Maplewood vs White Bear, now where have I seen this before?

JamHeronArk wrote:

It's odd to see Mankato v Sioux Falls all the way down at the 8 v 9 game. Historically, if they met, it was usually in the Super Series or a game away from it.

Very true, and to be paired in the same section as Rochester is also really interesting since these three teams have historically been 3 of the best in the entire south region.

1988 Kellogg Cup Playoffs: Knockout Round - North


RV Fargo Titans vs Blackduck Mallards
Fargo came into this game with a chip on their shoulders, getting votes for the top 25 teams in the MAHL while being forced into the Knockout Round thanks to a stacked North Region. The Titans came out flying with 3 goals in the first, setting the tone early. Blackduck was able to net one in both the second and third, but Fargo didn't let up and went on to a 6-2 shellacking over the Mallards.

Coleraine Trout vs Park Rapids Hooks
Hodgins-Berardo Arena was sold out to watch Coleraine take on Park Rapids in the Hooks first season in existence. It took a while to get things going with neither team doing much on offense, but things finally picked up in the second. The Brookies broke first blood and held a 1-0 lead through the second. Park Rapids tied things up early in the third before Coleraine answered back to make it 2-1. Park Rapids didn't let the crowd or the pressure get to them though, weathering the storm and finding a rebound in front to force overtime with the game tying goal scored with under 5 minutes in regulation. The teams returned to the ice for sudden death and it didn't take long to decide a winner. Park Rapids got called for tripping just 52 seconds into OT to put the Trout on the man advantage. Coleraine won the faceoff in the offensive zone and set up the powerplay. They worked it to the point and went d to d before ripping a shot towards goal. A forward in the slot put his stick in the lane and redirected the shot, ringing it off the post and in. The crowd erupted and Trout swarmed over the boards to celebrate. Coleraine moves on with a 3-2 overtime win over Park Rapids, ending the Hooks inaugural season in the knockout round.

RV Two Harbors Wolfpack vs Mountain Iron Cougars
UPSET ALERT!!! Two Harbors came into this game as heavy, heavy favorites over the Mountain Iron Cougars of the Iron Range Hockey League. Things started off strong for the Wolfpack who found the back of the net just a couple minutes into the game. Mountain Iron tied it up late in the period, carrying some momentum into the second. The Cougs were the better team in the second, outshooting the Wolves 11-5 in the period and scoring once to take a 2-1 lead into the third. Two Harbors tightened things up in the final frame and looked much more like their usual selves. Despite a really good period which saw the Wolfpack pin the Cougars in their own zone for most of the frame, the Pack just couldn't find the twine. Mountain Iron put the final nail in the coffin with the empty netter with 28 seconds left to play, sending the Cougars to the first round with a 3-1 win over Two Harbors.

Duluth Voyageurs vs Detroit Lakes Wood Ducks
The DECC was rocking in Duluth to watch the hometown Voyageurs return to the playoffs as they take on the Detroit Lakes Wood Ducks. There wasn't much going on in the first aside from the electric "Vive, Vive Le Bleus" chants. We remained scoreless after 40 minutes of play, and the tension was only growing. As the teams returned to the ice for the third, the 6,000+ in attendance swayed arm in arm and belted out "Do You Hear The People Sing?" from the play Les Misérables, a new tradition the fans started just this year. Detroit Lakes silenced the crowd 3:09 into the third on a one time blast that blew past the Voyageur goaltender and into the back of the net. There was a bit of controversy a little past the midway point of the period when Detroit Lakes was called for too many men on the ice despite not actually playing the puck. The Wood Ducks bench was irate with their coach leaning over the boards and screaming at the referee to no avail. Duluth was able to convert on this critical powerplay opportunity to tie the game and one apiece, sending the Detroit Lakes coach into another fit of rage at the referee that resulted in him getting ejected. The final horn sounded to send us to overtime between the Voyageurs and Wood Ducks. Both teams returned to the ice, Detroit Lakes missing one man on the bench. The first 10 minutes were pretty uneventful with neither teams wanting to make a mistake. Something was bound to give eventually, and it was the hometown team who would get that break. Duluth took the puck into the offensive zone and moved it around before taking a shot from the circle. The Wood Duck netminder was able to make the initial save, kicking it towards the corner. It was quickly scooped up by a Voyageur with some speed. He kept going after picking it up, driving around the back of the net and wrapping it around, beating the goalie to the post to win the game for Duluth. The crowd exploded and Voyageurs flung over the boards to mob their teammate. The Duluth Voyageurs advance with a 2-1 overtime in over Detroit Lakes.

Let me know what you think, comments are appreciated!

Steelman wrote:

Me, seeing Le Bleus doing something in the playoffs 

Savor it, man. 

1988 Kellogg Cup Playoffs: First Round - North


#1 Winnipeg Monarchs vs RV Fargo Titans
UPSET ALERT! Down goes number one! The top ranked team in the MAHL, the Northland Champion Winnipeg Monarchs, found themselves on the wrong side of one of the biggest first round upsets in recent MAHL history at the hands of the Fargo Titans. The Titans came into this game as major underdogs, but even they were able to earn the attention of some of our MAHL analysts as they received votes for being among the top 25 teams in the league. It was a battle right from puck drop with both teams throwing their bodies into the other, giving it all for their teammates. We were tied 2-2 after 60 minutes of play and the tension was palpable within a sold out Max Bell Centre as the teams returned to the ice for overtime. It would only take a few minutes before we had our winner. Fargo forced a neutral zone turnover that developed into an odd man rush for the Titans who beat the Monarch netminder blocker side to complete the upset and send Fargo to the second round with a 3-2 overtime win over the #1 ranked Winnipeg Monarchs.

