Silly question, Mr. Section, but what is the structure of the season like in terms of the calendar? Is it just a mirror of the NHL season? 

Section30 wrote:

Crazy Rider wrote:

Silly question, Mr. Section, but what is the structure of the season like in terms of the calendar? Is it just a mirror of the NHL season? 

Since there are only 30 regular season games and almost all are played on either a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday the season is more similar to that of High School Hockey. The season begins in late October and finishes in February. The playoffs run through February until the Super Series which begins the second weekend of March, one week after the High School Hockey State Tournament.

Cool. Thanks. I was wondering about that aspect. 

1986/87 Regular Season - South


The folks of New Ulm were singing Ein Prosit all year as their Bavarians claim their 8th BEHL crown, their third in the last 6 years. It was a two horse race at the top of the table with Mankato finishing just 1 game behind the Diamonds in second. The Moose and Bavarians were far and away the best teams in the league, but there was a decent group of teams that still boasted good hockey teams. Mason City returns to the playoffs after a two year hiatus, finishing in third. Rivals Owatonna and Faribault duked it out for the final playoff slot, and it was the Owls who would clinch the four spot to keep their season alive, forcing the Flickertails to wait until next year. North Mankato, Albert Lea, and St. Peter all fall under the "good but not good enough" category and finished around .500 for the year. Fairmont and Le Sueur had more losses than wins, but weren't really terrible. The only real outlier was once again the Bluegills from Waseca who put together a 5 win season.


The Pack are back atop the Association for the fourth time in the past 6 seasons. This is Sioux Falls 10th SWHA title and their 13th league title overall. Brookings and Marshall were right up there with the Packers at the top of the table, forming a "big three" of sorts. The Buffs took home the season series against the Pheasants to win the Prairie Showdown and finish ahead of their rivals who settle for third. The final playoff team from the Southwest is Willmar who returns to the dance after missing out the past two years. Luverne, Sioux City, Hutchinson, and Worthington form the middle of the pack who will miss the post season. Spirit Lake, Vermillion, and Montevideo all finished with losing records, but overall it wasn't terrible for any of them. Granite Falls and Yankton bring up the rear, both having a tough go of things for most of the year, winning only a handful games each.


Cottage Grove is a champion for the third time in team history, taking home their second SCHL crown to go along with their one SMHL title. The Jackets were also able to best their arch rivals in the season series to stake their claim to Nininger for the first time. Speaking of Hastings, the Rivermen were the next team up in second, followed by Menomonie and Hudson. This of course leaves Eau Claire on the outside looking in for the first time since the founding of the St. Croix Hockey League nearly a decade ago. The Rubber Kings were 1 game behind the Bengals at the end of the season, extending Hudson's playoff streak to 3 years. In 6th and 7th were Lake Elmo and River Falls who could both be described as mediocre. The expansion squads from Ellsworth and St. Paul Park did about as well as expected, finishing ahead of only the lowly Chippewas.


The Red Wing Chiefs are your 1987 Valley Hockey League Champions, winning their second title in team history. The Chiefs were able to hold off the Mustangs who were hellbent on claiming their 4th title in the past 5 years, but came up just short in the end. Don't feel too bad for Rochester though, as they look like a serious threat in the south region come playoffs, sweeping their silverware and looking really good doing it. Cannon Falls bounced back into the post season for both the second time ever and in the past three years. Behind the Artillery are last years champs from Northfield. Despite not duplicating their success from a year ago, the Outlaws have a roster that could very easily go on a run. The Rochester Robins fell one spot to fifth, missing the playoffs in the process. Wabasha, Austin, La Crosse, Lake City, and Winona were average and it reflected in their records. The bottom three went Kasson, St. Charles, Stewartville; two expansion teams and a small town that hasn't really done much in their few seasons in existence.

That concludes the 1986/87 Regular Season, let me know what you think, comments are appreciated!

1986/87 MAHL Power Rankings


Also Receiving Votes: Cottage Grove-28, Lino Lakes-27, Little Canada-27, Highland Park-24, Rochester M-23, Eagan-11, Mound-9, West Fargo-8, Fort Frances-4, Brookings-4, Grand Forks-3, St. Paul S-3, Sartell-1, Ham Lake-1

Hard read: Sioux Falls takes it all.