USHL RELEASES 2013-14 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE – Brian Werger

Each team to play 60-game season as puck drops on September 20^th 

 Chicago, IL – The United States Hockey League today announced the game schedule for the 2013-14 season.  Each of the 16 USHL Member Clubs will play a 60-game schedule that commences on Friday, September 20^th, 2013 and concludes on Saturday, April 5^th, 2014.

The 16 teams are broken up evenly into two conferences – Eastern and Western – and the schedule features matchups that promote both geographic rivalries and inter-conference competition while effectively managing team travel demands.

2012-13 USHL Conference Alignment

Western Conference                                       Eastern Conference

Des Moines Buccaneers                                  Cedar Rapids RoughRiders

Fargo Force                                                     Chicago Steel

Lincoln Stars                                                    Dubuque Fighting Saints

Omaha Lancers                                                Green Bay Gamblers

Sioux City Musketeers                                     Indiana Ice

Sioux Falls Stampede                                      Muskegon Lumberjacks

Tri-City Storm                                                  Team USA

Waterloo Black Hawks                                      Youngstown Phantoms

A total of eight games will be played during the opening weekend of the 2013-14 season with 11 teams hitting the ice.  The Fargo Force begin the campaign hosting the Sioux City Musketeers in a Western Conference matchup on September 20^th, which also marks the USHL coaching debut for Jay Varady with the Musketeers.  A pair of Eastern Conference matchups take place that same evening – the Chicago Steel hosting the Green Bay Gamblers and Team USA welcoming the Youngstown Phantoms.

The following evening will see another coach step behind the bench for the first time in the USHL regular season as newly-appointed head coach Todd Krygier takes the Muskegon Lumberjacks on the road to face the Green Bay Gamblers.

The 2013 Clark Cup champion Dubuque Fighting Saints begin their title defense on Friday, September 27^th as they visit the rival Waterloo Black Hawks.  It will also be the regular season debut for new Saints head coach Matt Shaw as his first game is against Waterloo’s P.K. O’Handley, the all-time leader in games coached in the USHL (1,012).  The Omaha Lancers have a new man in charge for their opener on September 27^th as they begin their second season in the brand new Ralston Arena.  Brian Kaufman, who spent last season as assistant coach, takes over as head coach for the 2013-14 campaign.

In keeping with its commitment to education for USHL student-athletes and minimizing missed time in the classroom, 93% of the 480 games on the 2013-14 schedule are being played on a weekend or holiday date, including traditional matchups the night before Thanksgiving and on New Year’s Eve.  This scheduling effort helps players balance the on and off-ice demands of the USHL season while also providing fan-friendly opportunities to watch USA Hockey’s only Tier 1 junior league.

The 60-game schedule for each team returns to the format used by the League since being designated as Tier 1 in 2002.  Last season, each team played 64 regular season contests, but the reduction back to 60 games eliminated some difficult travel issues associated with scheduling and limited the number of weekday matchups.

At the conclusion of the regular season, the top four teams in each conference based on points in the standings will qualify for the Clark Cup Playoffs.  All three rounds in the postseason will follow a best-of-five games format, similar to last season’s playoff format.

2013-14 USHL Home Openers

Cedar Rapids RoughRiders – Saturday, September 28^th vs. Sioux Falls

Chicago Steel – Friday, September 20^th vs. Green Bay

Des Moines Buccaneers – Saturday, September 21^st vs. Sioux Falls

Dubuque Fighting Saints – Saturday, September 28^th vs. Sioux City

Fargo Force – Friday, September 20^th vs. Sioux City

Green Bay Gamblers – Saturday, September 21^st vs. Muskegon

Indiana Ice – Friday, September 27^th vs. Sioux Falls

Lincoln Stars – Friday, September 27^th vs. Cedar Rapids

Muskegon Lumberjacks – Saturday, September 28^th vs. Indiana

Omaha Lancers – Friday, September 27^th vs. Fargo

Sioux City Musketeers – Saturday, October 5^th vs. Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls Stampede – Friday, October 4^th vs. Omaha

Tri-City Storm – Saturday, September 28^th vs. Lincoln

Team USA – Friday, September 20^th vs. Youngstown

Waterloo Black Hawks – Friday, September 27^th vs. Dubuque

Youngstown Phantoms – Friday, September 27^th vs. Green Bay

*Dates and times are subject to change.

Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the USHL now prepares to enter its 12^th season as the nation’s only Tier I junior hockey league in 2013-14.  With 19 NHL Draft picks on team rosters and over 300 players already committed to NCAA Division I schools this past season, the USHL has emerged as the world’s foremost producer of junior hockey talent.  For more information, visit us on the web at www.USHL.com or visit the League’s social media platforms, including Facebook (www.facebook.com/ushlhockey), twitter (www.twitter.com/ushl), and YouTube (www.youtube.com/ushlinteractive).  Fans can also watch USHL action all season long, live or on-demand via FASTHockey (ushl.fasthockey.com).