2019–20 post-season recap: Royals win C3 Asterisk Cup
Oct. 11, 2020
The C3 Royals finished off their undefeated run in the C3 2019–20 season-ending tournament with a shutout win over the previously undefeated Blade Runners.
The league put on a season-ending tournament of sorts for those teams still willing and/or able to play, which had 22 teams at C3 from the original 26 teams participating.
Each team was guaranteed at least two games, in a bracket-style seeding, with two pools, with winners making their way through to the Asterisk Cup, and loser-winners for a chance to play for the Toilet Bowl.
The 37 C3 bracket games were marked by lopsided benches, forfeits and generally rusty C3-level hockey.
The Spiders, the 9th seed in bracket 1 (17th overall in C3), performed consistently with all previous C3 playoff appearances. First up, the Spiders lost out of the gate to the Arctic Wolves, and were relegated to the Toilet Bowl bracket. Next, the Knights gave the Spiders a free pass to the porcelain cup game thanks to a six-skater forfeit. Advacing to the consolation round, the Spiders did the Knights one better, with seven skaters to start the game, but despite a pair of hat tricks, couldn’t overcome the Fighting Loons, who skated away with the bracket 1 Toilet Bowl.
In the non-toilet bracket, the bracket 2 #6 seed (11th overall in C3) Blade Runners, backed by Gold Rush/Spiders summer Saints goalie Kirstel Carlson, made an impressive run, going 4-zip in bracket play, until meeting the bracket 1 #2 seed (#4 overall in C3) Royals Saturday night for the C3 hardware. Despite a long bench, the Royals, with just seven skaters, dominated the game, and skated away with a 6–0 shutout and the AHA C3 trophy. Congrats to the Royals, who last won it all in 2015–16.
The keys to many of the games were how many skaters were available. With some teams in the single digits, and rusty from the six months off, there some games with and eight- or nine-skater differential on the bench. There were four forfeits in among the 37 games, including the Bracket 2 Toilet Bowl (LED Nord vs. Smashing Pumpkins), as well as five shutouts.
C3 Playoffs Results
| # | Date | Time (CT) | Arena | Br | Home (seed) | Result (Home) | Away (seed) | Result (Away) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wednesday, Sept. 23 | 9:30 p.m. | Richfield 2 | 1 | Arctic Wolves (#16) | 4 | Spiders (#17) | 1 |
| 2 | Wednesday, Sept. 23 | 7:45 p.m. | Richfield 2 | 1 | Pines (#12) | 3 | Fighting Loons (#21) | 1 |
| 3 | Thursday, Sept. 24 | 8:45 p.m. | Richfield 2 | 1 | Wildcats (#13) | 3 | Nordeasters (#20) | 6 |
| 4 | Friday, Sept. 25 | 9:15 p.m. | Super Rink 4 | 2 | Slashing Pumpkins (#15) | 1 | Black Ice (#18) | 3 |
| 6 | Friday, Sept. 25 | 5:45 p.m. | Super Rink 5 | 2 | Blade Runners (#11) | 5 | Les Etoiles du Nord (#22) | 1 |
| 7 | Friday, Sept. 25 | 7:30 p.m. | Super Rink 5 | 2 | Gold Rush (#14) | 7 | Ice Hawks (#19) | 5 |
| 8 | Saturday, Sept. 26 | 11:30 a.m. | Super Rink 2 | 1 | Moose (#1) | 5 | Arctic Wolves (#16) | 0 |
| 9 | Saturday, Sept. 26 | 9:15 a.m. | Super Rink 5 | 1 | Bulls (#8) | 9 | Knights (#9) | 1 |
| 10 | Saturday, Sept. 26 | 9:45 a.m. | Super Rink 2 | 1 | Fighting Piranhas (#5) | 2 | Pines (#12) | 1 |
| 11 | Saturday, Sept. 26 | 11:00 a.m. | Super Rink 5 | 1 | Royals (#4) | 1 | Nordeasters (#20) | 0* |
| 12 | Saturday, Sept. 26 | 3:00 p.m. | Super Rink 2 | 2 | Hooligans (#2) | 8 | Black Ice (#18) | 2 |
