I decided to call the following games the "Playdown Round", I thought it sounded alright and is pretty self explanatory since these teams are playing to get down to 8.

1972 Super Series; Playdown Round


Steinbach Barbarians vs Rochester Mustangs
The opening game of the Super Series got us off to a good start. Despite coming in as the underdogs, Rochester is a team with a long history of success and they're looking to finally get the respect they feel they deserve outside of the Valley. The Stangs got on the board first, beating the goalie five hole at the end of the first. Steinbach answered right back less than 3 minutes into the second with a goal of their own to tie things up at one, but the tie was short lived as Rochester drew a penalty and converted on the man advantage. The clock ticked down to the final minute and Steinbach pulled their goalie down 1. A Barbarian shot was blocked and gathered by the Mustangs who marched down the ice, burying the puck in the empty cage to win by a score of 3-1. This is Rochester's first win in the Super Series.

St. Paul Victorias vs Bloomington West Terriers
There wasn't an empty seat in the house for this matchup, the crowd was about 50/50 in support of both sides with West playing in their home town and St. Paul traveling a couple towns over to see their V's. The crowd was loud from the get go with chants of "Let's Go V's" and "Go West Go" ringing in the air as the puck was dropped. Both sides were tentative in the first, feeling one another out and not taking many risks. The V's finally broke the deadlock midway through the second, setting up a one time chance in the slot that beat the Terrier goalie. Things seemed to shift from there, with St. Paul taking over. It wasn't too long before the lead was stretched to two. A goal with 6:32 to go in the third was the final dagger, sending the V's to the Great Eight with a 3-0 shutout victory, ending the Terrible Terriers impressive playoff run.

Sioux Falls Packers vs Maplewood Retrievers
The first night game was a tight battle between the power of the Southwest and the emerging stars from the East Metro. We were scoreless through two, but things opened up a bit in the third after Sioux Falls buried a rebound to take the first lead of the game 5 minutes in. Maplewood became more aggressive after the goal against, determined to tie things up. The Retrievers were buzzing around the Packers zone, firing shots from everywhere. A shot was taken from below the circle, a shot that would normally be easily pushed aside, but the goalie misplayed it allowing it to get between him and the pipe, beating him short side. The crowd erupted, being mainly filled with Maplewood fans, as the Retrievers tied the game at 1. Regulation ended and we went to overtime. It was evenly matched for the first 6 minutes, but a Retriever was called for high sticking, giving Sioux Falls their 3rd powerplay chance of the game (0-2 on pp to this point). The Hogs set up down low, working the puck behind the net, looking for a man in the slot. No passing lanes opened up, but the Maplewood defenseman was playing out a bit too far, allowing a Packer to step out and fire a shot up and over the goalies shoulder, winning the game for Sioux Falls.

Brainerd Lumberjacks vs Rochester Robins
Brainerd got off to their usual slow start, allowing the Robins to take an early lead. The Jacks finally woke up at the end of the first, nearly tying the game on a breakaway but getting stuffed. The second started and was all Brainerd. The Jacks tied the game just over 5 minutes in and found themselves in the lead just a few minutes later thanks to a deflection in front. Brainerd continued to pressure in the third, but the Robins came close to tying a couple times, ringing a shot off the pipe and having a one time tap in broken up by a diving defenseman. The Lumberjacks managed to hold on to their lead, advancing to the Great Eight with a 2-1 win.

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At this point, go Stangs or Pack!

1972 Kellogg Cup Great Eight


Minneapolis Millers vs Rochester Mustangs
The Mighty Millers got off to a quick start, finding themselves up 2-0 after 20 minutes of play. Rochester looked flustered, making some questionable decisions in a desperate attempt to get on the board. A D to D pass was picked off by Ramsey, sending him in on a breakaway. He deked the goalie out of his jock, tucking the puck inside the pipe to give Minneapolis a commanding 3 goal lead. The Mustangs were able to pop one in in the third, but it was ultimately meaningless as the Millers held on to advance with a 3-1 win.

Thunder Bay Giants vs St. Paul Victorias
For the first time in 35 years the Giants and V's were pitted against one another. The crowd was majority Victoria fans though Thunder Bay travels really well, filling out about a quarter of the arena. The puck dropped and the Giants set the tone early, laying out a V skating through center ice with his head down. This caused a bit of a scrum on the ice and both sides had men sent to the box. St. Paul earned a powerplay from the hit, but were unable to convert. We went to the second and the deadlock was finally broken on a snipe from Peter Brooks. Thunder Bay tied it up on a point blast from veteran defenseman Joshua Staal early in the third. The score was still tied at one when the final horn sounded, sending us to overtime. The puck dropped and we were off. Thunder Bay dumped it in deep just past the 3 minute mark of ot and it was picked up by the V's who took off the other way. A cross ice pass was caught by a man with space who turned on the burners. The Giants defenseman kept him to the outside so he carried the puck behind the net, passing it into the slot once on the other side of the goal. The pass was caught by a teammate who was patient, holding on rather than taking a one timer. The goalie dropped and he carried the puck to his forehand, tucking the puck around the goalie and into the net, sending St. Paul to the semi finals.

