TourneyEarnie wrote:

Oh man, Winona is on the rise!

Just imagine the celebration if they make the playoffs

In the North:
I feel that Steinbach has a trap game against the winner of the 8/9 matchup (since I assume they'll beat the Titans or Lumberjacks).

In my upset special, I expect the Voyaguers to upset the Trout.

The Mountain Iron vs Grand Marais will have some gorgeous uniform matchups.

The Trappers logo stands out in a good way with the lack of dark colors on it.

In the Twin Cities:
I'd love to see Lake Elmo upset the Vulcans, because I really like that Bluejay logo.

My upset pick here is going to be the 11 over the 6 again, and I'm picking the Chargers over the Retrievers.

For the closest game, I'd pick White Bear Lake and Bloomington.

For the South:
I think the Brewers are going to beat the Moose, not only because they're one of the Wisconsin teams. A showdown with the Mustangs would be fun in the second round.

I really like the color contrast between Apple Valley and Hastings.

My upset pick is the 13 over the 4, with the Red Wing Chiefs (who appear to be mislabelled as the Burnsville Bucks, who are properly labelled on the 10 seed) knocking off the Governors.

1976 Kellogg Cup Playoffs; Knockout Round


Fargo Titans vs Brainerd Lumberjacks
The Lumberjacks went into Fargo and managed to one up the Titans on the scoreboard. Scoring chances were abundant in this one for both teams with the both squads getting over 30 shots on goal in the game. It was high paced and high scoring with Brainerd jumping in front only to have the Titans tie it back up. This continued until the Jacks scored with 5 minutes left in the game to once again take the lead. This time it would hold though as they knock off Fargo 4-3 on the road.

Thunder Bay Giants vs Crookston Kings
Despite a third place finish, Thunder Bay is still a very dangerous hockey team. The Giants proved this by shutting out the Crookston Kings 2-0 in front of nearly 5,000 at Fort Williams Gardens. Thunder Bay will advance to do battle with their non-league rivals from Winnipeg in a rematch of the 1973 first round that will once again be broadcasted across Canada.

Mountain Iron Cougars vs Grand Marais Explorers
The Cougars made the most of their first playoff appearance, finding the back of the net 6 times to overwhelm the Explorers and advance to the second. Grand Marais did their best to stay in it, scoring three times, but the Cougs offense was just firing on all cylinders, ending the Explorers season with a 6-3 loss.

St. Cloud Storm vs Little Falls Pilots
Two Granite Hockey League members went into this one knowing only one will advance. Games between the Storm and Pilots have never historically been too interesting, neither team had much disdain for one another before this so when things escalated to the extent that they did it was a surprise to many. It all began with 2 minutes to go in a scoreless first when a Little Falls player stuck out his knee, catching a St. Cloud player and knocking him out of the game with a leg injury. This led to a line brawl on the ice as Storm players went after the Pilot and things got ugly. The Storm capitalized on the powerplay to take the lead, but Little Falls scored two unanswered in the second. St. Cloud got things back even at 2 on a one timer in the third. The game looked completely different in the third than when the puck was first dropped with players cussing each other out from their benches and things getting very chippy out on the ice. It was only fitting that this one would need overtime with the score still tied at 2. Both teams were determined and ready to do whatever it took to win this game when the puck was dropped. The physical play continued in overtime with Little Falls laying out a St. Cloud forward in open ice, getting a stick tap of applause from his teammates on the bench. The Pilots broke out of their zone and went in 3 on 2 into the St. Cloud zone. A winger cut into the center and dropped a pass for the center who was going the opposite way, pulling the defenseman out of the way for an open shot which was ripped hard and low for a rebound that was popped home to send Little Falls to the second round with a thrilling 3-2 overtime win over their new rivals from Little Falls.

Let me know what you think, comments are appreciated!

1976 Kellogg Cup Playoffs; First Round - North


Steinbach Barbarians vs Brainerd Lumberjacks
The Barbarians made some noise in their first playoff game as the top seed in the MAHL, dominating a very capable Brainerd squad to advance with a big time 6-2 win at home. The Lumberjacks will have to look forward to their new home next season as they are sent home.

St. Cloud Bearcats vs Grand Rapids Moose
Grand Rapids was already considered the better of these two teams and after losing their home ice advantage, the Moose had billboard material that fed their hunger. The Bearcats struck first, but Grand Rapids did what they do so well which is find the back of the net by any means necessary. Before they knew it, St. Cloud found themselves trailing 4-1 as we went to the third. Cloud managed to score early in the period to give themselves some momentum, but they would not be able to capitalize on the momentum, failing to score any more. The final horn sounded sending the Moose to the second round.