| 13 | Saturday, Sept. 26 | 2:30 p.m. | Super Rink 5 | 2 | Spartans (#7) | 3 | Troopers (#10) | 0 |
| 14 | Saturday, Sept. 26 | 1:15 p.m. | Super Rink 2 | 2 | Fighting Walleye (#6) | 1 | Blade Runners (#11) | 4 |
| 15 | Saturday, Sept. 26 | 12:45 p.m. | Super Rink 5 | 2 | Maroons (#3) | 5 | Gold Rush (#14) | 1 |
| 16 | Sunday, Sept. 27 | 3:45 p.m. | Super Rink 2 | 1 | Knights (#9) | 0* | Spiders (#17) | 1 |
| 17 | Sunday, Sept. 27 | 2:45 p.m. | Super Rink 4 | 1 | Wildcats (#13) | 2 | Fighting Loons (#21) | 6 |
| 18 | Sunday, Sept. 27 | 11:30 a.m. | Richfield 2 | 2 | Troopers (#10) | 1 | Black Ice (#18) | 0* |
| 19 | Sunday, Sept. 27 | 7:40 p.m. | Highland N | 2 | Hooligans (#2) | 3 | Spartans (#7) | 0 |
| 20 | Sunday, Sept. 27 | 9:30 p.m. | Highland N | 2 | Maroons (#3) | 0 | Blade Runners (#11) | 5 |
| 21 | Monday, Sept. 28 | 7:45 p.m. | Woog 1 | 1 | Pines (#12) | 6 | Nordeasters (#20) | 2 |
| 22 | Monday, Sept. 28 | 9:30 p.m. | Woog 1 | 2 | Fighting Walleye (#6) | 6 | Gold Rush (#14) | 2 |
| 23 | Wednesday, Sept. 30 | 7:45 p.m. | Woog 1 | 1 | Moose (#1) | 2 | Bulls (#8) | 5 |
| 24 | Wednesday, Sept. 30 | 9:30 p.m. | Woog 1 | 1 | Royals (#4) | 3 | Fighting Piranhas (#5) | 2 |
| 25 | Friday, Oct. 2 | 9:30 p.m. | BIG 3 | 1 | Fighting Piranhas (#5) | 6 | Arctic Wolves (#16) | 2 |
| 26 | Friday, Oct. 2 | 9:00 p.m. | Richfield 1 | 1 | Moose (#1) | 4 | Pines (#12) | 2 |
| 27 | Friday, Oct. 2 | 6:00 p.m. | SLP W | 2 | Maroons (#3) | 8 | Troopers (#10) | 2 |
| 28 | Friday, Oct. 2 | 7:45 p.m. | SLP W | 2 | Fighting Walleye (#6) | 2 | Spartans (#7) | 4 |
| 29 | Saturday, Oct. 3 | 11:15 a.m. | BIG 2 | 2 | Slashing Pumpkins (#15) | Black Ice (#18) | ||
| 30 | Saturday, Oct. 3 | 1:15 p.m. | BIG 2 | 2 | Ice Hawks (#19) | 1 | Les Etoiles Du Nord (#22) | 4 |
| 31 | Saturday, Oct. 3 | 3:15 p.m. | BIG 2 | 1 | Spiders (#17) | 6 | Fighting Loons (#21) | 8 |
| 32 | Sunday, Oct. 4 | 10:30 a.m. | BIG 1 | 2 | Slashing Pumpkins (#15) | 0* | Les Etoiles Du Nord (#22) | 1 |
| 33 | Sunday, Oct. 4 | 12:30 p.m. | BIG 1 | 1 | Moose (#1) | 1 | Fighting Piranhas (#5) | 3 |
| 34 | Sunday, Oct. 4 | 5:30 p.m. | Woog 2 | 1 | Royals (#4) | 4 | Bulls (#8) | 3 |
| 35 | Sunday, Oct. 4 | 7:10 p.m. | Woog 2 | 2 | Hooligans (#2) | 1 | Blade Runners (#11) | 5 |
| 36 | Tuesday, Oct. 6 | 9:40 p.m. | Woog 2 | 2 | Maroons (#3) | 3 | Spartans (#7) | 1 |
| 37 | Saturday, Oct. 10 | 5:45 p.m. | SLP E | C | Royals (#4) | 5 | Blade Runners (#11) | 0 |
| * Forfeit | ||||||||
| Team (Seed) | Record | GP | W | L | T | OTL | P | SF | SA | GF | GA | PIM | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 Moose (1) | (18–1–0–0) | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 117 | 99 | 12 | 10 | 10 | +2 |
| #4 Royals (2)** | (14–4–0–0) | 3* | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 112 | 99 | 13 | 5 | 14 | +8 |
| #5 Fighting Piranhas (3) | (13–3–1–1) | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 97 | 119 | 13 | 7 | 10 | +6 |
| #8 Bulls (4) | (11–4–4–1) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 99 | 92 | 17 | 7 | 16 | +10 |
| #9 Knights (5) | (11–5–2–0) | 2* | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 38 | 1 | 10 | 2 | −9 |
| #12 Pines (6) | (10–5–5–0) | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 113 | 101 | 12 | 9 | 24 | +3 |
| #13 Wildcats (7) | (9–7–2–0) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 49 | 69 | 5 | 12 | 4 | −7 |
