It’s been 6 months, I wasn’t able to do much because I’m reaching the end of my degree, and obviously school is the focus. Can’t promise regular updates at this point, just that I’ll do these when I can. Classes finish in April though, and hopefully I can make this part of my routine once again.

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1938-39 MHL Season: First Half

As is most times the case with the MHL, the standings saw some noticeable shifting as a new season got underway.

Leading the West division at the halfway point were the Philadelphia Minutemen. It seems like 1937-38 was a fluke year, as they’re back and looking like a playoff contender. They’re being led by Walter Potts, whose 26 goals and 39 points both lead the league. They’ve had a lot of success at home, as they’ve won 11 of the 15 games played there so far. However, their play on the road has left a lot to be desired, and their #1 spot isn’t set in stone yet. Despite that, they’re on track to make the playoffs. Philly sits at 18-12-1.

Second in the West are the Washington Bats, who are looking for that first playoff appearance. Offense has not been an issue, with their 3.53 goals per game being second in the league. However, they’ve given up almost as many across their 32 games, which could be their downfall. Martin Valley has continued his great play, leading the league with 28 assists at the halfway point. The Bats need more consistency, but if they get it, they’ll finally see the postseason. Washington sits at 17-14-1.

In third and in the final Western playoff spot are the Toronto Lakers, who are below 0.500 after their great 1937-38 season. They’re still very much in the playoff race, even if their play has left a lot to be desired. They’ve actually been very good at home, with a 9-4-1 record, but away from home, it’s been abysmal, at 6-13. Almost like a tale of two different teams. Toronto always seem to find a way to get into the playoffs, so they’ll have to really mess up to not see the postseason. The Lakers sit at 15-17-1.

In fourth are the Chicago Wildcats, another team having a disappointing overall season. Daniel Dyck and Trevor Alrick have pretty much done all the heavy lifting, while the rest of the team has struggled. They actually have the highest shooting percentage in the league, but despite that, their chance generation is few and far between. More consistency is needed if they want to challenge for a spot. Chicago sits at 14-18.

In 5th, shockingly, are the reigning champions, the Detroit Guardians. Call it Abbott Cup hangover if you want, but a team that won it all a few months ago should not have the worst goal differential in the league. It seems that all the defensive greatness they showed completely disappeared over the summer, as they’re now allowing 3.79 goals against per game. Head Coach Stanley Ryan was fired in a shock move and replaced by relative unknown Bob Neuhart, in a move that management hopes can reenergize the team. Detroit sits at 12-18-3.

At the bottom of the West are the Rochester Blues, who are not doing well after their relocation from Quebec. They can’t seem to get any stability at all, and it’s shown on the ice. Though their defense has been decent, Their 92 goals are second-worst in the league, so they haven’t been able to get any ground in a relatively weak division. Goalie Barry Chandler has had a bit of a breakout year, so Rochester is hoping he can be the star they need to compete. Rochester sits at 11-19-3.

In the East, the Brooklyn Kings appear to have decided to be a juggernaut. Though over 60% of their games have been at home, they’ve been dominant whether in Brooklyn or away. They’re #1 in offense and defense, with players such as Richard Gravel and James Whaley having great years. Randall Thomas has been elite in net as well, leading in wins and GAA. It’s not every year there’s an obvious Abbott Cup favourite, but it’s easily Brooklyn so far this year. The Kings sit at 24-5-2, 13 points clear of any other team in the league.

Second in the East are the Nassau Scouts, rebounding after a bad 1937-38 year. Led by a breakout year from winger Mark Adams, they’ve done well to be a playoff threat. A big part of their game has been being physical, as they lead the league in hits. Pair that with an above-average offense and defense, you get a pretty good team. However, they’ve lost every meeting with Brooklyn so far, so a playoff matchup would be pretty tough. Still half a season to go though. Nassau sits at 18-13-1.

In third are the Boston Harpers, who are looking to make the postseason back-to-back years for the first time since 1932-33. Their play hasn’t quite been at the level of the Scouts, but they’ve managed to be one of two teams to win and draw against Brooklyn, something Nassau can’t say. They’ve been a low-event team, scoring fewer goals but also allowing fewer. Overall, it’s looking good for the Harpers. Boston sits at 17-13-1.

Outside the playoff picture for the moment is the Montreal Hockey Club, playing a similar overall game to Boston but currently sitting below 0.500. Not a very eventful season for them in any way, no great individual seasons but also no crazy bad play. Just a pretty mid season overall so far. They sit 5 points out of the playoffs, so they’re not fully out, but they need to get past the mid to have a shot. They sit at 15-16.

