Alternate History Sports » Minnesota Amateur Hockey League

Dan O'Mac · 6/05/2020 3:11 pm

I feel we'll be yelling that when Coleraine is upset in their first playoff game...

Section30 · 6/05/2020 4:12 pm

1976/77 Regular Season - Twin Cities

"The Rivalry" was once again front and center this season with the Braves and Retrievers in a two team race for the EMHL title. The Braves wound up on top this year, winning it back after a heartbreaking loss a year ago. Both White Bear and Maplewood were ranked, 7th and 15th respectably. Mounds View made a name for themselves this year, emerging as a team to be reckoned with, making their first playoff appearance with a third place finish. Unfortunately for Fridley, their incredible playoff run to the Kellogg Cup final a year ago didn't translate to a dominant regular season. The Foxes managed to hang onto the four seed by the skin of their teeth to give them another shot in the post season. The Jays, Kings, Vols and Nucks all had decent seasons, but none were able to put it together for long enough to earn a playoff birth. Shoreview looked much better this year than their last couple, actually competing and moving out of the basement. Roseville struggled with injuries early on in the year and the Rockets just couldn't seem to ever get into a groove, having a disastrous season by their standards coming only ahead of New Brighton.

It was a year of change in the north with Plymouth coming out of nowhere to not only make the playoffs, but to win the league. Anoka continues to rise, moving past the Eagles and Chargers who managed to stay in the top 4. That left last years champs form Elk River on the outside in fifth, followed by Wayzata and Coon Rapids. Another year of underachieving in Brooklyn Park has fans and players shaking their heads in confusion as to what they need to do to finally fix things. Blaine wasn't horrible, but they finished well below .500 only beating out the lowly Colts and Raiders.

The Vulcans continue to roll, earning their second straight top ranking in the MAHL, keeping the Holy War Trophy in St. Anthony. The rest of the top four remained the same as well, only the positions had changed. The Millers, Waves, and V's all took home hardware and were also ranked in the top 20, making the TCHL the only league this year with 4 ranked teams. Outside the playoffs it was Como who had a bounce back season, coming only a few games behind the V's. Next were the Mavericks, Saints, and Aces all had seasons around .500, nothing too crazy but nothing horrible either. After what looked like a new era for the Bakers quickly turned back into more of the usual as the Doughboys collapsed midway through the season, finishing only ahead of the Raptors.

For the second year in a row, Edina did not win the West Metro. That honor went to the Richfield Roosters who came flying out of the gates and didn't look back. The Cocks held off a late season push by the Cake Eaters to take home the crown and the 6th ranking in the MAHL. Edina came in second and was also ranked in the top 10. Last years champs from Tonka had another very good season, also finishing ranked and being comfortably in the playoff picture. After the Muskies there was a bit of a drop in the standings with Bloomington winning the battle for the final spot ahead of Mound and West. The rest of the pack was all alright, but just could't keep up with the rest of the pack and thus fell behind.

Let me know what you think, comments are appreciated!

JamHeronArk · 6/05/2020 4:55 pm

I'm now excited to see who #17 in the power rankings is. Who could possibly rise this high, daring to be from the south and touch the glory of the top 20?

QCS · 6/05/2020 5:05 pm

Alright, Golden Valley sneaks into the playoffs once more! Hopefully we can make at least a bit of noise. I don't want much, just a playoff victory.

Section30 · 6/06/2020 4:02 pm

1976/77 Regular Season - South

The Blue Earth Hockey League is home to the only ranked team from the South Region with Mankato earning the 17th rank in the MAHL after winning the BEHL. Faribault bounced back after a rough season a year ago, returning to the playoffs comfortably in second. The Governors dropped to third this year and appear to be on the decline with many of the players getting into their late 30s. St. Peter is still a good hockey team and should not be taken lightly in the playoffs. Rounding out the top four are the Owls who squeaked ahead of the New Ulm Bavarians in the last game of the season by defeating Faribault and the diamonds losing to the Green Giants. Those Giants finished one spot behind the Bavarians in 6th. The bottom three were Mason City, Albert Lea, and Fairmont.

The Cards went back to back in the South Metro, tying Burnsville for the most SMHL crowns at 2. The Shakopee Six built on their surprise season a year ago, making the leap all the way to second, going from a bottom feeder to a top team in the league in the span of a couple seasons. Hastings retained their 3rd spot, extending their playoff streak to 4 years. The top four were all pretty far ahead of the rest of the pack, with Burnsville taking the final playoff spot with a 4 game gap between them and Inver Grove. Unlike most seasons in the South Metro, there weren't really and horrible hockey teams. Every team outside the top four were all fairly even and it led to all of them having limited success, being unable to string long winning streaks together. The biggest surprise of these teams would probably be Eagan who went from upsetting the top seed in the south during last years playoffs to finishing in dead last this year.

It was the Minnesota boys sitting pretty in first and second in the Association this year with the Fightin' Pheasants going back to back and the Flying Dutchmen moving up to second. Brookings had another solid season, building a fairly consistent identity of being a tight defensive hockey team. Sioux City bounced back and is returning to the post season in the four spot, winning the Sioux Cup as well. Spirit Lake finished just below .500 but things appear to be heading in the right direction. The big story of the season was the fall of the Packers. Sioux Falls had not missed the playoffs in their 12 year history, but a combination of a new coach and some key injuries caused the Hogs to have their worst season in franchise history. The Packers foundered from the get go and it only got worse with players getting hurt. When the dust cleared the only team that they had beat out were the Paddlefish who improved from last year by winning a whopping 3 games this year.

The Outlaws are riding high once more in the Valley, winning their second Valley Hockey League title thanks to an explosive offense known to reach 6-7 goals a game regularly. Austin and La Crosse remained in second and third, both looking as dangerous as ever. The Mustangs may have dropped to four, but they keep their playoff streak alive as well as keeping the Civil War Trophy, sweeping the Robins. Red Wing dropped to fifth, finishing only 2 games behind the Stangs. Winona wasn't bad this year! The Wildcats had their best season to date, finishing in 6th place with a record only 1 game under 500. Wabasha and Lake City battled back and forth, ending up 7th and 8th respectively. It was a disaster of a season for the boys from the South Side, finishing second last in the league and getting swept by their cross town rivals. This is the worst season in Robins history, but they did manage to still beat out the Cannon Falls Artillery.

Let me know what you think, comments are appreciated!

Section30 · 6/06/2020 4:03 pm

ProsecutorMilesEdgeworth · 6/06/2020 4:09 pm

Winona’s doing something?!?! What is this?

dvdbubba27 · 6/06/2020 4:18 pm

Not-so-bold prediction: Winona will finally make the playoffs next year.

Section30 · 6/06/2020 4:48 pm

1977 Kellogg Cup Playoff Trees

Who do you think will advance? Who will pull off an upset? Let me know what you think!

JamHeronArk · 6/06/2020 5:00 pm

In a twist, St. Peter makes it to the Super Series and loses to the Shockers due to their allergy to wheat in logos.

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