Created in 1939, the Gibson Cup is the third oldest trophy in hockey history behind the Stanley Cup (1893) and the MacNaughton Cup (1913). The Cup is named after Dr. John L. Gibson who served as the player-coach for the Portage Lake teams from 1900-05, which included the 1904 World’s Champion.

In the series between the two old rivals, the Pioneers, who were formed in 1899, hold an advantage of 25 series wins to 18 by the Wolverines, who were formed in 1901. But, for now, the Wolverines have the bragging rights after winning it in 2022, and they will be hosting the first game and the potential third game, should it get that far.

The Wolverines have won the last four series in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022. Last season, they won the series in two games, 5-4 in overtime on Friday and 3-1 Saturday at Dee Stadium. Before Calumet won it in 2017, the Pioneers had won eight years in a row.

During the eight-year stretch of Pioneers’ dominance, captain Logan Rastello wanted nothing more than to help Calumet unseat Portage Lake.

Portage Lake goaltender Ryall Purdy (30) and defenseman Ross Rouleau (13) battle with Marquette’s Dallas McLaughlin during a GLHL playoff game on Friday at Dee Stadium in Houghton. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)

“I’ve been playing for it for 15 years, and, unfortunately, I didn’t touch it for a very long time,” said Rastello. “You start building that hate for not having it, right? Once you can get a hold of it, you realize how special it is. You see the team’s names on the back, the years that it started being handed out, and, once you get a hold of it, you don’t want to give it back, and that’s our plan.”

Rastello led the Wolverines this season with team-highs in goals (19), assists (23) and points (42). He feels that having the teams only separated by 10 miles makes the series that much more special and competitive.

“We’re fortunate to have home ice, but we’re both close teams,” he said. “It’s really not a home field advantage. I mean, it is, but we’re so close that (playing at Dee Stadium) is a home game to us too. Our fans are there. If everybody comes out and cheers us on, we feed off that.

“We’re looking to win the Gibson Cup again this year. That’s our hope.”

While the National Hockey League has the Stanley Cup, which is awarded to the team that wins four best-of-seven series, the Gibson Cup has a similar feel for the Pioneers and the Wolverines.

“It’s what you play for,” said Rastello. “Everybody wants a sudden death game, a game that matters, a series where at the end of the game, it means something. That’s the Gibson Cup for us. Obviously, the (Great Lakes Hockey League or GLHL) playoffs do as well. But, when it comes to us and Portage, we’re 10 miles apart. That’s the rivalry, and it’s been around forever. So, it’s just ingrained in the people around here that play hockey. If you don’t know about it, you learn really quick, and you learn why we’re playing hockey for the Wolverines.”

This season, the Pioneers appear to be the team to beat. They finished the regular season in second in the GLHL with a record of 15-3-1-1. The Wolverines finished fifth with a record of 6-12-1-1.

However, when the Cup is on the line, records do not matter.

The Wolverines won the first matchup of the season in a shootout on Dec. 30 when goaltender Tyler Hubbard made 47 saves, 2-1. The next time the teams met, the Pioneers came out on top 6-5 in a shootout. The Pioneers won the third matchup, 6-3, thanks to two goals from Spencer Donnelly. Then, in the GLHL semifinals, the Pioneers won 4-3 in overtime.

Brett Hauswirth, who led the Pioneers in assists (19) and points (33), admitted after the semifinal matchup that the win by Portage Lake probably threw more fuel on the fire of the rivalry.

“It’s huge to get a win against Calumet at any time,” he said. “They’re going to come. It’s fuel for them, so we better be ready to match it, because it doesn’t matter anything about the team’s records or anything, those games are always battles.”

The end-of-the year matchup between the two teams means more to everyone involved than the GLHL Playoff Championship. Pioneers defenseman Matt Marchel admits that it is motivating factor for him.

“The Gibson Cup is where it’s at, right?” asked Marchel. “It is the oldest one. It is the coolest one. We’re always looking forward to that.”

Knowing that almost every game has been as tight as possible between the two teams makes the buildup within the respective locker rooms even more exciting this season.

“Everyone knows that, every time, all these rivalry games are so tight every single time,” Marchel said. “It’s wild how it’s always overtime or a shootout this year. We had so many, I guess it’s like five and four went to overtime, something like that. So, we just have to understand that we just have to play the way we play: play hard, play fast, do all the little things, right?

“Get the puck in the zone, and play in their end the whole time. Hopefully, we can pour a few more in. Hubbard has been sweet against us every time we played him.”

Gibson Cup’s reach beyond area

The Gibson Cup’s reach has stretched beyond the Copper Country. In 2016, Vice did a documentary about the series for their World of Sports series. In 2019, Dr. Gibson’s grandsons, John and Jim Leach, made the trek to the Keweenaw and while exploding their roots, they dropped a ceremonial faceoff to open the series.

There have been stretches where senior hockey was not played locally, like from 1943-46, from 1962-67, from 1973-78, and from 1984-94, however, it seems to be in the best place it has been in years as two teams renew their rivalry this weekend.

Game times

Opening faceoff on Friday is set for 7:30 p.m. at the Calumet Colosseum. Saturday’s game is set to start at 7:30 p.m. at Dee Stadium. If necessary, the teams will play a third and deciding game on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Calumet Colosseum.