In 5th are the New York Blue Birds, disappointingly after leading the division one season ago. They’re the lowest-event team in the league, the only team to still be double digits in goals for and goals against. The bright spot has been 40-year-old Moses Addison, who is going bar for bar with Father Time. His SV% of 0.920 leads the league. A legend of the game, Addison is always giving 110% even when the team is in this tough position. New York sits at 12-19-1, needing a run to get into the playoff race.

At the bottom of the East and the league are the Montreal Barons. They’re still leading the league in attendance mind-bogglingly, but that’s about the only bright spot they have. They haven’t seen the playoffs since 1935, and it’s looking like that will last another year. The good news for them is that they’ll have more home games in the second half, so they may get a bit of a boost to help their position. Still though, for a team in such a great market, it’s been a rough few years. The Barons sit at 11-20-2.



League leaders (so far)

1938-39 MHL Season: Second Half

The second half of the 1938-39 season was a tale of two divisions, one where everything was set in stone early, and one where it was an absolute rush to the very end.

Finishing first in the West and winning the division for the 3rd time in 6 years were the Chicago Wildcats. They won over double the amount of games they lost in the second half, taking the West by surprise to get that first-round bye. Trevor Alrick was the main catalyst behind their surge, as he scored 44 points in the final 31 games to claim the points lead, tying Martin Valley’s record of 82 points in a season. Rookie defenseman Daniel Saunders also helped out a lot, and he looks like he could be a star blueliner. Chicago finished at 35-28-1, less points than any of the Eastern playoff teams, but good enough for first in the West.

Finishing second and getting home ice in the first round are the Philadelphia Minutemen. It wasn’t a great second half, only winning 11 games, but an abundance of ties helped them stay in the playoff picture. Head Coach Cyril Rockvale had a unique system where the first forward line was focused solely on defense, with the second being high-octane offense. This system was exploited more in the second half, but it did result in Walter Potts and Anthony Evans being high in the league scoring ranks, and Harold Beauchamp and Lionel Hansen gaining praise for their defensive play. Philly finished at 29-26-9.

Finishing third and making the postseason for the first time in their history are the Washington Bats. They got in on a tiebreaker, and were still below 0.500, but they will absolutely take it. The most high-event team in the league, the Bats scored goals and gave up goals in bunches. It really was an impressive feat to make the postseason playing like that, especially considering their save percentage was dead last in the MHL. They will absolutely need to clean up their defense for the round 1 matchup or it will be a very quick appearance for them. Washington finished at 29-31-4.

Finishing fourth and missing the playoffs on a tiebreaker were the Rochester Blues. They got their act together in the second half, and passed Toronto and Detroit before their heartbreaking finish. In their final game, they went to overtime against a good team in Brooklyn, and just needed to run out the clock to get a tie, and they were in. Unfortunately, they gave up a goal in the final minute of the extra frame, sealing their fate. It’s a tough way to end a season, but it gives them some hope they can be consistent and challenge for a spot next year. Rochester finished at 27-29-8.

Finishing fifth are the Toronto Lakers, who went from playing mid to playing mid. It was a three-way race between them, Washington and Rochester, and they ended up missing by a point. Winning instead of tying their last game would have given them the tiebreaker over both Washington and Rochester, but they couldn’t find an overtime goal against Philadelphia. A disappointing season for Toronto, who have missed the playoffs for the 2nd time in 3 seasons, something they haven’t done since 1932. Toronto finished at 27-30-7.

Finishing last and completing the single worst title defense in MHL history are the Detroit Guardians. A baffling season for them, they not only finished at the bottom of the West, but had the worst goal differential in the league. It wasn’t on G Guy Topolinski, who all things considered had a decent year, but on the defense that continuously left him out to dry night after night. At least they have an Abbott Cup, but this is not what they were hoping would happen after winning it all. Detroit finished abysmally at 20-36-8.

The Brooklyn Kings were just short of having the best regular season in MHL history, falling to the 1931-32 Barons by a fraction of a percentage. They had the best home record, best road record, and best divisional records in the league. They scored the most goals, They allowed the fewest goals, had the most shots, most shorthanded goals, best power play, the list goes on. This is one of those years where anything short of an Abbott Cup is an absolute failure. The Kings have been too good to lose to anyone. Brooklyn finished at 45-12-7.