Winnipeg Monarchs vs Thunder Bay Giants
The "Great Canadian Rivalry" as it is being called was on full display for the second time ever, this time in the Peg. Broadcasting across the nation, tensions were high as ever in this one from the get go. The physical play that both teams are known for made this one a battle in the truest sense of the word. These two were about as even as you can get, fittingly tied at 2 as regulation came to an end. Winnipeg was given a golden opportunity 4 minutes in as a Giant got his stick tangled up in a Monarchs legs, tripping him and giving them a powerplay. The Bruisers pp unit won the draw and took a quick shot off from the point. The shot was blocked, but the puck was loose in the slot and a Monarch got a piece of it. The bouncing puck lobbed towards goal flipping head over heels. It went up and over the goalies shoulder, landing just across the line to win the game for Winnipeg, improving their record to 2-0 against their rivals from Ontario.

Warroad Lakers vs East Grand Forks Pointers
It was a surprise to many, especially the nearly 2,000 at Gardens Arena, when East Grand Forks came out and scored 4 unanswered goals in the first to put themselves firmly in the drivers seat for the remainder of the game. The Lakers would go on to win the next two periods 2-1, playing very good hockey, but that 4 goal first was just way too much for Warroad to overcome, sending the Pointers to the second round with a 5-2 upset win on the road. 


Eveleth Redbirds vs Mountain Iron Cougars
Despite only playing one another for 4 seasons, the hate between these two is real. Due to Mountain Iron only recently getting a team, many past hockey players from Mountain Iron have worn the red and cream of Eveleth or the blue and gold of Virginia. This has led to Eveleth and Virginia looking down on the Cougars, referring to them as "Little Brother" a name which fans chant often when playing the Cougs. This has given the Cougars extra motivation when playing these teams, causing for a lot of skirmishes and close games. Keeping with tradition, this one was no different with the Reds and Cougs tied 3-3 at the end of regulation. The Hipp was rocking as the puck was dropped for OT as fans chanted "Go Reds Go" to cheer on their team. The Birds were the better team in overtime, looking much calmer compared to the playoff inexperienced Cougars. Eveleth held the puck in the Mountain Iron zone, firing a pass to a winger at the top of the circle. He caught it and fired it towards goal, getting through bodies in front and beating the goalie. The Eveleth Hippodrome erupted as the Redbirds knock off their rivals from the next town over 4-3 to advance. 

Grand Forks Jets vs Fort Frances Trappers
The Trappers had a jump in their step in this one, ready and able to do what was needed of them to keep pace with the champs of the RRHL. The Jets were the better team in this one, outshooting Fort Frances 33-24, but the Trappers goalie was just on his game, determined to lead his team to the second round. The Trappers scored twice in the third to take the lead 3-2 and their goalie continued to play out of his mind, keeping them in the lead as the final horn sounded. Fort Frances hopped the boards to mob their goalie in celebration as they knock off the Grand Forks Jets on the road by a score of 3-2.

Superior Lakers vs Little Falls Pilots
Things were looking par for the course at Wessman Arena in Superior, Wisconsin with the hometown Lakers jumping out to a 1-0 lead over Little Falls, outshooting the Pilots 14-5 and looking well on their way to a second round appearance for the 7th time in the last 8 years. Then it all fell apart. The puck was dropped for the second and Little Falls was quick on the attack, ripping a shot from far out on goal. What is usually an easy save somehow beat the Laker goalie, tying the game at 1. It was all downhill from here for Superior with the Pilots scoring two more in the second and one more in the third, embarrassing the Lakers on home ice. There is no real way to describe what happened besides a complete collapse by Superior. Little Falls keeps their Cinderella run alive as they advance to the second round with a 4-1 upset win. 

Coleraine Trout vs Duluth Voyageurs
This was an odd one. The Voyageurs were in the drivers seat from the get go, taking the lead only 2:27 into the game and never allowing the Trout to jump in front. Despite this fact, Coleraine was never truly out of this game. The Trout were competitive throughout and it felt that all they needed was a lucky bounce or two and they would be right back in this. The lucky bounces never came, allowing Le Bleus to hold onto their 3-2 lead into the final 5 minutes. Duluth finally put it away with a breakaway goal with under 3 minutes to go, adding another with under a minute to go for good measure. Duluth stays alive and will get home ice in the second round after defeating Coleraine 5-2. 

Let me know what you think, comments are appreciated!

Great round! Nice to see the Voyageurs take down a higher ranked opponent. And Little Falls' upset of Superior really opens up the bracket for Duluth.