#14 Hibbing Greyhounds vs #20 Grand Forks Jets
The Hibbing Memorial Building was rocking with over 3,500 to watch their Greyhounds take on Grand Forks. This is the third all-time meeting between these two with the Jets taking games 1 & 2 back in the early 70s. Hibbing saw their chance to finally avenge those early exits at the hands of the Jets and took it, lighting the lamp 5 times on their way to a 5-3 victory. Grand Forks put up a good fight and made it a game in the third with a pair of goals to pull to within two, but the Hounds were able to close it out and advance to the second round.

#6 Roseau Stars vs Coleraine Trout
This was a quintessential Roseau Stars hockey game, dominating control of the puck and suffocating your opponents before they have the chance to do anything on offense. Coleraine gave it their all, but in the end could only muster 18 shots on goal for the night compared to the Stars 35. Roseau lit the lamp thrice in this contest, sending the Green Army home happy and putting the Stars just one win away from their 12th Super Series appearance.

#7 Bemidji Blue Ox vs RV St. James Stags
It was just like old times at the John S. Glas Fieldhouse as Bemidji welcomed St. James back to town for the first time since the Blue Ox moved to the newly formed Itasca Hockey Association this year. Despite the time between contests, you could tell that these teams definitely knew how to play one another. This resulted in an incredible hockey game that went down to the wire. The Ox struck first but the Stags bounced back with two in the second to make it 2-1 St. James. Bemidji tied it up early in the third and with the help of the Blue Haze cheering them on were able to net the go ahead goal with 6:09 left to play. St. James had no response as the Babes shut it down until the final horn. The Bemidji Blue Ox are moving on, joining forces with Fargo to eliminate both Winnipeg based teams in the first round by scores of 3-2.


#2 Grand Rapids Moose vs Mountain Iron Cougars
It was a battle between two Iron Range towns for a ticket to the second round with the defending Kellogg Cup and IRHL champs Grand Rapids taking on Mountain Iron. The Cougs came out fast and scored the first and only goal of the opening period, taking a 1-0 lead into the period break. The Moose were finally able to get loose in the second after a shot from the point took a fortunate bounce off a defender to ricochet into the net and tie the score at 1-1. Grand Rapids just took over from there, feeding off the lively crowd at the IRA Civic Arena and quickly making it a 2-1 game. A third Moose goal in the third period would all but seal the deal as Mountain Iron just couldn't get anything going offensively. Grand Rapids advances, knocking out the Mountain Iron Cougars 3-1.

#12 Superior Lakers vs #23 International Falls Ice
We head over the border to Wisconsin for our next matchup which pits two ranked teams against each other as Superior takes on International Falls. It didn't take long for the scoring to kick off in this one with the Lakers scoring on their first shot on net just 49 seconds into play. That was the only scoring to happen for quite some time afterwards though as Superior held a 1-0 lead until 1:40 into the third when they finally were able to bury a second. The Ice bounced back on the powerplay to make it a one goal game again, but Superior beat the goalie on a one timer to make it 3-1 with under 10 to play. International Falls kept at it despite being down two, putting everything on net until they finally got a fortunate bounce and made it a 3-2 game with 4:55 left in regulation. The Ice called timeout to catch their breath and poured it on for the final five minutes with their season on the line. They pulled their goalie and set up in the Laker zone, getting a couple shots on goal before a rebound was scooped up by Superior and dumped the length of the ice, rolling into the empty net to secure the win and send Superior to the second round with a 4-2 win.

#4 Thunder Bay Giants vs Duluth Voyageurs
A historic rivalry between the two most successful teams in the history of the LSHL that hasn't been seen in the post season for nearly 30 years, what more could you ask for? There was a line forming outside Fort William Gardens hours before the doors were even open and the stands were nearly full as the teams took the ice for pregame warmups, really setting the scene for one of the biggest games in recent years for both the Giants and Voyageurs. The goals were coming early and often with Thunder Bay leading 3-1 after 20 minutes of play. Le Bleus rebounded in the second and played much better in their own zone, keeping the Big Red Giants off the scoreboard while netting one of their own to make it a 3-2 game heading into the third. Duluth got an early odd man rush in the third, picking the pocket of a defenseman and going in on an odd man rush capped off with a shot over the shoulder to tie the game 3-3. The once boisterous crowd was left in stunned silence as they see their two goal lead vanish. It was a new game now and you could see how badly Thunder Bay was looking for that next goal to get the crowd back into it. And then the strangest thing happened, Thunder Bay flipped a switch and completely took over. They really showed why they're the #4 ranked team in the MAHL as they completely turned the tides in their favor with a seemingly never ending offensive onslaught. It looked like they were on a powerplay the way they worked the puck around the Duluth zone, and there was nothing the Voyageurs could do about it. The Giants unloaded three unanswered goals to completely flip the script and turn what was once looking like a Duluth comeback into a 6-3 route instead.

#8 West Fargo Wasps vs #25 East Grand Forks Pointers
It was a battle between East and West as the RRHL Champs welcomed their leaguemates from EGF for this first round matchup. Any game between two ranked teams is bound to be a good one, and with how well the Wasps and Pointers know one another it was no surprise to see this game be as close as it was. Tied at 2 at the end of regulation, the sold out crowd in attendance was gifted to some free hockey in West Fargo. Things were a bit slow to start off OT with neither team wanting to make that critical mistake. Eventually though, something was bound to give. West Fargo drew a powerplay after a Wasp took a high stick in the corner, losing a tooth in the process. It was well worth it though as the Wasps buzzed around the EGF zone before setting up a one timer on the back door that beat the diving Pointer goalie and sends West Fargo to the second round.

Let me know what you think, comments are appreciated!