| Great Lakes Hockey League | |
| |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Founded | 1937 |
| Inaugural season | 1937-38 |
| No. of teams | 9 |
| Country(ies) | United States |
| Most recent champion(s) | Fond du Lac Bears (2024) |
| Official website | theglhl.com |
The Great Lakes Hockey League (GLHL) is an elite amateur Senior men’s full contact ice hockey league that is affiliated with USA Hockey. Players must be at least 18 years of age and most have previous college, Junior or semi-pro hockey experience. There are currently nine teams in the league divided into two divisions. The teams are all based in Wisconsin and the upper peninsula of Michigan.
History[]
The league was formed in 1937 as the Badger State Hockey League.
The 1998-99 Portage Lake Pioneers hold the record for best regular season at 25-1. They also went undefeated in the playoffs and national championships.
GLHL added a tenth team in the league, the Marquette Iron Rangers, who began play during the 2015-16 season.[1] The club played just one season, before they were replaced by the Marquette Mutineers in the fall of 2016.[2]
League format[]
The league is made up of ten teams that play a 26-game schedule running from October to March. Each GLHL game consists of three 20 minute periods. If the game is tied after regulation, there is a 5-minute overtime and if still tied a 4-round shootout.
Following the regular season is the playoff tournament. The top eight teams in the league qualify for the playoff tournament. In the quarterfinal round teams are seeded first through eighth, and play with the first seed against the last, second against the second last, and so on. The teams that win in the first round move onto the semifinals of the championship bracket, while those who lose move onto the consolation bracket. Semifinal teams that win in the championship bracket go on to the final, while those that lose are eliminated. Teams that win in the consolation bracket go on for the consolation final. In the Finals, teams that win are crowned champions of the appropriate bracket.
Tournaments[]
Gibson Cup[]
Annual three-game series between long-time Michigan rivals Calumet Wolverines and the Portage Lake Pioneers. Named in honor of "Doc" Jack Gibson, the Gibson Cup was first awarded in 1939; it is the third oldest hockey trophy in the United States.[3]
Keevin Cup[]
An annual four-team tournament hosted by the Fond du Lac Bears, the Keevin Cup honors Kevin Ristau, a long-time club board member and ambassador.[4][5] The tournament takes place in late October.
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Fond du Lac Bears | Vernon Hills Capitals | 5-4 (OT) |
| 2011 | Vernon Hills Capitals | ||
| 2012 | Fond du Lac Bears | ||
| 2013 | Fond du Lac Bears | Fox Cities Ice Dogs | 7-6 |
| 2014 | Fond du Lac Bears | Fox Cities Ice Dogs | 7-2 |
| 2015 | Fond du Lac Bears | Marquette Iron Rangers | 13-5 |
| 2016 | Fond du Lac Bears | Fox Cities Ice Dogs | 10-7 |
| 2017 | West Bend Bombers | ||
| 2018 | West Bend Bombers | Fond du Lac Bears | 2-1 |
| 2019 | West Bend Bombers | ||
| 2020 | N/A | Event Cancelled | |
| 2021 | Fond du Lac Bears | ||
| 2022 | Fond du Lac Bears | ||
| 2023 | Fond du Lac Bears | ||
| 2024 |
Teams (2024-25 season)[]
Former teams[]
- Brookfield Battalion (2010-12)[6]
- Green Bay Deacons (1978 to approx. 2008) team renamed DePere Deacons when alumni association take over team operations, always based in De Pere, Wisconsin
- Kenosha Knights (?-2005)
- Marquette Iron Rangers (2015-16)
- Oregon Outlaws (?-2012)
- Vernon Hills Capitals (2008-13)
- Waupun Wolves (2001-09) return to league for 2020-21
- Monroe Blues (2014-2018)
- West Bend Bombers (2008-2023) went on leave of absence for 2023-24, have yet to return as of 2024-25
Champions[]
| Season | Magnuson Cup (regular season winner) |
Don Kohlman Cup (playoff champion) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-06 | Mosinee Papermakers | ||
| 2006-07 | Fox Cities Ice Dogs | Fox Cities Ice Dogs | |
| 2007-08 | Mosinee Papermakers | Green Bay Deacons | |
| 2008-09 | Mosinee Papermakers | Mosinee Papermakers | |
| 2009-10 | Fond du Lac Bears | Calumet Wolverines | |
| 2010-11 | Vernon Hills Capitals | Mosinee Papermakers | |
| 2011-12 | Vernon Hills Capitals | Fond du Lac Bears | |
| 2012-13 | Portage Lake Pioneers | Eagle River Falcons | |
| 2013-14 | West Bend Bombers | Fond du Lac Bears | |
| 2014-15 | West Bend Bombers | Portage Lake Pioneers | |
| 2015-16 | West Bend Bombers | Portage Lake Pioneers[7] | |
| 2016-17 | West End Bombers | Mosinee Papermakers | |
| 2017-18 | Calumet Wolverines | West Bend Bombers | |
| 2018-19 | Fox Cities Ice Dogs | Mosinee Papermakers | |
| 2019-20 | playoffs cancelled | ||
| 2020-21 | No formal league play due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions |
DePere Deacons | |
| 2021-22 | Fox Cities Ice Dogs | Fox Cities Ice Dogs | |
| 2022-23 | Fond du Lac Bears | Mosinee Papermakers | |
| 2023-24 | Portage Lake Pioneers | Fond du Lac Bears | |
Other known league playoff championships
DePere won GLHL championships in 1999-00 and 2002-03
Fond du Lac also won the playoffs in 87-88, 89-90, 90-91, 91-92, 95-96
Green Bay Deacons also won 8 championships when league was known as Badger State Hockey League in 1981-82, 1982-83, 1983-84, 1984-85, 1985-86, 1986-87, 1988-89 and 1994-95
the Mosinee Papermakers won 11 championships prior to 2009
Seasons[]
- 2023-24 GLHL Season
- 2022-23 GLHL Season
- 2021-22 GLHL Season
- 2020-21 GLHL season
- 2019-20 GLHL season
- 2018-19 GLHL Season
- 2017-18 GLHL Season
- 2016-17 GLHL Season
- 2015-16 GLHL Season
- 2014-15 GLHL Season
- 2013-14 GLHL Season
- 2012-13 GLHL Season
- 2011-12 GLHL Season
- 2010-11 GLHL Season
- 2009-10 GLHL Season
- 2008-09 GLHL Season
- 2007-08 GLHL Season
- 2006-07 GLHL Season
- 2005-06 GLHL Season
References[]
- ↑ "Marquette Approved for Expansion GLHL Franchise," MQT Social Scene, April 25, 2015.
- ↑ Marquette has a new hockey team (6 September 2016).
- ↑ Vice World of Sports turns back the clock with the hockey trophy you never hear about (1 June 2016).
- ↑ Bears hockey players support their biggest fan (23 October 2014).
- ↑ Kevin 'Keevin' Ristau (28 December 2014).
- ↑ Check This: Hockey Team's First Season a Hit (2 April 2011).
- ↑ Pioneers earn second consecutive GLHL championship (5 April 2016).
External links[]
| This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Great Lakes Hockey League. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Ice Hockey Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA). |