1972 Lewis Cup Finals

The 1972 Lewis Cup finals promised to be a very entertaining series. For the first time since 1955, the top two teams in the league would face off for the cup. The teams would split the first two games in Minneapolis in a pair of low-scoring tilts. As the series shifted to Montreal, however, the Royale would jump to a 3-1 series lead with a pair of two-goal victories. The Lumberjacks found themselves facing adversity for the first time all year. The Lewis Cup was in the building for game five back in Minneapolis. Bobby Sorel turned in a spectacular performance as the teams skated to overtime. Just 17 seconds into OT, Jimmy Andrews, already a two-time overtime hero in the playoffs, scored on a breakaway to stave off elimination. Game six would also reach overtime after Minnesota came back in the third period from a 3-1 deficit. Andrews would once again be the hero earning the nickname "Dr. Overtime", forcing a game seven at home. Game seven would prove to be perhaps the most exciting game of the series. The teams exchanged goals throughout the first two periods before Montreal pulled ahead 3-2. With only 2:02 to go in the third, Guy Dupont scored to tie the game. Less than a minute later, with the fans settling in for yet another overtime game, rookie James Cummings jammed a rebaound past Jean-Claude Richard to put the Lumberjacks up 4-3. The Twin Cities Forum erupted as the 'Jacks ran down the clock to their first-ever Lewis Cup title. just six seasons after entering the league as an espansion team, the Minnesota Lumberjacks found themselves at the top of the hockey world.