Way to go, Gunners! And at the rate their going, Edina's going to be good long enough for the next generation to come up and replace them and just keep winning the whole time.

1980 Kellogg Cup Playoffs; Second Round - South


Austin Mavericks vs Sioux Falls Packers
It was about as one sided of a hockey game as you can get as the 2,500+ in attendance at Riverside Arena witnessed their Mavericks put on a clinic against the big bad Packers from Sioux Falls. Austin was coming off a big win over the Musicians, building their confidence even further as they swarmed the Sioux Falls net for three periods. The shot totals were 38-17 in favor of Austin with the Mavericks finding the twine 6 times while keeping the Hogs off the board for a 6-0 blowout win to send Austin to their 4th consecutive Super Series.

La Crosse Brewers vs Sioux City Shockers
Wisconsin vs Iowa for a chance at a Super Series on the line. Pettibone Lagoon was packed full of fans to watch as the puck was dropped between the Brewers and Shockers. La Crosse looks determined to make a deep run with this core group before it is too late as the group of veterans played very smart hockey, working as a unit to expose the Sioux City defense and get on the board. The Shockers netted a pair of goals early in the second to take the lead momentarily, but La Crosse came back and took a 3-2 lead into the third. An empty netter would be the final dagger in the Shockers Super Series hopes as the Brewers advance and return to the Super Series for the 5th time in franchise history with a 4-2 win over Sioux City.

Mankato Moose vs Owatonna Owls
The top two teams in the Blue Earth took the ice in Mankato and the tone was set early. This was a fast paced, physical hockey game that saw both teams deliver some big time hits along with good chances near the net. We were tied at one apiece as we went to the third. That is when the offense really began to click for both teams as it quickly went from 1-1 to 2-2 less than 5 minutes into the third. Owatonna got a 2 on 1 chance after a turnover in the neutral zone that ended with a shot ringing off the post and in to put the Owls up 3-2 on the road. Mankato didn't back down as the game remained just as back and forth as ever, but the Owls goaltender was lights out for the final 10 minutes of the game, stopping a couple point blank chances and even coming up huge on a breakaway with just over a minute left in the game. The final horn sounded and Owatonna flooded the ice to mob their goalie in celebration. The Owatonna Owls are heading back to the Super Series for the first time since their inaugural season 7 years ago.

Brookings Buffaloes vs Marshall Pheasants
Brown and red vs black and red, South Dakota vs Minnesota, Buffaloes vs Pheasants... Southwest Hockey Association rivalry. There is no love lost between these teams or these fanbases and that became ever clear as the teams took the ice at Brookings Memorial Arena with over 1,000 fans from both teams packing the stands. It was about 3/4 Buffs fans, but the "We Are Marshall" chants were clear, to which the Brookings fans would drown it out with "Lets Go Buffaloes" and "Go Buffs Go" chants of their own. It was still scoreless after the first, but the visiting Pheasants got the scoring started with a tip in front early in the second. Marshall extended their lead to 2 on a rebound with only 12 seconds left in the period, really sucking the life out of the Buffs as they went into the period break. Brookings seemed to have settled down between periods because the late goal didn't really slow them down as they drew a powerplay in the first shift of the third and converted on it to give them some life down 2-1 early in the third. Brookings had an unfortunate bounce in their own zone that put the puck right on the tape of a Pheasant in the slot who popped it home to give Marshall their 2 goal lead back. Brookings became desperate nearing the end of the game down two. They began sending a defenseman up on the attack as a 4th forward and it created some chances, even leading to a rebound that was gathered and dished to the point for a shot that got through a screen and made it a one goal game yet again. Marshall was beginning to panic after the goal as the crowd had come back to life and the Buffaloes got a jump back in their step. This led to a cross checking penalty on a man in front screening the Pheasant goalie, giving Brookings a golden powerplay chance with 1:25 left in the game. The Buffs won the draw and set up, getting a good shot on net that was denied and picked up by a Pheasant who just turned and fired it down ice. The puck was looking like it was going wide, but it was on edge and began to curl back towards the center and eventually down into the far goal to give Marshall the security goal they desperately needed. The final horn went off not too long after that, confirming the 4-2 upset win for Marshall over their arch rivals, and sending the Pheasants back to the Super Series for the third time in team history.

Playdown Predictions

Bemidji over La Crosse
The Blue Ox trample over the only out-of-state team.

Austin over Owatonna
The Mavericks look to recapture the magic of 1956.

Brainerd over Marshall
The Lumberjacks go pheasant hunting.

West St Paul over Mounds View
The Waves dominate and outgun the Gunners.

Great Eight Preview

Warroad Lakers vs Mounds View Gunners
Warroad is well deserving of the top rank in the tournament and will look to prove it here, but it won't be easy as they are going up against the red hot Gunners. On paper Warroad is the better team with more playoff experience so they should have the edge... in theory. However, Mounds View has shown time and time again that they are capable of winning against the best of the best having already taken down Brooklyn Park (#22 & NMHL Champ), Minneapolis (#1 & TCHL Champ), and West St. Paul (#14 and last year runner up). Will the Lakers keep their hopes of bringing the Cup back to Warroad alive? Or will Mounds View keep their incredible run going and reach the semis?

Edina Cake Eaters vs Bemidji Blue Ox
These two squads are about as evenly matched as they come. Edina had the slight edge in the rankings at 9 to Bemidji's 11, but the difference is minimal if at all. The Eaters are looking to go back to back before it is too late with their current group and will be looking to use their skill to get past the Ox. Bemidji meanwhile will likely look to their size and speed to make it hell on the aging Cake Eaters. It will be really interesting to see which side will come out on top in a game that could honestly go either way. Will the two headed dragon carry the Eaters to their 4th consecutive Semi Finals? Or will the Blue Ox feast on cake?