| #16 Arctic Wolves (8) | (8–9–0–1) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 90 | 82 | 6 | 12 | 8 | −6 |
| #17 Spiders (9) | (7–9–2–1) | 3* | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 50 | 69 | 8 | 12 | 6 | −4 |
| #20 Nordeasters (10) | (4–12–2–0) | 3* | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 69 | 65 | 8 | 10 | 12 | −2 |
| #21 Fighting Loons (11) | (3–4–2–1) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 91 | 80 | 15 | 11 | 10 | +4 |
| * Includes forfeit ** C3 Champions |
|||||||||||||
| Team (Seed) | Record | GP | W | L | T | OTL | P | SF | SA | GF | GA | PIM | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #2 Hooligans (1) | (15–2–1–0) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 101 | 73 | 12 | 7 | 20 | +5 |
| #3 Maroons (2) | (15–2–3–0) | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 123 | 94 | 16 | 9 | 10 | +7 |
| #6 Fighting Walleye (3) | (12–3–3–2) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 86 | 85 | 9 | 10 | 2 | −1 |
| #7 Spartans (4) | (12–5–1–1) | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 91 | 89 | 8 | 8 | 14 | ±0 |
| #10 Troopers (5) | (11–5–1–1) | 3* | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 35 | 68 | 3 | 11 | 0 | −8 |
| #11 Blade Runners (6) | (11–6–1–0) | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 171 | 124 | 19 | 8 | 18 | +11 |
| #14 Gold Rush (7) | (9–7–3–1) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 84 | 102 | 10 | 16 | 4 | −6 |
| #15 Slashing Pumpkins (8) | (8–8–4–0) | 2* | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 34 | 1 | 4 | 0 | −3 |
| #18 Black Ice (9) | (5–11–2–0) | 3* | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 50 | 73 | 5 | 10 | 6 | −5 |
| #19 Ice Hawks (10) | (5–13–0–0) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 69 | 6 | 11 | 10 | −5 |
| #22 LED Nord (11) | (3–15–1–0) | 3* | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 52 | 62 | 6 | 6 | 2 | ±0 |
| * Includes forfeit | |||||||||||||
D1 results
For posterity, since some of these teams may move up to C3 next season.
The Spider “farm team” Ice Sages made it all the way to the D1 final, only to be vanquished by the Minnesota Mallards 5-zip.
| # | Date | Time | Arena | Br | Home | Result (Home) | Away | Result (Away) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Friday, Sept. 25 | 9:15 p.m. | Super Rink 5 | 1 | #9 Wolfpack | 2 | #10 Ice Cobras | 3 |
| 2 | Friday, Sept. 25 | 5:30 p.m. | Super Rink 6 | 1 | #8 Spartans | 9 | #12 Troopers | 1 |
| 3 | Friday, Sept. 25 | 9:00 p.m. | Super Rink 6 | 1 | #5 Minnesota Mallards | 1 | #14 MN Warriors Black | 0* |
| 4 | Friday, Sept. 25 | 7:15 p.m. | Super Rink 6 | 1 | #4 Knights | 2 | #15 Moose | 3 |
| 5 | Friday, Sept. 25 | 7:15 p.m. | Super Rink 7 | 2 | #3 Northern Horde | 5 | #16 Wolf–Rayets | 2 |
| 6 | Friday, Sept. 25 | 9:00 p.m. | Super Rink 7 | 2 | #6 Kan Jammers | 1 | #13 Grey Ducks | 5 |
| 7 | Friday, Sept. 25 | 6:55 p.m. | Super Rink 8 | 2 | #7 Fighting Walleye | 8 | #11 Hooligans | 4 |
| 8 | Friday, Sept. 25 | 8:40 p.m. | Super Rink 8 | 2 | #2 Ice Sages | 6 | #17 Minnesota Pines | 0 |
| 9 | Saturday, Sept. 26 | 7:30 p.m. | Richfield 2 | 1 | #1 Fighting Loons | 3 | Ice Cobras | 1 |
| 10 | Saturday, Sept. 26 | 9:15 p.m. | Richfield 2 | 1 | #5 Minnesota Mallards | 3 | #15 Moose | 1 |
