Burmy87 wrote:

Another year, another FANTASTIC uniform set!

Gonna make the most of tonight to update that Wiki at long last...you know where to e-mail the new stuff at.

Looking forward to seeing the results. 

HWULA wrote:

Section30 wrote:

Aurora is a town in the Iron Range with a population of right around 2,000. It is located only 5 miles west of Hoyt Lakes and a number of players used to wear the red white and blue of the Wolves before finally getting a team of their own at long last. The Lights will play their home games at the 500 seat Aurora Community Center.

They will be called the "Lights", a reference to the Northern Lights, aka Aurora Borealis. Their logo is an A for Aurora next to a stick that doubles as an L for Lights and a puck. The lights have a bright color scheme to reflect their name of navy, purple, light blue, and green.

NAHHHHHH these have NO business going as hard as they do!!! Another amazing offseason in the MAHL!!!

Like bro... this is a beautiful uniform set. Just incredible.
 

1987/88 Regular Season - Central


Your first ever CHA champions are Fergus Falls. The Cyclones battled with their arch rivals from Alexandria atop the table for nearly the whole season with the Norsemen finishing 2 games back in second. Morris came third and will make their first ever playoff appearance, along with the expansion Sauk Centre Spurs who clinched the four spot. Long Prairie was pretty solid for an expansion side and was in the hunt for a spot at one point before falling to below .500 by seasons end. The Twins and Hoppers round out the league, both looking to put this season in the past.


After a breakout season a year ago, Little Canada built on things this year to clinch their second EMHL title in team history. The East Metro was incredibly top heavy with the top five teams finishing well ahead of the bottom three. Joining the Canucks in the post season will be Maplewood, White Bear Lake, and Stillwater with Roseville on the outside looking in despite their good season. The bottom three of North St. Paul, Mahtomedi, and Woodbury had a rough go of things as previously mentioned, though none were necessarily bad hockey teams.


It was the St. Cloud teams atop the Granite Hockey League this year with the Bearcats clinching their first GHL crown in over a decade after their incredible playoff run a year ago. Their cross town neighbors weren't far behind, finishing in second but losing the Chunk of Granite. Sauk Rapids finished third and returns to the playoffs for the 8th time in the past 10 years. And bouncing back after a couple really tough seasons is Mora who will look to go on another Cinderella run like they did in 85. Little Falls and Sartell both finished right around .500 with Brainerd a few games behind them. Down in the basement were Princeton and St. Joseph who ended up in the losers column more nights than not.


For the second time in the past three years, Coon Rapids has won the North Metro Hockey League. The Bandits got hot at the right time, propelling them past Brooklyn Park and Anoka in the last month of play. The aforementioned Panthers and Warriors would finish second and third respectively, with last years champs, Osseo, joining them in the post season with a fourth place finish. There were a few teams in the fight for that final spot that fell just short like Brooklyn Center, Plymouth, and Elk River. The bottom three; Maple Grove, Ramsey, and Buffalo were in their own tier at the bottom, very rarely winning against competition higher in the standings than them and finishing well below the rest.


The people of Blaine are saying "Hail Sparta!" as their Spartans clinch their second NEHA title in team history. There was a lot of shaking up among the top of the league this year after Mounds View and Lino Lakes have dominated the top of the standings the past couple seasons. Fridley returns to the playoffs for the 5th time in team history with a really impressive second place finish, coming ahead of the reigning back to back league champions from Mounds View who had to settle for third. There was a four team battle for the 4 spot that came down to the wire. In the end though it was Columbia Heights who slid into the top four at the very end to make their first ever playoff appearance. Lino Lakes misses out on the post season for the first time in their 6 year history, finishing one game behind the Hussars in 5th. Ham Lake and East Bethel were also in the hunt for the last spot but it just wasn't meant to be this year as their seasons come to an end. Shoreview, Arden Hills, New Brighton, and Spring Lake Park bring up the rear with losing records, but none were noticeably worse than any other, really showing the parity level in the Northeast Hockey Association.

Let me know what you think, comments are appreciated!

1987/88 Regular Season - South


New Ulm repeats as Blue Earth champions, taking home their 9th in team history to tie Mankato for the most in the league. Faribault had a bit of a breakthrough season, bouncing back into the playoffs after missing last year, and even making a push for the title that ultimately fell just short, coming second. Mankato keeps their playoff streak alive, extending it to 13 years in a row now and sweeping their rivalry trophies. Sliding into the final playoff spot is Le Sueur who did a complete 180 after finishing in 10th just a season ago. Mason City, North Mankato, and St. Peter were middle of the pack and all finished right around .500 for the year. Windom did better than expected in their first season, finishing just 3 games below .500. Fairmont, Albert Lea, and Owatonna all underperformed and finished with losing records. The bottom two of Waseca and Sleepy Eye were a ways below the rest of the pack, winning a combined 6 games against the rest of the league.


The Brookings Buffaloes built on their deep playoff run a year ago and were able to clinch their 5th SWHA crown, their first in 5 years. It was a three team fight at the top of the table with the aforementioned Buffs finishing in first with Marshall and Sioux Falls right on their heels in second and third. After a bit of a drop there was another group of teams fighting for the fourth and final playoff slot. In the end it was won out by Hutchinson, sending the Crows to their first playoffs since their inaugural 1982 season. Willmar and Sioux City were the other teams in the mix that would see their seasons come to an end as they finish outside the top 4. There was a sizeable middle class of teams in the league that were all about equal in terms of skill and this was reflected with close finishes in the standings. Those teams were Spirit Lake, Worthington, Vermillion, Luverne, and Montevideo. Down at the bottom were once again Yankton and Granite Falls, two of the worst teams in all of the MAHL.


After a year off, Hastings returns to their familiar place atop the St. Croix Hockey League, winning their 4th title in the past 5 years. Cottage Grove didn't drop far, more so getting leapfrogged by their archrivals as they finish in second while looking just as good as last year. Lake Elmo had their highest finish in team history in third, punching their ticket to the playoffs for just the 5th time in team history. Finishing off the playoff squads we have Eau Claire who bounces back after a fifth place finish last year. St. Paul Park was just 2 games behind but see their season come to an end in 5th. River Falls, Menomonie, and Hudson all finished with losing records, but were decent hockey teams capable of winning on any given night. Down in the basement we have Ellsworth and Chippewa Falls who will look to put this year in the rearview.


The suffering is over, after a seemingly never ending two year drought the Rochester Mustangs are finally back on top of the Valley. It was far from easy though with a four team battle atop the standings. The playoff teams were all but decided with a month still to play, just showing the level that the top four were at. Joining the Stangs in the playoffs are the Chiefs, Robins, and Mavericks. Lake City and Northfield were skilled hockey teams that just couldn't put together a complete season, going on multiple losing streaks each. Cannon Falls, Winona, Lake City, and La Crosse were alright, but there really isn't much to talk about. St. Charles, Stewartville, and Kasson round out the table with losing records.

Let me know what you think, comments are appreciated!

1987/88 MAHL Power Rankings


Also Receiving Votes: Hastings-17, Blaine-13, Minneapolis M-10, Alexandria-5, St. James-4, Fargo-2, St. Cloud S-2, Marshall-2, Two Harbors-1, & Faribault-1.

I've also decided to stop ranking the bottom 10 teams in the MAHL, it didn't really add anything and is just more stuff to do.