1988 Kellogg Cup Super Series - Super 16


#3 Highland Park Flying Aces vs Cottage Grove Yellow Jackets
UPSET ALERT! The 1988 Kellogg Cup Super Series got off to an incredible start with the top ranked team in this years tournament falling to the Cinderella Seed in game one. Cottage Grove didn't look like an unranked team in this one, keeping up with the Twin Cities champs for a full 60 minutes and even managing to shut them out. The Yellow Jackets scored once in the first and it would prove to be the game winner as neither Highland Park nor Cottage Grove could net another. Down go the Flying Aces, stunned by the 16 seed Yellow Jackets 1-0 to kick off the 88 Super Series with a bang.

#13 Rochester Mustangs vs #14 Hibbing Greyhounds
You can't get off to much of a better start than what the Greyhounds did early on in their matchup against Rochester. Hibbing drew a tripping penalty just over a minute into the game and promptly took a 1-0 lead, scoring on their first shot on target. The Hounds added to their lead in the second on a rebound and the writing was on the wall. Hibbing is too good of a hockey team to allow the Mustangs a chance to comeback, suffocating the Rochester attack to carry the Greyhounds to the Great Eight with a 2-0 victory.

#8 West Fargo Wasps vs RV Hastings Rivermen
The first period was a back and forth battle without anything happening on the scoreboard. Hastings had the majority of chances, but neither team could find the back of the net. This continued into the second with the Rivermen continuing to control play but failing to convert. Then things changed. West Fargo got a their first powerplay chance of the game and were able to make it count, taking a 1-0 lead. If you blinked you'd miss what happened next. Just seconds after the puck was dropped, the Wasps scored again. Then again. In the span of under a minute and a half, the West Fargo Wasps had shocked the Hastings Rivermen with a three goal flurry. The teams went to the locker room after two with the Wasps now comfortably in front 3-0. Hastings was able to settle back down and they overall controlled the play in the third, but they remained snake bitten and couldn't score. The final horn blared to send West Fargo to the Great Eight, knocking out Hastings thanks to a 3 goal flurry in the second.

#9 St. Cloud Bearcats vs #24 Minnetonka Muskies
What. A. Game. The St. Cloud Bearcats and Minnetonka Muskies played in what may be one of the best Super Series games in MAHL history, playing over 119 minutes of hockey to close out Day 1 of the Super Series. It was scoreless after one with both teams just feeling out the other. St. Cloud took a 1-0 lead in the second, but Tonka fought back to tie the score before the end of the period. The Bearcats and Muskies then played the third period with no score. Then came overtime with no score. Then a second overtime with no score. Finally, in the final minute of triple overtime, the St. Cloud Bearcats found a man on the back door for a one timer that finally put an end to this marathon. The final shots were 38-29 in favor of St. Cloud and it's the Bearcats who advance with a 2-1 win over Minnetonka in triple overtime.


#5 Edina Cake Eaters vs RV Faribault Flickertails
UPSET ALERT! Day 2 started off with deja vu as the top ranked team on this side of the bracket getting upset in game one by an unranked underdog. This was a true David vs Goliath type of matchup with Faribault playing in their very first Super Series game against the team with the most Super Series appearances, Edina. The Flickertails had a simple game plan going in, slow down the game and shut down the Edina offense, and it worked to a tee. The mighty Cake Eaters couldn't get any sort of momentum going with Faribault more than willing to intentionally ice the puck or chip it out of play to get a whistle. This really frustrated Edina who lives and dies by dominating possession in the offensive zone. After 60 minutes of play we were still scoreless in Bloomington, giving the 14,000+ some free hockey to start the day. Overtime began and it was more of the same with Faribault playing a really defensive and cautious game. A puck was flipped into the Cake Eater zone and icing was waved off. The Flickertails were able to force a turnover with an aggressive forecheck, poking it free and ripping a shot on net. The Edina goaltender made the save with his leg pad. There was a Faribault winger parked in front ready for the rebound. He quickly slapped at the puck, smacking it into the back of the net and clinching the historic upset for his team and his city. The Faribault Flickertails move on, knocking out Edina 1-0 in overtime.

#12 Superior Lakers vs #17 Fergus Falls Cyclones
The second game of the day was another defensive battle between two very physical teams. The first period was more physical than offensive for either team, both looking to send a message early on that they won't be walked over. Fergus Falls scored the lone goal of the game almost exactly midway through the second period, ripping a shot off into the top left corner. The Lakers had a bit of a late push in the third, but they couldn't get anything past the Cyclone netminder. The Fergus Falls Cyclones advance to the Great Eight with a 1-0 win over Superior.