| 11 | Sunday, Sept. 27 | 10:15 a.m. | Richfield 1 | 2 | #6 Kan Jammers | 4 | #16 Wolf–Rayets | 2 |
| 12 | Sunday, Sept. 27 | 12:00 p.m. | Richfield 1 | 2 | #11 Hooligans | 0* | #17 Minnesota Pines | 1 |
| 13 | Sunday, Sept. 27 | 4:00 p.m. | Highland N | 2 | #3 Northern Horde | 2 | #13 Grey Ducks | 2 OT |
| 14 | Sunday, Sept. 27 | 5:50 p.m. | Highland N | 2 | #2 Ice Sages | 6 | #7 Fighting Walleye | 5 |
| 15 | Monday, Sept. 28 | 9:15 p.m. | Richfield 1 | 1 | #9 Wolfpack | 2 | #12 Troopers | 1 |
| 16 | Monday, Sept. 28 | 9:10 p.m. | Braemar W | 1 | #4 Knights | 4 | #14 MN Warriors Black | 3 |
| 17 | Monday, Sept. 28 | 7:30 p.m. | Richfield 1 | 1 | #1 Fighting Loons | 5 | #8 Spartans | 1 |
| 18 | Thursday, Oct. 1 | 7:50 p.m. | Vadnais 2 | 1 | #10 Ice Cobras | #15 Moose | ||
| 20 | Friday, Oct. 2 | 8:00 p.m. | SPA-Drake | 2 | #6 Kan Jammers | 1 | #9 Wolfpack | 6 |
| 21 | Saturday, Oct. 3 | 5:15 p.m. | BIG 2 | 1 | #8 Spartans | 0* | #10 Ice Cobras | 1 |
| 22 | Saturday, Oct. 3 | 7:15 p.m. | BIG 2 | 2 | #7 Fighting Walleye | 2 | #13 Grey Ducks | 4 |
| 23 | Sunday, Oct. 4 | 7:00 p.m. | Highland S | 1 | #1 Fighting Loons | 0* | #5 Minnesota Mallards | 1 |
| 24 | Sunday, Oct. 4 | 8:50 p.m. | Highland S | 2 | #2 Ice Sages | 6 | #3 Northern Horde | 1 |
| 25 | Sunday, Oct. 11 | 9:45 p.m. | Richfield 2 | C | #2 Ice Sages | 0 | #5 Minnesota Mallards | 5 |
| * Forfeit | ||||||||
| Team (Seed) | Record | GP | W | L | T | OTL | P | GF | GA | PIM | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 Fighting Loons (1) | (13–2–3–0) | 3* | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 2 | +5 |
| #4 Knights (2) | (11–6–2–0) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 8 | ±0 |
| #5 Minnesota Mallards (3)** | (10–6–2–0) | 4* | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 10 | 1 | 9 | +9 |
| #8 Spartans (4) | (9–8–1–1) | 3* | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 7 | 6 | +3 |
| #9 Wolfpack (5) | (7–7–3–1) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 5 | 8 | +5 |
| #10 Ice Cobras (6) | (9–10–0–0) | 3* | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | ±0 |
| #12 Troopers (7) | (8–10–1–0) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 4 | −9 |
| #14 MN Warriors Black (8) | (7–11–0–0) | 2* | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 16 | −2 |
| #15 Moose (9) | (3–8–2–5) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 22 | −1 |
| * Includes forfeit ** D1 champions |
|||||||||||
| Team (Seed) | Record | GP | W | L | T | OTL | P | GF | GA | PIM | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #2 Ice Sages (1) | (13–5–1–0) | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 18 | 11 | 18 | +7 |
| #3 Northern Horde (2) | (13–6–0–0) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 2 | −2 |
| #6 Kan Jammers (3) | (9–6–2–1) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 13 | 8 | −7 |
| #7 Fighting Walleye (4) | (9–7–3–0) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 14 | 2 | +1 |
| #11 Hooligans (5) | (8–9–2–0) | 2* | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 0 | −5 |
| #13 Grey Ducks (6) | (7–10–2–0) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 5 | 12 | +6 |
| #16 Wolf-Rayets (7) | (4–10–1–3) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 4 | −5 |
| #17 Minnesota Pines (8) | (5–13–1–0) | 2* | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 6 | −5 |
| * Includes forfeit | |||||||||||
