1962/63 Regular Season; Part 2


Iron Range Hockey League
Virginia really took off this year, out skating their opponents and easily winning the Iron Range. Their captain, Louis Nelson, is widely believed to be the fastest skater in the MAHL and has brought some professional scouts to witness him play. Grand Rapids dropped to second but looked very good still, Didi Miller had another great season for the Moose. Ely looks to be on the rise with a couple of young players growing into potential stars in the making, leading the Black Bears to a third place finish. Hibbing remains in the playoffs in fourth, besting their rivals the Flames and Redbirds. On a sad note, the Iron Range Hockey League lost a member midway through the season. The Soudan Miners were forced to fold due to not having enough players on their roster. The Soudan Mine, the economic center of Soudan and Tower closed in 1962, forcing most of the population to find work elsewhere. This led to the Miners not being able to fill the 10 player minimum and close operations. The Miners were the second oldest team in the MAHL, forming in 1899. 

Lake Superior Hockey League
The Lake Superior League was recaptured by Le Bleus, continuing the back and forth with their heated rivals from Cloquet who finished behind Duluth, in second place. Thunder Bay had a surprisingly good season, after finishing in last a season ago. Two Harbors finally broke the 7 year playoff drought, finishing in fourth. The Hornets struggled this season, dropping to fifth. Injuries were the cause of Superiors drastic drop in the standings this year, finishing in last place.

Northland Hockey League
Roseau was far and away the most dominant team in the MAHL this season, finishing with a record of 21-1-2. Rookie sensation, William Soosi led the Northland in goals with 31 in 24 games. Despite finishing in second, Winnipeg was arguably the more feared team. The Monarchs were brutal to opponents, leading the league in hits by a landslide and being very potent on the offensive side of the puck as well. Warroad had a lesser season than last year, but still finished in third and look very deadly still. International Falls claimed the final playoff spot, making back to the post season after missing a season ago. Steinbach had a better year than the last, but just missed the playoffs. Fort Frances had a little drop in the standings, losing one of their better defensemen early in the season. Bemidji, Baudette and Black Duck all struggled for most of the year, and finished in the bottom of the table.

Red River Hockey League
It was a two horse race this year with Thief River and Grand Forks finishing far ahead of the remaining 3. Thief River did have the better of the Jets in the regular season though, leading the season series 4-1-1. Moorhead would claim the third spot with Crookston in fourth. Fargo struggled much more than most had expected prior to the season, losing lots of close games, 8 of them by only 1 goal.

Hope everyone had a good thanksgiving! Let me know what you think, comments are appreciated!

Knew it was only a matter of time for Soudan when I, a lifelong Minnesotan, had never heard of them.
RIP Miners

(Seeing the rankings before reading)

1,2,3,4,5,6 .....space..... 7.  Soudan Miners.

Me (an intellectual): “Yep. Knew it was a matter of time before the Miners did so bad that the league forced everyone to know how bad they were by putting a phantom team before them.”

Maybe they should do that with Detroit this season?

Jokes aside, hopefully the hockey gods let the team in those pearly gates. God knows how long they spent in hockey hell on earth.

FC Macbeth wrote:

"On a sad note, the Iron Range Hockey League lost a member midway through the season. The Soudan Miners were forced to fold due to not having enough players on their roster. The Soudan Mine, the economic center of Soudan and Tower closed in 1962, forcing most of the population to find work elsewhere. This led to the Miners not being able to fill the 10 player minimum and close operations. The Miners were the second oldest team in the MAHL, forming in 1899."

RIP
Souden Miners
1915 & 1947 Kellog Cup Champions
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1899-1963
64 Years Old
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You will never be missed. 

The Miners actually never won the Cup. They were in the first Kellogg Cup Final in 1915 but lost to the Victorias. Their only championship came in 1947 when they won the Iron Range Hockey League but lost to Eveleth in the first round of the playoffs.

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Last edited by Section30 (12/02/2019 1:02 pm)

1963 Kellogg Cup Playoff Brackets

6.4.1

Last edited by Section30 (12/06/2019 2:20 pm)