#6 Roseau Stars vs RV Blaine Spartans
This one took a while to get going with the Stars and Spartans still scoreless after two periods of play. Blaine finally broke the tie midway through the third, finding a teammate on the back door for a tap in. Time was beginning to run out on Roseau as the clock ticked down to less than two minutes of regulation. The Stars carried the puck across the blueline and into the Blaine zone. The first shot was taken from the hash and was kicked away, but the Spartan defense failed to pick up the man in front who popped home the rebound with 1:17 left to play. The horn blasted to send us to overtime tied at one. Nobody expected a repeat of last nights marathon game between St. Cloud and Minnetonka, but the next thing you knew we were in triple overtime for the second time in the 1988 Super Series. This one came to an end slightly earlier than the other though with Roseau scoring their second rebound goal of the game to punch their ticket to the Great Eight. The Roseau Stars advance, knocking out Blaine 2-1 in triple overtime.

#10 Little Canada Canucks vs #18 Apple Valley Cardinals
The first period belonged to the Canucks who came out flying. Despite dominating play, Little Canada failed to convert and we remained scoreless after 20 minutes of play. Apple Valley turned things around in the second and were able to score the first goal of the game. Later in the period the Cards struck again to make it a 2-0 game. Little Canada finally got one past the Cardinal goaltender early in the third to make it a one goal game. The Nucks kept up the pressure for a while, but Apple Valley was able to get an odd man rush that they converted on to regain a two goal advantage. From there, Apple Valley slammed the door shut, closing it out and advancing to the Great Eight with a 3-1 win.

Let me know what you think, comments are appreciated!

Very crazy start to this Super Series!  Loving the upsets (especially Edina's loss, haha!). 

Fairbault makes for an awesome underdog story, but to be honest, I'm rooting for St. Cloud to finally win the championship, they had a ton of great teams over the years, yet never quite got over the top to win it all, hope it changes this time!

1988 Kellogg Cup Semi Finals

#9 St. Cloud Bearcats vs #14 Hibbing Greyhounds
Met Center was filled to capacity as the Bearcats and Greyhounds took the ice for the first of two Semi Final matchups in this 1988 Kellogg Cup Super Series. Hibbing did themselves no favors early, going to the box twice in the first ten minutes. St. Cloud was unable to convert on either powerplay, but they built some momentum and were able to pop one home with just a couple minutes left in the period to take a 1-0 lead after one. St. Cloud carried that momentum into the second as they came out flying and took a two goal lead on their first shot of the period. The Greyhounds kept marching to the box, making things harder on themselves now down by a pair. The Bearcats were able to hold on, shutting down the Hibbing offense to advance to the Kellogg Cup Final for the second year in a row with a 2-0 victory.


#18 Apple Valley Cardinals vs RV Faribault Flickertails
Our second Semi Final was a back and forth battle between two teams looking to reach the Final for the first time. Apple Valley struck first on the powerplay and carried a 1-0 lead into the second. Faribault got that one back in the second but it was short lived with the Cardinals striking just 36 seconds later to regain the lead. The Flickertails fought back for a second time in the third, beating the Apple Valley goalie on a one timer to tie the game 2-2. Time continued to tick down and we reached the final five minutes of regulation. Apple Valley put a shot on net that was saved, but the rebound was slapped home to give the Cardinals their 3rd lead of the night with just a few minutes left to play. Faribault pulled their goalie in the final minute in an act of desperation, but it backfired when Apple Valley took the puck and iced it down into the empty cage to clinch the win. The Apple Valley Cardinals advance to the Kellogg Cup Final for the first time in team history, knocking out Faribault by a score of 4-2.

Will St. Cloud finally end the curse and win the Cup after 5 Finals appearances with no wins? Or will Apple Valley add another chapter to the Bearcats legacy of heartbreak and become the first team from the SMHL to win the Kellogg Cup?

Let me know what you think, comments are appreciated!

1988 Offseason Highlights

- 12 Expansion Teams

- 12 Identity Changes

- 6 New Arenas
     - Little Falls: The Pilots are moving into a new rink in town, 800 seat Exchange Arena
     - Mora: After 8 years in a glorified shed, the Dalas are getting a new home. Newly built Mora Civic Center can seat 750 spectators
     - North Mankato: The River Bats will now be playing home games in North Mankato. North Mankato Ice Arena can seat 1,000
     - Ramsey: The Rams get a new home all to themselves. Ramsey Ice Arena can fit 750 fans
    - St. Cloud: Coming off their first Kellogg Cup in team history, the St. Cloud Bearcats are moving into the hot new venue in town, the 5,750 seat National Hockey Center on the campus of St. Cloud State University. The Cats crosstown rivals, the St. Cloud Storm, will remain at the MAC, giving both St. Cloud teams their own homes.
     - White Bear Lake: After 38 years at the historic White Bear Lake Hippodrome, the Braves are moving into a new home. They will play their home games at newly built, 800 seat, White Bear Lake Sports Center.

- 9 New Mascots

- 5 New Rivalry Trophies

- 2 Numbers Retired

Awesome!  Congrats to St. Cloud!  I'd imagine their fans feeling like the Boston Red Sox fans when they finally broke the Curse of the Bambino!  Nice to see!

Can't wait to see the new teams and identity changes!