Getting real close to where we left off in the SFF forum, correct? Saw you finished up the Minnesota High School project which was fantastic! More excited to see this come together though.

Thehealthiestscratch wrote:

Getting real close to where we left off in the SFF forum, correct? Saw you finished up the Minnesota High School project which was fantastic! More excited to see this come together though.

Yep, only one more season until were all caught up. Thanks for the kind words about my other project, it is very appreciated. I should be getting started here again in the next few days, I'm looking forward to it!

Dan O'Mac wrote:

So as you re-posted all these, were there things you wanted to change from the original information?

When we originally moved over here from the CCSLC forums I considered starting from scratch and maybe changing a few things but ultimately decided against it. In the time off from this there have been a few things that I have wanted to change when I came back though so expect some big announcements in the next few years.

Mankato is one of the biggest cities in the state, it is the largest city in the area, with a population of over 20,000. Mankato is found on the shores of the Minnesota and Blue Earth Rivers, and it has plenty of lakes and ponds where locals have been playing for years. The nickname "Moose" was picked because the team "liked the way it sounded", there is no deep meaning to the name. Their logo is a block letter M with a thinner M inside, this is meant to stand for Mankato Moose. The team colors are cherry red, grey, and white.

  

Last edited by Section30 (7/31/2019 1:58 pm)

The 1956/57 Season has come to an end, here are the stories. 

 
Granite:
St. Cloud finished atop the league for the fourth year in a row. The Brainerd Lumberjacks bounced back after a disappointing inaugural season, finishing in second and looking like possible dark horse contenders. Little Falls had another solid season with Nodl in net, the Pilots finished in third. Fergus remained in the playoff picture despite finishing below .500. Sauk Rapids improved from last year, and just missed the playoffs. And the Alexandria Norsemen finished in the basement of the league yet again.

Iron Range:
The Hibbing Greyhounds remained in first place this year, led by a career season from Polich who put up an impressive 39 goals this season. Eveleth appears to have found new life thanks to veterans like Mariucci and a plethora of graduates who won 4 straight High School State Championships from 49-52 that have graduated from college and have come back home and joined the Redbirds. Virginia dropped to third this year, but they could potentially do some damage in the post season. CHISHOLM HAS MADE THE PLAYOFFS! For only the third time in the teams 36 year history, and the first time in 21 years, the Flames have clinched a playoff birth. The Flames taking the 4 seed forced the Moose out of the playoff picture as they finished in 5th. Ely and Soudan finished in 6th and 7th place respectively.

Lake Superior:
The Voyageurs claimed the top spot in the Superior league for the second time in three years thanks to a fierce offensive attack. Thunder Bay dropped to second, but still look scary heading into the playoffs. The Duluth Hornets finished in third place, followed by Cloquet. Two Harbors dropped to fifth and will miss the playoffs, and the Superior Lakers remained in sixth place.

Northland:
International Falls held onto the top spot for the third year in a row, with the Blue Ox missing out by just 2 wins. The Warroad Lakers improved to third place thanks to a great season by Oshie, and their heated rivals from Roseau finished right behind them in fourth. Fort Frances had a major collapse as they seemed to drop off the map after winning the league just a few years ago to now missing the playoffs. Thief River was again in last place in the league.

Twin Cities:
The era of the Victorias dominance doesn't look to be coming to an end soon as they have claimed their 5th league title in 7 years. West St. Paul may have lost the league crown, but they remain a serious contender for the cup this year, finishing in second. The South St. Paul Mavericks made big moves this year, jumping up to third and looking like dark horse threats at the Cup. The Minneapolis Millers round out the playoff teams from the Twin Cities, finishing in fourth. The St. Paul Saints continue to be middle of the pack, literally. White Bear had a good season, finishing in sixth. Stillwater improved to seventh, already blowing their predecessors out of the water. The Bruins and Vulcans finished in the basement again.

Valley:
After the Mavericks Cinderella run in last years playoffs, they kept that momentum going through the regular season, winning the Valley league, and becoming the first team to do so outside for Rochester. Speaking of Rochester, the Mustangs reemerged as contenders this season thanks to a breakout season from 22 year old center Dan Colins. The Mankato Moose made a splash in their first year, finishing in third, ahead of the Rochester Robins who dropped from winning the league last year to finishing in fourth this year. Albert Lea just missed the playoffs, finishing in fifth. Red Wing started the season strong, but fell apart shortly after the All-Star game they hosted and they ended in sixth place. In the bottom of the standings we have the La Crosse Brewers and Winona Wildcats whos attempts at recruiting have not panned out thus far. 

