Looks at bracket.  "Oh, the Twin City.....err...St. Anthony Vulcans lost".   ....... WHAT?! 

I'm sure this isn't the first time a #1 overall seed lost in the first round, but considering the unpopular name change right before this season, it definitely feels like the name change cursed the team a bit.  Might be time to go back to being the Twin City Vulcans after that embarrassment, lol!

Not to say the Chargers can't make a run Foxes style, but there's no reason the Vulcans should have lost this match without some sort of karma influence.

Stickman wrote:

Looks at bracket.  "Oh, the Twin City.....err...St. Anthony Vulcans lost".   ....... WHAT?! 

I'm sure this isn't the first time a #1 overall seed lost in the first round, but considering the unpopular name change right before this season, it definitely feels like the name change cursed the team a bit.  Might be time to go back to being the Twin City Vulcans after that embarrassment, lol!

Not to say the Chargers can't make a run Foxes style, but there's no reason the Vulcans should have lost this match without some sort of karma influence.

Haha, there is definitely a portion of the team and fan base that thinks that the name change cursed them. I could see them potentially changing back if things don't go well the next year or two.

JamHeronArk wrote:

The Chargers stole a win and the seedings of the right side of the bracket.

Thanks for pointing that out, it's been fixed

Dan O'Mac's Thoughts and Predictions for the Second Round:

North:
A lot of chalk in this one, with all the top seeds advancing... except those Little Falls Pilots. I'm going to make the call, the Pilots will go into Silver Bay and take down the Beavers in my North Upset of the Round.

Warroad and Brainerd are going to be in a tough matchup, and I expect this one to go to overtime.

I don't like the Giants as a Superior Lakers fan, so I've got to root for the Trout in that one.

The Redbirds will put down the Pointers, but the Pointers will put a scare into Eveleth.

Twin Cities:
The Vulcans go down to the Chargers, opening the door for the Militia or Chargers to claim what I believe to be their first Super Series berth. I'm going with the Militia in this one.

The Cake Eaters have to break through to win the big one in one of these years, right? I think they get past the Gunners by a pair of goals to continue that quest.

The Millers and the Retrievers is going to be good. The Millers are going to have seen what happened to the Vulcans, and aren't going to let their guard down, Millers head back to the Super Series.

Finally, my upset pick is the same as last round. The Warriors come out to play, and upset the Roosters.

South:
The Moose are loose? Can Mankato use it too? I don't know, but they're going to take down the Flying Dutchmen, and head to the Twin Cities as one of the final 12 teams.

Austin and Apple Valley are going to be playing a tough one, as the Mavericks look to shock the state again and win a championship. I don't see it happening though, and the Cardinals get into the Super Series.

The Mustangs beat the boys from Wisconsin, and get a matchup with the Marshall Pheasants. I'm going to go with the Pheasants in this one, but not before the Mustangs make it a challenge.

The final team to get into the Super Series is going to be the Shockers, as the shock the state with another upset, beating the Flickertails.

JamHeronArk wrote:

Even though it's likely better with the regional playoffs, travel for the SWHA teams must be tough. Brookings to Apple Valley and Sioux City to Hastings are both around four-hour trips one way. It must be the same for North Dakota teams heading to the North Shore or Canadian teams going to St. Cloud. Anyway, good job, Shockers. And, St. Peter, you performed as expected.

Yeah, travel can be tough for some teams depending on where they have to travel to. I do think that the Regions help with travel though, no more trips like Austin to International Falls which would have taken about 7-8 hours back in the day.

Also shout out to Dan for his predictions, I always enjoy hearing your thoughts!

1977 Kellogg Cup Playoffs; Second Round - North


Coleraine Trout vs Thunder Bay Giants
After a slow first period that saw no goals for either side, the Giants came out strong in the second, putting home a pair of goals in the opening 5 minutes of the period. Coleraine would pull to within one before the period came to an end, beating the goalie low glove side. The Giants extended their lead to 3-1 7:22 into the third, battling at a loose puck in the slot over and over until it finally squeaked behind the Coleraine goalie and into the net. The Trout would not go quietly though, turning on the afterburners and blowing past a Giant defenseman to get an open shot on goal that he buried five hole to get the Trout back to within one. Coleraine was given one final opportunity late in the game when a Thunder Bay player got his stick tangled up in a Trouts skates, drawing a trip and giving Coleraine a powerplay with 1:49 to play. The Trout won the draw and their goalie booked it to the bench to get the extra attacker. Coleraine looked for an open shot, finally taking a shot from the point that was blocked by a Trout defender. The puck was gathered by the Brookie who flipped it down the ice towards the empty net. A Coleraine defenseman gave it his best effort to stop the puck from getting into the empty cage, diving at it, but it was too far for him to reach as it trickled across the goal line, sending Thunder Bay to the Super Series for the first time in 5 years.

