1988 PLAYOFFS

Wildcard Round


7 Trowburgh Herons vs 10 Kirkenport Captains
The Herons opened with a 7-0 thumping and then proceeded to lose two games in OT to the feisty young guns from the Isle of Kirk in an upset. [KRK wins 3-1]

8 Alko Barbarians vs 9 Narva Neptunes
The series went the distance as both teams battled, but an OT winner in Game 5 from Frankie Albertelli won it for the Barbarians. [AKB wins 3-2]


Quarterfinals


1 Portarra Pioneers vs 10 Kirkenport Captains
The young Captains marched into Portarra and stunned the Whales in Game 1, despite being clearly overmatched. The Whales roared back to life but the Kirk Boys didn't know how to quit and extended the series to six games. [POR wins 4-2]

2 Kavalos Electrics vs 8 Alko Barbarians
The Electrics looked sluggish in Game 1 as the Barbarians pounced on them, but came back with four straight, including a 12-6 pounding in Game 3 to get it done in five. [KAV wins 4-1]

3 Alko Wizards vs 6 Portarra Pioneers
The young Wizards looked lost in playoff mode as the more experienced Pioneers made short work of them on the way to a series win in five games. [PTP wins 4-1]

4 Quebel Crusaders vs 5 Bancana Kings
The Kings wanted revenge but they wouldn't get it as they tried to extend the series against a tough Quebel squad who seems to have their number. [QUE wins 4-2]


Semi-Finals


1 Portarra Whales vs 6 Portarra Pioneers
In another battle of Portarra, the series went the same as the previous season with the Whales being too much for the Pioneers to overcome. Three straight OT games closed out the series but Bill Bronkowski and Co couldn't be stopped as they marched to their second straight Finals appearance.

2 Kavalos Electrics vs 4 Quebel Crusaders
The Crusaders put up a fight, evening the series after four but the more talented Kavalos squad locked it down in Games 5 and 6 and won it in OT on a Leo Stendahl shot to oust the Crusaders and return to the Finals for the fourth-straight time.


C&C always appreciated!
Up next: 1988 Marcotte Cup

While it would be unfair to call the Kavalos Electrics the Buffalo Bills of the THL (they did win one championship), they certainly appear to be the Atlanta Braves of the THL (being amongst the best teams in the league for many years in a row, only to get 1 championship in a shortened season and leaving the fans wondering what might have been...as a Braves fan, I can atest that the feeling still kinda sucks)

Congrats to the Portarra Whales for getting another championship!

Last edited by Stickman (6/28/2021 4:35 pm)

Well, congrats to the Whales! I was pulling for the Electrics, but the Whales winning isn't bad at all. Hoping Kavalos can win one next year!

Poor Eelectrics but congrats to the whales

1989 OFFSEASON

League News

Len Neville officially retired and sold the Rockets to local businessman John Harrington. The move keeps the Rockets in Fort Bevin for the foreseeable future and lends some stability with Harrington who is well respected in the community. 

Hall of Fame Class of 1989

Geno Pasternak, forward, Yubay Falcons, Portarra Pioneers
Maxwell Blunt, goalie, Portarra Whales
Peter Isaksson, forward, Yubay Glaciers
Keith MacGarvin, goalie, Yubay Glaciers
Kris Kotulak, forward, Narva Neptunes
Gav Brankovic, defenseman, Narva Neptunes

Coaching Carousel

The Serpents fired Craig McMurray. They hired Larry Barker from Guilden to take over. The Kodiaks fired Pete Clayton and hired local product Barry Stover to helm the young team and added former Sina coach McMurray to the staff. The Glaciers fired HC Sam Bennett and hired Clayton and added Jeff Turner to the staff. Bennett decided to retire at 75 years old.

Notable Free Agents

Fed up with progress in Sina, former #1 pick F Konrad Kedzierski decided to sign with the Alko Barbarians on a 3-year deal. Former Falcons forward Fabian Fryer signed a 5-year deal to join the Kirkenport Captains.

In a shock to the Bucks, forward Ric Rundstrom decided not to renew his contract and instead joined the Electrics on a 1-year deal to unite with his former Swedish league partner Leo Stendahl to pursue a Cup.

Player Trades & Signings

With Rundstrom leaving Abrieden, the Bucks kicked off a firesale by trading premier defenseman Max Kopecky to the Kodiaks for Kirlow's 1989 1st-round pick and D Zach Tackett. They then traded former MVP goalie Vassily Wuopio to the Captains for G Joseph Blunt and their 1989 1st-round pick. The Bucks then traded their 6th-overall and 13th-overall picks to the Glaciers for the 2nd-overall pick.


1989 Amateur Player Draft

Stoppages in the European leagues kept much of the good talent away and with a shortage of local players available due to a war in the Northern Pacific, the league shortened the draft to just one round.

1 – SIN – F Stefan Sorensen
With Kedzierski gone, the Serps need anyone they can get and Sorensen is the best in a shallow draft.

2 – ABR (via YBG) – D Byron Schwartz
The Bucks are rebuilding and need younger bodies on the blue line. Schwartz can pass and score.

3 – CHA – D Davis Brubaker
Losing Albertelli hurt the team badly and Brubaker can help stabilize a shaky unit.

4 – DC – D Fred Richards
The Snappers go with best player available which is the versatile Richards on the blue line.

5 – PA – F Ed Womack
6 – YBG (via KIR/ABR) – F Dean Stills
7 – YUB – F Marlon Cross
8 – ABR – D Mickey Sterling
9 – PRE – F Sydney Rayford
10 – KUR – D Toby Carranza
11 – VEN – G Boris Mueller
12 – FTB – D Hank McCollum
13 – YBG (via KIR/ABR) – G Terry Bush
14 – AKB – D Ellis Harrington
15 – NAR – F Mark Osteen
16 – TRO – F Nick Anderson
17 – PTP – F Kraig Held
18 – QUE – F Rupert Cable
19 – BAN – F Alex Bridges
20 – ALK – F Jeff Dawson
21 – KAV – D Ken Watson
22 – POR – G Vince Holmes


Team Identity Changes

Two teams from the 1972 expansion class changed up their looks.

1989 Kavalos Electrics


Previous Identity: 1978-1988 Kavalos Electrics

The Electrics decided to upgrade their uniforms after a string of brutal losses in the Finals. The new look brings in drop shadows and striping and italicized names and numbers. It also cleans up some of the elements from their 1978 identity and utilizes bolder striping.

1989 Portarra Pioneers



Previous Identity: 1985-1988 Portarra Pioneers

The Pioneers unveiled a new logo after several seasons of a temporary script logo. The new logo features a coonskin cap over a wagon wheel in motion. The Pioneers decided to keep the addition of yellow and make it a tertiary color. They return to navy as their primary color but also keep the fan favorite full orange and yellow set as an alternate uniform, along with a recolored logo for the alternate. The primary uniforms go in a completely new direction with ghost yokes, arm stripes and new hem and sleeve striping.

1989 Hockey on the Mount

The Anchors and Whales continue as the main Mount matchup and they are joined by fellow original franchises Chasonne and Kirkenport.



The Anchors and Whales switch sides, with Portarra going with a new version of their current duds while Port Alrene goes with a brick and white version with no mustard of their current uniforms. The Heralds break out their Columbia Blue, this time paired with their original navy color. The Captains return to their famous Isle of Kirk uniform, this time updated in a midnight and cream scheme.


C&C appreciated on the new looks!
Up next: 1989 regular season