Roseau Stars vs Sioux Falls Packers
Two of the most dynamic offenses in the MAHL were on display in this one. The Stars and Hogs quickly found themselves in a race to see who could score more. The score was tied 3-3 after two and it didn't slow down from there. Roseau took the lead early in the third, but a Packer goal 13 seconds later cut Roseau's celebration short. A Packer got a bit of space past the midway point of the third, protecting the puck and pressing towards goal. He lofted a backhander on goal that slid under the goalie's glove, giving Sioux Falls the lead. Roseau would give it their all for the remainder of the game, coming close a couple of times, but it would not go. The final horn sounded and the Hogs swarmed their goalie in celebration, the Pack is going to the semi finals for the first time in franchise history, avenging their 2-1 loss to Roseau in the Great Eight last year.

New Ulm Bavarians vs Brainerd Lumberjacks
The first got off to a slow start with both sides playing quite sloppily. Brainerd picked it up late in the first though, ringing a shot off the crossbar but not being able to get on the board. The Jacks took the first lead of the game midway through the second and it got ugly for the rest of the second. After taking the lead the Lumberjacks laid it all out, bombarding the Bavarian goalie, finding the back of the net two more times before the period was done. The third was tilted in favor of the diamonds with Brainerd going into a defensive shell, content with the lead they had built. The plan worked out in the end, holding New Ulm off the board despite allowing 17 shots on goal in the period. The final horn sounded, ending New Ulm's hopes of going back to back, sending Brainerd back to the semi finals with a 3-0 shutout victory.

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1972 Kellogg Cup Semi Finals


Minneapolis Millers vs St. Paul Victorias
The Streetcar Rivalry in the Semi Finals, what can be better than that? These MAHL mainstays have faced off a whopping 10 times in the playoffs, with both sides having come out on top 5 times. The Met Center was filled above capacity as fans from both of the Twin Cities packed in to watch their team. Things started off electric with both sides getting some good looks. The V's struck first, capitalizing on a turnover in the offensive zone. The St. Paul portion of the crowd woke became energized and it felt like we were back at the Auditorium as "Lets Go V's" chants broke out around the rink. The momentum was all in favor of St. Paul and the V's kept pressuring the Millers, firing a shot from the boards that got tipped in front giving the V's a 2-0 lead. Minneapolis called a timeout to calm things down and hopefully kill some of the momentum that St. Paul had built. The first came down to the last minute and the Millers gained control, breaking down the ice. The puck was dropped in the high slot for Ramsey who made a move around a defender, ripping a shot into the top corner to get his team to within one. Things slowed down a bit after the first, with neither side being able to find the back of the net in the second or third. That was until the final minute when Minneapolis pulled their goalie in a last ditch effort to tie it up. The V's were able to gain control and break out of their zone, Brooks dumped the puck in on goal once he passed center ice, clinching the win over their arch rivals to advance to the Kellogg Cup Final.


Brainerd Lumberjacks vs Sioux Falls Packers
The night game was a very different affair, with both sides playing extra cautious in their defensive zone. It was truly a defensive battle with the score still 0-0 after 2. Sioux Falls finally broke through 8 minutes into the third on a 3 on 1 chance, passing across ice for a tap in. The Lumberjacks looked deflated after the goal and it wasn't long before Sioux Falls extended their lead to two. A shot from the top of the circle was stopped by the Brainerd goalie, but the puck took a strange deflection, going up and over the goalie and landing in the crease. As the Lumberjack goalkeeper looked frantically for the puck, a Packer broke towards the crease, poking the loose puck past the goal line to give his team a 2-0 lead. The clock became the Lumberjacks greatest enemy and it turned out to be too much to overcome as Sioux Falls held on to advance to their first Kellogg Cup Final with a 2-0 shutout win.

Will the V's bring the Cup back to the Capital? Or will the Packers bring the Cup to South Dakota for the first time?

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Will St. Paul reclaim their former glory? Will Sioux Falls claim South Dakota's first Kellogg Cup title? Find out next time...