O (Little) Canada!  This has GOT to be the feel-good story of the year...biggest underdog run since the Austin Mavericks' Kellogg Cup in '56.

Just hopin' none of my Wisconsin teams have to play the Canucks in the Super Series.

Some crazy upsets in these playoffs! Go Canucks!

1973 Kellogg Cup Playoffs; Second Round - South


New Ulm Bavarians vs Mankato Moose
It was a battle between two Blue Earth Hockey League rivals to see who will advance to the Super Series. The Bavarians have had the upper hand in this rivalry for the last couple years now and came out for this one feeling very confident. This translated to the game as the diamonds jumped out to a two goal lead after the first. The Moose had a bit of a push back in the second, outshooting New Ulm, but they couldn't get on the board. New Ulm put this one away with 6:49 left to play, beating the Mankato goalie five hole to take a 3-0 lead which they held until the final horn, advancing to their 4th straight Super Series.

Sioux City Shockers vs Northfield Outlaws
Northfield came into this one high off their upset win over the Robins, but it became evident early on that Sioux City came to play. The Outlaws managed to hold off the Shockers attack in the first, sending us to the second still scoreless. The Shockers finally broke through 6 minutes into the second, popping home a rebound to take the lead. Northfield tied things back up with a powerplay goal just over 2 minutes later to send us to the third tied at 1. The third is where things fell apart for Northfield, defensive lapses and sloppy passes gave the Shockers numerous chances which they happily took to score 3 unanswered goals in the third to win by a final score of 4-1.

Sioux Falls Packers vs Owatonna Owls
The powerhouse from the Southwest vs the newcomers from the Blue Earth. Most experts had already given this one to the far more experienced Packers, expecting them to waltz into the Super Series yet again, but the Owls came out flying. Owatonna scored in the opening minute of the game, adding another 3 minutes later to take all the air out of the crowd. Another goal late in the period gave the Owls a commanding 3-0 lead after 1. Sioux Falls picked it up in the second, pulling to within one, but an empty netter in the third would put it away for Owatonna. The Owls are heading to their first Super Series in their inaugural season, knocking out the Packers by a final score of 4-2.

St. Peter Governors vs La Crosse Brewers
St. Peter is looking to end years of playoff disappointments, winning only 2 of their 9 previous playoff games, while the Brewers were looking to punch their ticket to their second Super Series. La Crosse was once again wearing their lucky yellow as the puck was dropped in St. Peter. Both sides played cautiously, not taking any risks on either side of the puck. This caused the game to slow to a snails crawl with neither side getting any good looks on goal. Regulation came and went without any goals, sending us to overtime in this scoreless affair. Overtime was just like regulation with both sides playing overly cautious. We were past the halfway point of the period when St. Peter was called for high sticking, setting up the Brewers pp unit for the 3rd time on the night. La Crosse worked the puck around the zone, looking for any possible shooting lanes. The puck was worked up to the point where a defenseman wound up for a clapper that was blocked by a Governor in the slot. The puck ricocheted off his shin pad to the stick of a Brewer in the slot who wasted no time firing it on goal. The goalie managed to get a piece of it with his shoulder, but it still managed to slip under the crossbar and into the net, sending the Brewers back to the Super Series.

Let me know what you think, comments are appreciated!

ON WISCONSIN!!!!  Lakers and Brewers BOTH in the Super Series AT LAST, turnin' the "M" upside down...and even better, my dream Final matchup remains a possibility.

We're both the "bad guys" now...not only do the Brewers have to knock off the only Twin Cities League team left in the tourney, but the Lakers have to be the ones to make the clock strike midnight on the Canucks' Cinderella run...but it's OK, because this is the time where folks are finding it cool to root for the bad guys!

If the Lakers don't play the bad guys for the Little Canada story, the Diamonds will be forced to. I'd like the Shockers to do something, even if it is against my original team, the Meese. Also, I applaud the Govs for doing what they do best: being OK, but not good.