Yeah baby Wood Ducks baby yeah

Princeton‽ It is unusual for the Brickmakers to not be the absolute worst. Good on them!

1985/86 Regular Season - South


Mankato finds themselves at the top of the table in the BEHL for the 9th time in team history. The Moose swept their silverware and finished ahead of the defending Kellogg Cup Champions. Speaking of the Bavarians, they weren't far behind Kato in second at the end of the regular season. Faribault took home the first ever Blue and Gold Cup along with a third place finish. The final team to clinch a playoff spot is North Mankato who punches their ticket to their first ever post season appearance. St. Peter and Mason City both had good hockey teams, but fell just outside the top four and will have to wait until fall. Owatonna, Le Sueur, and Albert Lea were average and finished a little below .500 on the year. Fairmont was just inconsistent, beating top teams one night then losing the next 5 to weaker opponents. The Bluegills finish with the wooden spoon again this year, still looking to get their footing in the league after 6 seasons with little to no success.


For the first time in 9 years, the Marshall Pheasants are Southwest Champs. It was a dogfight at the top of the SWHA this year with the top five teams all finishing within 5 games of the title. Behind Marshall it was their rivals from Brookings, followed by Worthington and Sioux Falls in the final playoff slots and Sioux City left out in fifth despite a great turnaround season for the Shockers. There was a little gap to the next group of teams which included Willmar, Montevideo, Luverne, Spirit Lake, and Hutchinson. These teams were all pretty even in skill and were all middle of the pack or had slightly losing records. There was another little gap to the bottom tier of teams which included Vermillion, Granite Falls, and Yankton. These teams found themselves in the loss column on most nights unless they played one another.


Hastings continues their decade of sheer dominance over the St. Croix Hockey League, winning their 6th title in the League's 8 years (their third in a row as well). The Rivermen were tailed by their arch rivals from Cottage Grove who bounced back into the playoffs after a rough year a season ago. The Yellow Jackets could be considered a dark horse in the South Region if things go their way. A couple Wisconsin teams round out the top four with Hudson coming third and Eau Claire fourth. This is the first time in SCHL history that another Wisconsin team has finished ahead of the Rubber Kings. Lake Elmo falls to fifth and sees their season come to an end along with River Falls, Menomonie, and a slightly improved Chippewa Falls team. I say slightly because the Chips still finished last in the league, but they did manage to win a couple more than they had the past couple years so things are looking up.


Northfield takes home their third ever Valley Hockey League title, their first in nearly a decade. The Outlaws really had to earn it, beating out the always tough Rochester Mustangs who wound up in second, along with a very skilled Red Wing Chiefs team that came third. There was a two team fight for the final playoff spot with the Rochester Robins ultimately coming out on top to both get back to the playoffs after a 4 year drought, and also finally bring the Civil War Trophy to the south side of Rochester after the Mustangs controlled it for the first 11 years. Austin sees their playoff drought extend to three years in a row now with the Mavs finishing in fifth for the second year in a row. Cannon Falls falls out of the playoffs, but still had a pretty solid season and finished above .500 for the year. Lake City and Wabasha were next, followed by Winona and La Crosse. There isn't a whole lot to say about these teams besides they had pretty meh years. At the bottom of the league are the St. Charles Rangers who were just a bit worse than the other lackluster teams this year.

Let me know what you think, comments are appreciated!

1985/86 MAHL Power Rankings


Also Receiving Votes: Rochester M-26, West Fargo-23, Hastings-23, International Falls-20, White Bear Lake-19, Anoka-18, Eagan-13, Eveleth-12, Red Wing-11, Neebing-7, Richfield-6, Eden Prairie-5, St. Cloud B-5, Lino Lakes-3, Cottage Grove-2, Roseville-1

1986 Kellogg Cup Playoffs: First Round - North


#1 Thunder Bay Giants vs Moorhead Huskies
The Big Red Giants came out for their first playoff game of the year and showed just why they are the top ranked team in all the MAHL. Moorhead did the best that they could, and they kept it a competitive game, but at the end of the day they just couldn't find the back of the net. Thunder Bay moves on with a convincing 4-0 shutout victory over the Good Boys from Moorhead.

#23 Two Harbors Wolfpack vs West Fargo Wasps
It was a defensive battle between two very good hockey teams. The physical side of the game was very prevalent in this one with both teams making sure to finish their checks and make it as tough on the opponent as possible. At the end of 60 minutes we were still scoreless at a sold out Lake County Arena in Two Harbors. The Wolfpack would walk away victorious on home ice after a shot trickled behind the Wasp goaltender and was poked across the goal line by a Wolf to send the Pack to the second round.