Finishing second are the Nassau Scouts, getting home ice for the first time since 1935. While Brooklyn was the clear #1 team in the league, Nassau was the clear #2. Offensively, they were the only team to come close to Brooklyn, and on defense, players such as Jeffrey Stephen and rookie Walt Fraser helped them to that second seed. Despite joining the league in 1924, the Scouts have never won a playoff round, but it looks like that could change this year. Nassau finished at 37-23-4. 

Finishing third are the Boston Harpers, making the playoffs in consecutive years. The Western 3rd seed Washington may be a high-event team, but Boston plays like a low-event team. They were the only playoff team to score below 200 goals, but still had a positive goal differential. Joseph Levesque was their best player in the regular season, doubling his career-high points total while also being one of the best defensemen in the league. He’ll be relied on heavily against a high-powered Scouts offense. Boston finished at 33-25-6.

Finishing fourth are the New York Blue Birds. They went above 0.500 in the second half, but it wasn’t close to enough to match the top 3 in the division. Their abysmal offence scored the fewest goals in the league, wasting what was legitimately a very good defensive season. New York’s defense allowed fewer goals than every team but Brooklyn. Moses Addison, who may retire this offseason, had a great year, but he definitely would have preferred team success to individual success in the twilight of his career. New York finished at 27-33-4.

Finishing fifth is the Montreal Hockey Club, who are going downhill. They won just 7 of their final 33 games, which isn’t great for a team already struggling to sell out an arena. Their players are declining, and nobody is really breaking out. Their lone bright spot was rookie Charles Boyko, who had 38 points in 52 games. William Smith, who has been their heart and soul for years, is declining due to a history of minor injuries, and only scored 51 points this year, which for him is shockingly low. Montreal finished at 22-38-4.

Finishing at the bottom of the division and bottom of the league were the Montreal Barons. It just was not a good year for the Montreal teams. Shockingly, this is the first time in their history that the Barons finished last in the league. Similar to MHC, the Barons stars are declining and nobody is breaking out to replace them. Frank Pangos did a good job in net, but they still allowed the most goals in the league. At least the Barons have the undying support of their fanbase, who are starting to make it clear to management that these past couple years are unacceptable. The Barons finished at 19-39-6.


Season Leaders:


Playoff Predictions:

W2 - Philadelphia Minutemen vs W3 - Washington Bats
Previous Meeting: None
Result: N/A
Series Record: N/A

It’s a battle of expansion brothers in the Western first round. Philly is making their second playoff appearance, while Washington is making their first. Neither team has won a playoff round, so someone will be getting their first this year.

Philly won 6 of the 10 matchups between the two teams in the regular season, outscoring Washington 45-34. Despite being below 0.500, the Bats were actually decent on the road, though it’s a whole different game in the postseason. Philly is ultimately the favourite here, since they have playoff experience, unlike the Bats who are brand new to this.

My pick: Philadelphia gets a playoff win at home, taking it 2-1.

E2 - Nassau Scouts vs E3 - Boston Harpers
Previous Meeting: 1932 Semi-Final
Result: Boston 2-0 Nassau
Series Record: Boston 1-0 Nassau.

It’s not often you see the #2 and #3 teams in the league face off in the first round, but that’s what we’re getting here. Their previous meeting was the 1932 semifinal, which Boston swept.

Nassau won the season series, taking 5 of the 11 matchups, and Boston taking 4. The other two were ties. The key here will be which of the Nassau offense/Boston defense prevails. If Boston’s defense prevails, they’ll have a chance. But otherwise, the Harper offense isn’t good enough to win a game on their own. Whatever the result it, this is an awesome matchup to have in the first round, and it’s a shame a top 3 team will be out before the semifinals.

My pick: The Scouts finally get that playoff round win that’s eluded them for so long, taking it 4-2.

Don't forget to vote for the 1938 MHL MVP/Hackatt Trophy Winner!

1939 MHL Playoffs

First Round

(W2) Philadelphia Minutemen (29-26-9) vs (W3) Washington Bats (29-31-4)

The Philly County War Memorial Arena was boisterous as the Minutemen and Bats took the ice in a battle of the most recent expansion teams. Philly was looking to win their 2nd round in 3 years, while the Bats were about to play their first ever playoff game.

The first period was very even, and both teams got lots of looks. The two goalies were called upon, and they did their jobs. Richard Parent and Richard Roy both made good saves, which had the crowd oohing and ahing. As a result, there was no score despite over 20 combined shots from the two times. It was looking tight after 20, knotted up at zeroes.

