffs... again, finishing in fifth. Chisholm's Olafsson had another solid season, holding his Flames out of the last place spot almost single handedly. Soudan finished in last place for the second year in a row, and looked just as bad as last year. 

Lake Superior Hockey League: The Hornets reclaimed the league title, losing only 1 game all year, while tying 2. Thunder Bay remained a top team in the league, taking second. The Duluth Voyageurs had one of their best seasons in recent memory, finishing in third, only 1 win behind the Giants for second place. Superior continued to look as though their age has aught up to them, dropping to fourth. The Broncos improved from last year and could possibly be on the rise in the future if they are able to convince high school star Brady Millen to join them after he graduates this fall. Millen has been getting looked at by Canadian junior teams as well as some colleges including the nearby University of Minnesota Duluth, but he has yet to make a decision on what he wants to do yet. And the Two Harbors Timberwolves gave it their best shot, but just couldn't compete with the much larger cities in the league. 

Northland Hockey League: Roseau remained at the top of the league, with Boomer Baumgartner finishing with a league leading 26 goals. International Falls improved to second place, Mason put up a new Northland record 38 assists in 24 games this year. St. Cloud dropped to third, but still could be a threat in the playoffs. Fort Frances remained just good enough to remain in the playoffs at the 4 spot. Bemidji, led by their new youth core, improved but still missed out on the playoffs. Warroad had a lackluster year, the Lakers seemed to have no consistency, beating or playing close with the top teams, but losing to the teams at the bottom of the league. Fergus Falls had a much better year than last, moving up two spots. Thief River was just not quick enough to compete with much of the league, but they made sure that the other team knew they were there, the Railers led the league in hits by a landslide, finishing 102 hits ahead of the Trappers who were second in this category. Alexandria was just bullied this season, too slow to keep up with the top teams, and not big enough to compete physically. 

Twin Cities Hockey League: The St. Paul Victorias were able to reclaim the league title, their 11th time doing so. The Millers dropped one spot, but still look very good, don't be surprised if the Millers go on another playoff run this postseason. West St. Paul went from being an average team to a good team this year, improving to third place and looking like a dark horse favorite for the cup. South St. Paul built on their good season from last year, improving to fourth place and returning to the playoffs for the first time 11 years. The St. Paul Saints took a major step back after their captain Les Housley suffered a sprained ankle and when he slipped on ice and fell down a flight of stairs, the Saints dropped down to fifth place and missed the playoffs. White Bear Lake had a better year than their first two as they improved to sixth place, ahead of the Vulcans who appear to have had their best days pass them. The Bruins again finished in last, but on the bright side, they are much younger on average (26) than the Vulcans (33), so there is hope in the future to not finish in last. 

Valley Hockey League:  The Robins claimed their first ever league title, preventing their in city rivals from claiming their fourth straight title. Speaking of the Mustangs, they didn't fall very far, finishing in second. Albert Lea also fell this year, the Dragoons remain in the playoffs in the third place spot. Austin dropped out of the playoffs, finishing fifth, after getting passed by a much improved Chiefs team. Winona fell to sixth place with their rivals from La Crosse taking last place for the second year in a row. 

 

Last edited by Section30 (7/21/2019 12:20 am)

1953 Kellogg Cup Finals 

Game 1: The Greyhounds got the better of their Iron Range competitors in game one, winning 3-1.

Game 2: The Moose came out in game two much more aggressive, putting up 38 shots on goal and burying 3 to tie the series.

Game 3: With the series going down to Grand Rapids, the Moose took advantage of home ice, beating the Hounds 3-2.

Game 4: The Moose came out strong and didn't let up, notching 5 goals while Baker did his part, only allowing one goal against to give Grand Rapids a 3-1 series lead.

Game 5: With their backs against the wall, Hibbing was able to shut out the Moose and keep their Cup hopes alive.

Game 6: The Moose fell behind 1-0 just a couple minutes in, but were able to strike right back again and again. Up 4-1 with 3 minutes left the Greyhounds pulled the goalie and were able to sneak one past Baker, but it was too little too late as the Grand Rapids Moose claimed their first ever Kellogg Cup!

 

Last edited by Section30 (7/21/2019 12:23 am)