How sweet it is to be a Brewers fan right now...first playoff win in team history!

Break open an Old Style and celebrate...but save a few for further down the road, because I wanna see us drinking out of Senator Kellogg's Cup!  Let's BREW IT UP.

The Moose is no longer loose. Sad to see the decline, but that is life. On the other hand, my thoughts on the Packers a few pages back are looking like a hot take that is heating up. Some dominant play from outside the hockey state, and I fully endorse the trophy leaving the lakes and going on a trip to Rushmore for a little holiday. (It deserves a break)

For the North side, the old man in me is backing the Railers, my long time team who has played second fiddle to GRM. I would not mind seeing the Brewers have some success though, mostly because we don’t get to see those jerseys on the thread often and who knows when the next time we will see that striking gold. Soak it up Burmy!

(Also spearheading the push to make “The Moose is loose” the new chant or tag line for Grand Rapids)

Section30 wrote:

Haha, I love "The Moose is Loose" and will try to incorporate it at some point down the line. But would it be "The Moose are Loose" instead of "is loose"?

 
I think it’s correct both ways.. if you think about it, the word moose doesn’t really like to bow down to grammar’s rules when it comes to singular and plural.

Either way, that phrase is a spinoff of “the juice is loose”. A term used by play callers when OJ Simpson had some highlight reel plays.

1965 Kellogg Cup Playoffs; Second Round


St. Paul Saints vs Rochester Mustangs
The Mustangs came out faster than the Saints expected, getting on the board early and catching the Halos on their heels. The Saints finally responded in the third on a laser form the point. Regulation ended and overtime was required. St. Paul began the overtime with momentum and set up on offense. Rochester's goalie made a few great saves to keep his team in the game. The saves seemed to light a spark under the Stangs who began to turn things in their favor. They fired a shot from the circle that was pushed aside by the St. Paul goaltender. The rebound went to the corner where a Mustang won the race and fired it back into the slot where a teammate was ready to bat it towards the goal. The one timer beat the goalie, sending the Mustangs to their second Super Series in as many years, knocking off the top seeded Saints on the road.

Sioux Falls Packers vs Fergus Falls Cyclones
The Packers got on the board less than a minute in, catching the Cyclones sleeping. The Clones tightened things up on defense from then on, but the Packers were stingy on defense, keeping Fergus Falls off the board and holding onto the 1 goal lead for the remainder of the game. Sioux Falls advances to their first Super Series in their inaugural season.

Twin Cities Vulcans vs St. Paul Victorias
The V's made the trek across the Mississippi to a sold out Williams Arena to face off with fellow Twin Cities Hockey League powerhouse Vulcans in what turned out to be a classic. The Victorias, led by a core group of veterans got on the board first, quieting the hometown crowd. The second was fairly slow with neither side getting anything going. The Vulcans finally knotted things up midway through the third, but the tie was short lived as St. Paul answered back just a few minutes later. The clock ticked down and the Vulcans pulled their goalie in desperation. The V's gained possession of the puck and were able to clear the puck down the ice, into the empty net, solidifying the victory and sending them to their 5th Super Series.

Brainerd Lumberjacks vs La Crosse Brewers
Brainerd came out hard and fast, pinning the Brewers in their own zone for most of the opening frame, but La Crosse held strong, keeping the Jacks off the board. The second was a different story, with penalties and stoppages slowing the game down so much that neither team was able to get much of anything going on offense. The Jacks again applied the pressure in the third, but La Crosse kept them off the board yet again. Overtime would be needed to decide this scoreless battle. The Lumberjacks began OT continuing to apply pressure in the La Crosse zone, a tired Brewer took a bad tripping penalty putting his team on the pk. The Jacks gave it their all, but La Crosses goalie continued to shine. The penalty expired right as the Brewers flipped the puck out of their zone. The man out of the box was the first to the loose puck and he was in on a breakaway. He faked a shot, getting the goalie to drop, then tucked the puck behind the tender into the net, sending the Cinderella Brewers to their first Super Series, upsetting Brainerd on the road.


Cloquet Broncos vs Virginia Royals
Cloquet's Millen got the scoring started early, deking his way through Royals and burying the puck in the top corner, sending the locals into a frenzy. Virginia decided the only way to shut down the phenom would be to have a designated player follow Millen everywhere he went, and it worked. The Royals tied things up late in the first and took the lead in the second. The third period began and Millen was beginning to get frustrated. The clock ticked on and as he skated past the Virginia bench heard some chatter that sent him over the edge. The star lunged toward the Royals bench, flailing his hands and stick, but the bench got the better of the scrum, landing tens of punches on the center. The refs finally were able to pull Millen away from the bench and promptly kicked him out of the game. With their top skater gone, the Broncos lost the jump in their step and Virginia killed the clock, knocking out the top seed in the north and advancing.

Winnipeg Monarchs vs Ely Black Bears
The humiliating upset to Ely 2 years ago is still fresh in the minds of Winnipeg, and they finally got the chance to get back at the Black Bears. Winnipeg played their trademark physical brand of hockey, beating Ely both on the ice and on the scoreboard. Ely managed to net one, but the Monarchs buried 4 and coasted to a convincing 4-1 victory, avenging their loss from 2 years ago.

Thief River Falls Railers vs Roseau Stars
This battle between the two most recent Kellogg Cup champs lived up to the hype. The first was scoreless, but Roseau got on the board early in the second, quieting the hometown crowd. Thief River capitalized on a 5 on 3 powerplay to tie things up in the third. The clock ticked on and both teams got a couple good chances, but neither could bury it. Overtime was on the minds of everyone... everyone expect the Smith twins. Zach and Jack worked the puck around the Stars zone, looking for an open lane to pass or shoot. Finally Zach Smith took a shot from the top of the circle into a mass of bodies in front of the net. The puck seemed to have eyes as it was untouched on its way towards the goal. The goalie had no idea the shot had been fired, and the puck found its way between his legs and in the back of the net with only 23 seconds left in regulation. Thief River Falls Arena erupted, and Smith yelled his signature "ALL ABOARD" while gliding on his left skate and pumping his right arm on his way to celebrate with his bench. The puck was dropped and the clock expired, sending Thief River back to the Super Series.

Warroad Lakers vs Thunder Bay Giants
The Lakers and Giants are very evenly matched teams and this one could have gone either way. Warroad seemed to have more time in the offensive zone, but the Giants defense was on their A game, blocking all but 4 shots in the opening period. The second and third were more of the same, with neither team able to get anything in the back of the net. The Lakers began overtime on the attack, getting a couple good looks, but again the majority of chances were blocked. Finally, a shot from the point was blocked by a Giant, but rather than deflecting to the corner or back at the shooter, the puck bounced off the defenders stick, changing the direction of the puck but remaining on net. The redirect threw off the goalie who was moving the other way, rippling the twine and sending Warroad to the Super Series with a 1-0 overtime victory.

Let me know what you think, comments are appreciated!

What a THRILLER this was...WE GOIN' TO THE AUD!

Breakin' open the second Old Style...but we still ain't done yet!  We've got us a train to derail...now BREW IT UP!