The scoring started in the second, in a period largely dominated by the Bats. Richard Racine opened the scoring 4:21 in, getting a rebound that Parent had 0 chance on. Philly would get a power play soon after, and on the man advantage, Bill Johnson took a shot that deflected off the leg of Washington’s Nicholas Johnson and past Roy, tying it up at 1. The Bats controlled play for the remainder of the period, but Parent made all the saves he needed to, keeping it a tie game heading into the final frame.

Philly started the final frame with a bang, as Clarence Leonard wired one home 1:25 in, and the home crowd loved it. Philly almost made it 3-1 soon after, but Roy have an amazing save in tight to keep his team in it. Washington got some momentum after that, and Martin Valley scored his first career playoff goal from a long shot, tying it up at 2. The action continued, as Washington’s Warren Miller and Philadelphia’s Alphonse Boudreau dropped the gloves and had a heated tilt, that Boudreau won. This fired up the home team and home crowd, and soon after, Yves Lang scored a power play goal to give Philly the lead. With 7 minutes to play, Harold Beauchamp took a long shot that caught Roy by surprise, and it went between his legs, making it a 2-goal lead. Philly didn’t look back, and took the 4-2 win.

(E2) Nassau Scouts (37-23-4) vs (E3) Boston Harpers (33-25-6)

The Eastern matchup pitted the Nassau Scouts, who were 0-7 in all playoff series heading into this one, up against the Boston Harpers, looking to make it 0-8. The County War Memorial crowd was hoping they could finally see their team advance to the next round.

Similar to the first semifinal, the first period was very even, with lots of chances. The two goalies made the saves they needed to, including the really tough ones. The home crowd almost leapt to their feet multiple times, but the Scouts couldn’t put anything past Alberto Esposito in the opening frame. On the other end, it was a similar story, with Mike Whitlow doing his job well. It was scoreless through 20.

The second was more of the same story. Both teams had power plays early in the frame, but still nothing got past either goalie. The first goal would not come until the final minutes of the period, where on a Boston powerplay, William Robinson made a beautiful move to get past a defender before his pass slid slowly to Thomas Marshall, who wired one past Whitlow. Boston had first blood 36 minutes into the semifinal. That would be the only scoring of the period, and they looked to close it out in the third.

The third period was the complete opposite of the opening two. 3 minutes into the final frame, a loose puck came to Marshall right in front of Whitlow, and he made no mistake, making it 2-0 Boston. Nassau would finally beat Esposito before the halfway point, with a seeing-eye shot from David Edwards getting the home crowd back into it. However, with 5 minutes to play, Boston got a 2-on-1 on an odd-man rush, and Jack Roy deposited the pass from Jean Rheault, making it 3-1. Lennie Triplett converted in close a minute later to cut the deficit to 1 again, but a minute after that, Roy’s second of the game made it 4-2. Melvin Graham converted a breakaway late to put it away, and the Harpers got the upset win, and Nassau, now in their 17th season in the league, fell to 0-8 in playoff rounds.



Semifinals

(W1) Chicago Wildcats (35-28-1) vs (W2) Philadelphia Minutemen (29-26-9)

The Western Final was a first-time postseason matchup, between the 2-time champion Chicago Wildcats and the Philadelphia Minutemen, looking for their first Abbott Cup Final appearance. While the Wildcats were favoured, many analysts believed Philly had a real chance of advancing.

In Game 1, the scoring started just 49 seconds in. Harold Beauchamp got in behind the defense and beat Claude Kepkay five-hole. The home crowd was silenced, but around 8 minutes later, A Chicago odd-man rush resulted in a goal by Rodrigue Racine, tying it up. That deadlock didn’t last for long though, as 30 seconds later, Lionel Hansen went for a skate around the offensive zone before beating Kepkay blocker-side. Chicago got tons of chances to tie before the end of the frame, but none of them went. Philly led 2-1 after 20.

Early in the second, Patrick Quinn scored from in tight, tying it up. Chicago was dominating shots-wise, and Trevor Alrick gave Chicago the lead on a controversial goal where the puck barely crossed over the line, with Richard Parent adamant it didn’t cross. His arguments were unheard, and the Wildcats led 3-2. Henry Baumgartner made it 4-2 soon after, and Philly needed to catch up. Alphonse Boudreau got a power play goal back to make it 4-3, but it was Chicago still dominating play, outshooting Philly 25-12 after 40, clinging to that one-goal lead.

