Section30 wrote:

Sadly I don't think Lutsen will be getting a team having under 200 people. Now that's not to say someone from Lutsen couldn't play, in fact if they did they would be playing for Grand Marais with it not being far from Lutsen.

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All good. I kinda knew that this was going to happen anyway! But Grand Maraias will have my full support behind them all the way! 

I just said Lutsen because it's my favorite vacation spot but we always visit Grand Marais while we're there in Lutsen anyway. 

Let's go Explorers! 

This has been a season of surprises, hasn't it...namely, what happened to the Vulcans and Stars (from Super Series to missing the playoffs entirely) as well as how the Walleye went from nowhere to the top!  Personally, I'm hopin' the Walleye make a lovely showing in the Playoffs and the Super Series, as they have all the makings of the feel-good story of the playoffs. 

Also, my Brewers are ready to go at it again...and we get a home game this time!  Let this game be a notice of impeachment for the Govs, and that we're ready to make another run at the Cup!  BREW IT UP...

(PS: LOVE the new banners you introduced; Baudette's circle, EGF's pennant and New Ulm's diamond.  Only question I have is why the Moose's 1953 Kellogg Cup Champions banner isn't hanging from the rafters like their three Iron Range League title ones are...I presume that's just an oversight).

Burmy87 wrote:

This has been a season of surprises, hasn't it...namely, what happened to the Vulcans and Stars (from Super Series to missing the playoffs entirely) as well as how the Walleye went from nowhere to the top!  Personally, I'm hopin' the Walleye make a lovely showing in the Playoffs and the Super Series, as they have all the makings of the feel-good story of the playoffs. 

Also, my Brewers are ready to go at it again...and we get a home game this time!  Let this game be a notice of impeachment for the Govs, and that we're ready to make another run at the Cup!  BREW IT UP...

(PS: LOVE the new banners you introduced; Baudette's circle, EGF's pennant and New Ulm's diamond.  Only question I have is why the Moose's 1953 Kellogg Cup Champions banner isn't hanging from the rafters like their three Iron Range League title ones are...I presume that's just an oversight).

Yeah it was definitely a weird season simulating, with a lot of teams I expected to finish high dropping and teams like Baudette rising dramatically.

Thank you for the kind words on the banners, I'm really happy with how they turned out. Thanks for pointing that out about Grad Rapids as well, I have updated it now.

.6.5.0

Last edited by Section30 (1/18/2020 11:47 pm)

1967 Kellogg Cup Playoffs; First Round Day 1


Minneapolis Millers vs Red Wing Chiefs
The Mighty Millers were in for a bit of a surprise as the Chiefs played up to their competition, going so far as to even force overtime. Minneapolis would ultimately survive, getting a goal 4:20 into OT to send the top ranked Millers to the second round.

South St. Paul Mavericks vs St. Paul Saints
The Mavs were hosting their first home playoff game at Wakota Arena, getting their first home playoff game in 9 years. The Saints marched south with intentions to spoil the celebration early. St. Paul got on the board late in the first to take a 1-0 lead after 1. The Mavericks responded 3 minutes into the second to tie things back up. There wouldn't be another goal until Saints RW Otto Paradise got the halos back on top on a great individual effort. The Saints would pop in another a few minutes later and ride the momentum to the finish line with a 3-1 win on the road.

Bloomington Bears vs La Crosse Brewers
The claret and blue got their first chance to host a playoff game, and the visiting Brewers were looking to keep their underdog streak alive. La Crosse broke first blood, but Bloomington turned around and took a 2-1 lead before the end of the first. The second was scoreless with both teams making sloppy plays that were being broken up with ease. The Bears added to their lead 7 minutes into the third, but La Crosse brought it back to within one shortly there after. The Brewers pulled their goalie with a minute and a half left and got close a couple times, but the Bloomington goalie made a couple terrific saves to keep his team in the lead. Finally a rebound was collected by the Bears who broke it out of their zone and a player finally fired it at the open net from the Brewer blue line, solidifying the win for the Bears 4-2.

New Ulm Bavarians vs Mankato Moose
It's always fun to see league rivals square off, and that exactly what we got here between the Bavarians and Moose of the Blue Earth Hockey League. This years champs from New Ulm had the better of the season series (3-2-1), but this was expected to be a close contest. The first was scoreless, with both teams playing cautious and feeling the other out. The Moose were called for cross checking in the second when a Mankato defenseman leveled a Bavarian in front of the net, screening the goalie. New Ulm was able to make them pay for the penalty though, getting on the board and waking up the crowd at South German Park. The Bavarians gained a lot of confidence and momentum after taking the lead and managed to net another in the third to add a cushion to their lead. They were able to kill the clock, dumping the puck into the Mankato zone whenever they could, and advance.


Cloquet Broncos vs Crookston Kings
Brady Millen had himself a game against the Kings, scoring all three of his teams goals in their 3-1 victory over Crookston.

Warroad Lakers vs Duluth Voyageurs
Le Bleus got the scoring started, actually building a commanding 2-0 lead after the first. The Lakers woke up late in the second, finally solving the Duluth defense and bringing us back to a one goal game. The third began and the clock continued to run with the hometown Lakers trailing 2-1. Late in the third, Warroad gained possession of the puck and went down into the Voyageurs zone. The puck was dropped to Oshie just inside the blue line and he drifted a bit, looking for an open pass. With nothing open, he made a quick move past a defender who was looking to block a pass. He made a nifty move to give himself a bit of separation from the other defenseman and fired a shot from just outside the hash marks. The shot went back the way the goalie was coming from, making him stop his momentum and by then it was too late and already in the back of the net, forcing overtime. Warroad went into overtime with all the momentum in the world, as well nearly 2,000 fans packed into the "Castle on the Corner", the Warroad Memorial Arena. The Lakers came out with an extra jump in their step, while Duluth seemed defeated after the late goal against. Warroad got a couple shots on goal and one of them caused a rebound to the side of the net. A Laker spotted the loose puck and was the first one to it, racing quickly behind the net and wrapping it around, into the open cage, winning the game for Warroad.

East Grand Forks Pointers vs Grand Forks Jets
This is the first playoff meeting between these two rivals. East Grand Forks has led the overall series between these two in their four years in the Red River Hockey League, including winning the league this year. This game was no different, with the Pointers seemingly just getting the better of their larger neighbors, despite being relatively equal in terms of skill in the eyes of most scouts and experts. EGF advances, keeping their biggest rivals off the board completely in this 2-0 victory.

Grand Rapids Moose vs Thunder Bay Giants
Grand Rapids' Didi Miller got his Moose on the board with a goal and an assist in the first. The Moose didn't stop there though, getting another early in the second to take a commanding 3 goal lead. Thunder Bay looked like they could have put something together for a bit during the third where they came close a couple times and scored once, but the Moose would hold on and advance.

Let me know what you think, comments are appreciated!

Goodbye, Mankato. For one moose is no longer loose!