Last edited by Section30 (7/31/2019 2:01 pm)

1957 Kellogg Cup Playoffs; Second Round 


St. Paul Victorias v. Warroad Lakers
The Warroad Lakers have slayed Goliath! The top seeded St. Paul Victorias Fall in the second round to the 16th seeded Lakers, shocking the league. Warroad came out fast and didn't let up, scoring in the first minute of the game, and then another just 2 minutes later. The final score was 4-1 Lakers, in St. Paul.

Bemidji Blue Ox v. Thunder Bay Giants
I'm not sure if this can be called much of an upset, but the 9th seeded Thunder Bay Giants took down the 8th seeded Bemidji Blue Ox, ending their hopes at that illusive first Kellogg Cup. Thunder Bay gets a lucky break, not having to face the top seeded Victorias in the second round who lost the day before to the Warroad Lakers.

Hibbing Greyhounds v. Roseau Stars
Roseau was riding a wave of momentum after upsetting Duluth in the knockout round, but the Hibbing Greyhounds were more than up to the challenge. Hibbing struck early to get the lead, and they held that lead throughout the game, winning 3-0.

Duluth Voyageurs v. Eveleth Redbirds
Eveleth, coming off a late comeback victory in the knockout round, was looking pretty tired when the puck dropped in Duluth. The Voyageurs took advantage, putting 3 in the back of the net by the end of the first. The Redbirds finally looked like their usual selves about midway through the game and Mariucci got them on the board. The voyageurs answered back before the period ended, heading into the third up 4-1. Eveleth was in desperation mode for the third, sending everything on net, and being very aggressive on defense. They managed to get one back, but that would be all as the Duluth Voyageurs would hold on to win 4-2 and advance.

St. Cloud Bear Cats v. Little Falls Pilots
The Bear Cats took on their Granite League rivals from Little Falls to decide who would advance. To no ones surprise it was St. Cloud, winning easily by a score of 5-1.

West St. Paul Waves v. Brainerd Lumberjacks
This was a match up of two dark horse contenders for the cup this year, and it lived up to the hype. Brainerd struck first near the end of the first on a point blast from defenseman Dallas Duffy. The second period was scoreless, both team's goalies were playing very well. West St. Paul finally tied things up 6:53 into the third period when Finnigan batted a rebound into the net. The game was tied as regulation was nearly at an end, when Brainerd was called for tripping. Only 48 seconds were left on the clock and West St. Paul was given a powerplay opportunity. The Lumberjacks won the draw and sent the puck down the ice, killing about 15 seconds off the clock. The Waves re-entered the offensive zone and set up their attack, passing the puck around the zone. Finally, they took a shot, it was saved, but the rebound shot out to a West St. Paul player who was just in the right place at the right time, he slapped the rebound back towards the net. The Brainerd goalie dove towards the shot, but was too slow, the puck soared into the open net, giving the Waves the lead with 12 seconds left on the clock. The final horn sounded, sending West St. Paul on and Brainerd home.

International Falls Ice v. Virginia Royals
International Falls looks really good this year, so good that they made a good Virginia team look lost out on the ice. The Ice put up a staggering 52 shots on goal in the game and won it 7-1.

Austin Mavericks v. Rochester Mustangs
The top two teams from the Valley league battled to see who would advance. The defending champs struck first thanks to a one timer from Frenz. Rochester responded with one of their own and the period ended tied at one apiece. The Mustangs got on the board first in the second period thanks to a powerplay goal by Colins. Austin answered back in the last minute of the period to again leave the game tied heading into the third. The third was very back and forth with neither team able to capitalize, overtime was needed. The overtime period began, the Mustangs won the face off and tried going d to d to regroup before heading on attack, but the pass was whiffed on, allowing Frenz to swoop in and break on net. He faked a shot to get the goalie to drop, then shot it blocker side, into the back of the net. The Austin Mavericks walked off with the win just 16 seconds into overtime. 

Last edited by Section30 (7/31/2019 2:05 pm)