#6 Superior Lakers vs Neebing Nor'Westers
A couple Lake Superior Hockey League foes battled in Superior to see who's season would stay alive. The inaugural Nor'Westers got off to a slow start, allowing two Laker goals in the first period. Things switched a bit in the second though as Neebing bounced back a bit with the long change and were able to get one on the board on the powerplay. Superior buried a shot off the far post and in just a few minutes into the third to extend their lead to two. The sold out crowd at Wessman Arena was deafening with their "We Are, Superior!" and "Lets Go Lakers" chants. The team fed off the energy and were able to hold off the Nor'Westers and advance. Superior moves on to the second round with a 3-1 win.

#8 Tower-Soudan Miners vs Ely Black Bears
UPSET ALERT! The Battle for the Hardhat hasn't seen post season action since 1942, the year before the IRHL took a hiatus due to WWII, until today. The stars have aligned to allow two of the most historic and fierce rivals in the history of the MAHL to finally battle once again when it matters most. Tower Civic Arena was filled to the gills with not only Miners fans, but also Black Bear fans who made the short drive to watch their team, creating an incredibly exciting, but tense environment in the arena. The actual game was all that anyone could have hoped for, two teams who know each other very well, putting everything they have into every check and every shot. When the final horn sounded the score was tied at two apiece, sending us to overtime to decide a victor. Miner and Black Bear fans tried to yell their chants over top of each other as the teams returned to the ice. Echoing "Lets Go Miners" and "Go Bears Go" chants continued after the puck was dropped and overtime was underway. Over 15 minutes went by with both teams getting chances, but no goals. Ely would walk away on top after a shot from the point took a deflection off a Black Bear stick in front, redirecting between the Tower-Soudan netminder's legs and finding the back of the net. The Bears flooded over the boards in celebration as their fans erupted in the stands. After the game, the team skated in front of their supporters in the stands to sing with them the team anthem "Dare to Beat the Bear". Ely moves on, knocking out their arch rivals in overtime by a score of 3-2.


#3 Bemidji Blue Ox vs Mountain Iron Cougars
The Blue Ox had a sold out John S. Glas Fieldhouse at their backs, making it all that muck tougher on the red hot Mountain Iron Cougars. The Cougs were able to keep in the game despite being outshot drastically by the Babes, 38-20 at the end of the game. Despite their lack in shots, Mountain Iron were able to capitalize on the chances they did get and it helped them keep within one of Bemidji until the Ox scored the empty netter with 36 seconds left in the game. Bemidji looked great, just on the wrong side of a couple breaks. The Blue Ox move on, beating the Cougars by a score of 4-2.

#18 Winnipeg Monarchs vs International Falls Ice
It was a Northland Hockey League battle in Winnipeg as the Monarchs took on the International Falls Ice. The Bruisers got off to a great start, lighting the lamp just 4:02 into the game. International Falls was unphased though, sticking to their game plan and not allowing the intimidating atmosphere to get to them. The Ice leveled the score on the man advantage late in the first, carrying momentum into the second. When the second period began it was all International Falls, peppering the Monarch goaltender until a rebound was smacked home to give the Ice a 2-1 lead. A third goal gave the Ice a two goal cushion heading into the third period. Winnipeg threw it all at the International Falls goalie in the third, but nothing would get past him. The Ice hold on and take the win on the road, knocking out Winnipeg 3-1.

#5 Fargo Titans vs Detroit Lakes Wood Ducks
UPSET ALERT! The Champions of the Red River Hockey League have been knocked out in the very first round by fellow RRHL member Detroit Lakes. The Wood Ducks hung with the far more talented Titans punch for punch, never letting Fargo get a lead of more than one at any point in the game. A two goal third propelled them into the lead on the road without enough time for Fargo to net the equalizer. The Titans poured in on in the final minutes, but the Ducks survived to hear the horn. Detroit Lakes pulls off the stunner, taking out the #5 ranked team in the MAHL by a score of 4-3.

#11 Roseau Stars vs Eveleth Redbirds
Roseau and Eveleth are facing off in the playoffs for the 6th time, the Stars lead the all time series 3-2 heading in and will be playing in arguably the toughest place to play in all of the MAHL in Roseau Memorial Arena. The story of the game has to be the goaltending. Veteran Roseau netminder Timothy Baumgartner and Eveleth's Vince Mariucci stood on their heads, making highlight real save after the next on both sides of the ice. It was a shame that someone had to lose this goaltending battle for the ages, but none the less, someone has to win. Roseau would be the team to finally find the twine, beating Mariucci on a one timer at the back door with 3:57 left in regulation. The Green Army nearly blew the roof off with how loud they got after the goal. Booming "Lets Go Stars" chants rang out until the final horn sounded and they all went nuts again. The Roseau Stars move on, knocking out the Eveleth Redbirds 1-0.

Let me know what you think, comments are appreciated!