Silver Bay Beavers vs Little Falls Pilots
It was looking like another upset was on our hands in Silver Bay as the Pilots jumped out to an early lead, outplaying the Beavs. Silver Bay tied it up in the final minute of the period to take momentum into the second which they used to turn the game on its head. The second period was all Beavers as Silver Bay peppered the Pilots goalie with 21 shots, scoring on 4 of them, to take a commanding 5-1 lead with 20 minutes to play. All Silver Bay really needed to do in the third was play solid defensive hockey, they didn't need to make any risks and they didn't need any more goals. Little Falls gave it their all, but Silver Bay kept dumping the puck in deep once crossing the red line to keep the clock ticking. The Pilots got on the board with a point blast midway through the period, but that would be all they could muster as the Beavers punch their ticket to the Super Series for the first time, beating Little Falls 5-2.

Warroad Lakers vs Brainerd Lumberjacks
Hockey is a game of three periods, even if you dominate two, one bad period can make all of your efforts void. That is exactly what happened in Warroad. The Lakers were looking well on their way to a sixth Super Series, up 3-0 over the Jacks with only 20 minutes left to go. Then disaster struck. Warroad seemed almost lackadaisical out on the ice, almost as if they had already won. The Lumberjacks meanwhile were hungry and desperate to keep their season going. The Lumberjacks got on the board about 5 minutes in, but the Lakers didn't seem to care much still up 2 goals. That was when the tides turned and Brainerd began to take control. The Lumberjacks were flying out there, finding open men in high scoring areas for deflections and one timers. Before long the dam began to break on the Lakers as shots began to slip through the cracks, with the score quickly going from 3-1 to 3-3 in a 2 minute span. With the score now tied, reality began to set in for Warroad as the Lumberjacks now controlled all the momentum and were not letting up on attack. It was beginning to look like overtime was going to be needed as we got to the final minute of play in regulation. The Lumberjacks broke out of their zone with speed 3 on 2. The puck was dropped for a winger at the top of the circle. The Laker defenseman stepped up on the winger who ripped a quick shot through the defenders legs towards goal. The shot was lost behind the Warroad player and the Jacks charging towards goal. The Laker goalie didn't even know the shot had been taken as the puck blew past his left leg into the back of the net. The Brainerd bench erupted in celebration as the Lumberjacks on the ice swarmed to the bench to celebrate with their teammates. The final horn sounded not long after that and the Jacks flooded the ice to mob their goalie, completing the improbable comeback over the Warroad Lakers by a score of 4-3 to return to the Super Series.

Eveleth Redbirds vs East Grand Forks Pointers
The defending champs were pushed to the brink by the Red River Hockey League champs in a low scoring battle between two MAHL mainstays. This was a physical battle more than a high scoring affair with both teams sitting at 1 at the end of regulation. Overtime is always exciting, but playoff overtime in the Eveleth Hippodrome is a whole 'nother beast. The Hipp was shaking with "Go Reds Go" chants as the teams returned to the ice and they continued as play resumed. The type of game remained the same with both teams throwing their bodies at one another. Eveleth had possession in the EGF zone, carrying it along the side boards looking towards the center. With nothing open, the puck was fed to the point for a one timer into the mass of period in front. The puck was blocked by a man in front, but it remained loose in the slot. Players from both teams were batting at the loose puck, not knowing where it was going to go. The Pointers goalie couldn't see what was going on with the mass of bodies all fighting for the puck. Finally the puck squeaked out of the pile towards the point where it was gathered by a Redbird who picked it up and fired it back on goal. The goalie had no idea where the puck was and didn't see the shot until it was too late. The Hipp exploded with celebration as the Redbirds threw their gear in the air in celebration, the Redbirds are heading back to the Super Series, knocking out East Grand Forks 2-1.

Let me know what you think, comments are appreciated!