Richfield Roosters vs Brainerd Lumberjacks
Richfield may be the favorites coming in as the 4 seed, but the #13 Brainerd Lumberjacks are no slouches by any means. The Roosters do have an advance with Brainerd playing an overtime game the day prior, but with how quickly it ended I don't think that it will play a major factor. Will the Cocks finally make it past the Great Eight? Or will the Jacks keep their hunt for Cup number 2 alive?

East Grand Forks Pointers vs Austin Mavericks
This is a really interesting matchup, and if you like goals this is a match made in heaven. The #7 Pointers have perhaps one of the most feared offenses in MAHL history and are coming into this game scoring 6 goals in both games. #12 Austin is also a team that has been thriving on the offensive side of the game, outscoring their opponents 16-3 in their 3 games so far these playoffs. This is really a "prove yourself" game for both teams as the Pointers hope to finally bring the Cup to EGF and Austin believes they are capable of bringing it back to the South. Will the Pointers sniff out the back of the net enough to advance? Or will the Mavericks take this opportunity by the horns and move on?

Let me hear your thoughts and predictions, comments are appreciated!

1980 Kellogg Cup Super Series Great Eight


Warroad Lakers vs Mounds View Gunners
The first game of the day was a treat for all 15,000 fans in attendance at Met Center in Bloomington. The first was a bit of a feeling out process with both teams playing it safe and ending where it began tied 0-0. Warroad got on the board 4:23 into the second thanks to a fortunate bounce that gave them a breakaway that was converted on to make it 1-0 Lakers. Warroad was buzzing after the go ahead goal, but Mounds View weathered the storm to keep it a one goal game. Warroad was called for slashing in the final minute of the period to give the Gunners their first pp chance of the game. They won the draw in the offensive zone and went d to d before taking a shot from the point. The shot hit one of the bodies in front but the rebound popped out on the corner of the crease where a Gunner happened to be at the moment, putting it home to tie the game at 1 apiece with 21 seconds to go in the second. The Gunners seemed to have found that extra spring in their step after tying the game late in the second as they came out flying in the third. The Gunners peppered a handful of shots on net before a shot finally squeaked past the Laker goaltender and into the net to put Mounds View up 2-1. Warroad had no answer for the Gunner attack with them swarming the zone relentlessly and the crowd beginning to work against them, pulling for the underdogs from the East Metro. The final horn sounded to make it official, the Mounds View Gunners continue their incredible playoff run, knocking off the Warroad Lakers 2-1 to advance to the Semi Finals.

Edina Cake Eaters vs Bemidji Blue Ox
It was all going great for the Cake Eaters out of the gate with Hankinson connecting with Nanne to put Edina up 1-0 just over a minute into the game. A cross check against the Ox gave the dreaded Edina powerplay unit a chance to take a two goal lead early. The Eaters were almost toying with the Bemidji pk, playing keep away before finally ripping a one timer from the slot to make it 2-0 just 4:48 into the game. Bemidji called a timeout to try and settle things down and it seemed to work as the Blue Ox defense tightened up and began to throw their bodies around. A turnover sent a pair of Ox on a 2 on 1 that ended with a shot into the top corner of the net to make it a 2-1 game heading into the period break. As much as the Cake Eaters dominated the opening 5 minutes of the game, Bemidji did the same thing in the second except for 20 whole minutes. The Blue Ox were much more aggressive after the break and were hitting anything that moved in cream. The Cake Eaters began coughing up pucks and making mistakes that opened up the skill of the Babes who lit up the Edina goalie with 3 goals on 15 shots in the period to take a 4-2 lead. Bemidji continued to outplay the Eaters in the third but started to ease up on offense after scoring their 5th unanswered goal to make it a 3 goal game. The final horn sounded to signal both the advancement of Bemidji, as well as perhaps the end of this group of Cake Eaters championship window.

Richfield Roosters vs Brainerd Lumberjacks
Richfield did a really good job of playing their brand of hockey in the first, turning it into points on the board as the Roosters led 2-0 after 20 minutes. Brainerd made things interesting midway through the second as they scored and nearly tied it moments later but hit the post. The Roosters took back their 2 goal lead on a snipe from the dot, but the Jacks would come crawling back again in the final minute of the second to make it 3-2 Richfield after 2. It was high paced, back and forth, hockey in the third but despite their best efforts, neither team could get anything past the goaltenders. Brainerd was forced to pull their goalie in a last ditch effort, but a battle along the boards was won by the Cocks who turned it up ice and buried it into the empty net to secure the victory. Richfield is heading to the Semi Finals for the first time, knocking out Brainerd by a final score of 4-2.

East Grand Forks Pointers vs Austin Mavericks
This game was all that anyone could have hoped for as both the Pointers and Mavericks were on top of their games. As expected, offense was the name of the game in this one. Both teams netted goals in all three periods and shots were frequent with the totals being 38-33 in favor of EGF at the end of 3. With how entertaining of a hockey game this one truly was it was only fair that it would go to extra time with the score tied 4-4. Keeping with the same game plan as regulation it seemed, both teams were going all out to get that goal and get out of here. The opening minutes produced chances on the rush for both teams with Austin even hitting the pipe on a 2 on 1. When the lights are brightest every team needs that one guy to step up and win it for their team. Tonight that man happened to be East Grand Forks winger Henry Mack. His legend only grows in EGF as he receives a pass at the dot, catching it and making a move towards the slot. Muscling his way to the front of the net, he protected the puck from the defender in front and got just enough separation to get a shot off, beating the Maverick goalie over the blocker. The RRHL goal scoring leader has done it, East Grand Forks has taken down Austin 5-4 and are heading to the Semi Finals.