In the third, Chicago struck early, with Herbert Schmidt putting home a rebound to restore the 2-goal lead. The remainder of the period was frenetic, with Philly getting more shots in the final frame than they did in the first two combined. Chicago also continued their onslaught, so it was back-and-forth. However, the only goal of the frame was the one that came early on. Kepkay had allowed a couple weak ones, so his play in the third was a welcome sight for the home fans. Chicago held on to take Game 1, 5-3.

Game 2 was in Philadelphia, where the home crowd wasn’t as rowdy as usual. It seemed that te first game’s result had gotten to them, but nevertheless, they were still ready to support the Minutemen as they looked to force a Game 3.

Early into the game, Chicago tested Parent twice, but he made two good saves to the delight of the home crowd. 3 minutes in, Harold Beauchamp took a shot that Kepkay got a piece of, but not all, and it popped into the net, giving the hosts a 1-0 lead. Later on, Walter Potts scored his first of the postseason on a nice shot, doubling Philly’s lead. Chicago would come back in the later stages though, with Patrick Quinn’s second in as many games getting them on the board, and Robert Prince tying it up in the final minute. An exciting period resulted in a 2-2 deadlock through 20.

In the second, it was less chaotic goals-wise, but still good chances at both ends, and the shot counter remained even from the start to the end. Chicago had a couple of power play opportunities, but Philadelphia did well to kill both of them off. In the end, the second period finished with the same scoreline as it started, tied at 2.

Walter Potts’ second of the game just 1:17 into the third ignited the crowd, and gave the Minutemen their first lead of the game since late in the first. It was a long shot from just inside the blue line that Kepkay really should have had, but it didn’t matter. with 7 minutes to play, Lionel Hansen made it a 2-goal game once again, beating Kepkay five-hole, where he was really struggling to stop pucks. The home crowd loved it, and even though the Wildcats poured 14 shots on Parent in the final frame, he stopped all of them, and Philly was successful in tying the series and bringing it back to Chicago. 

It was back to Chicago for the final game of the series, and the home crowd was a mix of confident and scared. Chicago had been in this situation many times before, with some times going well, and some times not. Meanwhile, Philadelphia was hoping to win to make their first ever Abbott Cup Final.

The first period was relatively quiet, but it did have its moments. 7 minutes in, Chicago had the puck in Philly’s end, and a shot led to a mad scramble in front. Patrick Quinn took 3 whacks at the puck before finally batting it in from right in front, giving the hosts first blood. Philly was limited to only 5 shots in the frame, but they had a great look from Potts that hit the crossbar late in the frame. Chicago led 1-0 through 20.

The second was still relatively tight but with some more action. Philadelphia got a power play halfway through the frame, and on the man advantage, Clarence Leonard got a pass right in front and beat Kepkay, who was practically in the net when the shot went off. Overall, despite there being 5 combined power plays in the middle frame, that was the only goal, it’s a penalty killer’s delight with how well both teams played a man down. The clock hit 0, and it was 1-1 heading into the final frame.

The third period was chaotic. all offense that had been dammed in the first 40 minutes came out at once, and it suddenly became a barnburner. It started with a rare power play breakaway from Leonard 7 minutes in, and he converted to give the visitors a shock lead. However, 2 minutes later, Trevor Alrick got a breakaway of his own and scored, tying it back up. 36 seconds after that, Anthony Evans scored a wraparound goal to give Philly the lead again. Chicago got a powerplay a with around 6 to play, and off a chaotic sequence, Marcel Girard shot one home, tying it up again. It came down to the final couple minutes, where Daniel Dyck collected a loose puck just inside the offensive blueline, got around a defenseman, and beat Parent on the backhand. Chicago had the lead, and Philly couldn’t get anything in the final minute. The Wildcats took a wild one 4-3, and advanced to the Abbott Cup for the 5th time.

(E1) Brooklyn Kings (45-12-7) vs (E3) Boston Harpers (33-25-6)

In the East, it was a series between the juggernaut Brooklyn Kings and upstart Boston Harpers. For the Kings, anything short of winning it all would be a huge failure, and for Boston, beating a team as good as Brooklyn would be remembered for decades. The Brooklyn Aud was surprisingly not 100% full at the start of Game 1, but the fans that were there were LOUD.

Little did the home crowd know they were about to be treated to a highly entertaining game. The first half of the period was relatively uneventful, but near the halfway point, Brooklyn got a power play. On the power play, George Patchian scored from the blue line, giving the hosts the lead. Soon after, blueliner Frank MacNeil, who only scored 1 goal in the regular season, beat Alberto Esposito glove-side, making it 2-0. They piled it on, and in the final minute, a beautiful passing play left a wide-open net for Matthew Graham, and it was looking like a blowout. Brooklyn led 3-0 after 20.

