If anyone wanted a glimpse of just how passionate the MHL’s fan bases are, look no further than the 1st Round of the MHL Gongshow Hat Bracket Challenge.
Three of the four opening matchups were extremely close, coming down to the wire in the 12-hour voting period. On Monday, Miramichi came from behind to defeat St. Stephen with a mere handful of votes more than the Aces. Tuesday’s vote in the North Division saw the Edmundston Blizzard jump out to an early lead in the first few hours. The Rapids tried to rally, but came up just a bit short.
The first South Division matchup saw the South Shore Lumberjacks overtake the Pictou County Weeks Crushers in the final hour to squeak out a win on Wednesday. Then on Thursday, the Valley Wildcats dispatched the Fred Page Cup in a vote that was still fairly close all day Thursday. The Fred Page Cup was standing in for the Truro Bearcats, who do not have a Gongshow hat.
A look at the updated bracket:
The 2nd Round will be the first time four fanbases will have a chance to participate in the challenge. If the conversations online are any indication, then they’re chomping at the bit. Here’s the schedule:
- Friday, Dec. 14 – Summerside Western Capitals (1) vs Miramichi Timberwolves (4)
- Saturday, Dec. 15 – Campbellton Tigers (2) vs Edmundston Blizzard (3)
- Sunday, Dec. 16 – Yarmouth Mariners vs South Shore Lumberjacks (4)
- Monday, Dec. 17 – Amherst Ramblers vs Valley Wildcats (6)
- Tuesday, Dec. 18 – North Division Final
- Wednesday, Dec. 19 – South Division Final
- Thursday, Dec. 20 – Championship Final
Voting will run from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. on the MHL’s Twitter account. A reminder that these hats are available through each participating MHL team, or on the Gongshow website.