The Kings got another power play early in the second, and Michael Clarke made it 4-0 just 5 minutes into the second. At this point, Brooklyn was more content play defensive to avoid any threat of Boston getting into the game, but eventually, Jean Rheault converted a nice pass from Melvin Graham to get the Harpers on the board. A Boston power play soon after was converted, and it was a 2-goal game. However, a terrible miscue from Esposito in the final minute resulted in a gift for Clarke, who scored his second of the game to give the Kings a 5-2 lead after 40.

Brooklyn decided to go back to what worked best in the first, high-powered offense. William Landry made it 6-2 with 8 minutes to play, and the home crowd was loving it. Boston wasn’t giving up though, and their star defenseman, Joseph Levesque, made it 6-3 from a backhand shot in close. Jack Roy’s 4th of the playoffs in just his 2nd game made it 6-4 with 2 minutes to play. James Whaley put the final dagger in the coffin the final minute though, and Brooklyn took a wild game 1, 7-4.

The teams headed to Boston for Game 2, and Storrow Arena was electric. Even though they were down, the Harper supporters were making it quite the intimidating building to play in. It was looking like it would be a much closer game.

It looked like the home crowd put a pep in the step of the Harpers, as just 5 minutes in, Jack Roy’s 5th of the postseason gave them a 1-0 lead. The lead wouldn’t hold for too long though, as a great forecheck by Brooklyn’s Robert Bass led to a takeaway, and he found James Whaley, who found Richard Gravel who beat Esposito to tie it up at 1. Boston had a beautiful chance to get the lead back a few minutes later, but Roy heeled his shot, which let Randall Thomas get a pad on it. The first period was even in shots and score, and it was 1-1 through 20.

Brooklyn was the better team in the second in terms of scoring chances, but it was Boston who got the chances early. Randall Thomas had to make a nice save to keep it tied. At the halfway point, it was Jack Roy who scored his sixth of the postseason in front, meaning he had scored 2 goals in each game the Harpers had played so far, and 6 of Boston’s 10 goals at that point. The crowd loved it, but they did not love Robert Bass scoring his first of the postseason to tie it up late. His shot hit Esposito, popped up over his shoulder, and into the net for a weird one. It was once again tied at the end of the frame, 2-2.

The third period was Boston’s best period of the postseason possession-wise, as they starved the normally high-powered Brooklyn offense, allowing only 5 shots. They also got some good looks, but Thomas said no each time. By the time regulation had ended, They had put 36 shots up on Thomas, but he had stopped 34, meaning it was a tie game, and the first overtime of the postseason was on the way. Brooklyn would either win the series, or Boston would force a decisive game 3.

Boston’s great play continued in overtime, continuing to frustrate Brooklyn’s shooters, while getting good looks themselves. They had a great end-to-end rush with 8 minutes to play, resulting in a great look for Melvin Graham in tight, but Thomas said no. They also had a breakaway for Yves Bernier, but he too was stopped. With 7 minutes to play, Brooklyn had a rare offensive zone possession, and a point shot lead to Francois Demers getting a chance in tight, but he was stopped by Esposito. However, he kept with the puck, skated behind the net, went around, and tucked it in to give the Kings the game and the series. Despite Boston’s 48 total shots, they could not get it done, and were eliminated.



Abbott Cup Final Preview:

(E1) Brooklyn Kings vs (W1) Chicago Wildcats
Previous Meeting: 1936 Abbott Cup Final
Result: Chicago 4-3 Brooklyn
Series Record: 1-1

For the second time in 4 years, Brooklyn and Chicago face off for the Abbott Cup. It’s shockingly only the second repeat Abbott Cup Final matchup in the MHL’s history, with Toronto and New York in 1923 and 1927 being the other. Both teams are making their 5th appearance in the championship series, both having won two and lost two prior to this.

Despite Brooklyn being the clear favourite in terms of record and stats, the season series was actually tied, granted they only played 2 games against each other in the regular season. Brooklyn won the first meeting at home 4-2, while Chicago won their home matchup 2-0. Both teams are fully healthy, but despite all that, it’s Brooklyn’s to lose, they are a fraction of a percentage off the Baron’s all-time Points% record, and if they win the Abbott Cup, they’ll be able to do what that Montreal team couldn’t, and therefore have their name in history as the greatest MHL team at this point in history.

My Pick: The Kings write their name down in the history books, taking the series 4-1.

I'll be pulling for Chicago here