Following a league meeting in early June, the Dells Ducks junior hockey team has a tentative 60 game schedule in place for the 2013-14 season.
The Minnesota Junior League will once again have its 16 teams playing a 50-game schedule, with a pair of four games in four days Showcase tournaments allowing the Minnesota Division and Great Lakes Division teams to play one cross over match against each of the eight teams in the opposite group.
That leaves another 42 games, or six each against each of its seven division rivals – three at home and three at the other team’s arena.
The Ducks will once again play each of its seven division opponents in one of seven Friday/Saturday/Sunday weekend homestands but the road trips will be somewhat different this season.
In the past, the Ducks have made three-game weekend trips as well and that will be the norm this time around as well. However, there is one four-game trip that begins on Halloween (Oct. 31 and sees the team playing four games in four rinks over four nights.
Also, the team has already scheduled eight visits to various College teams and the team will also host a four-team round-robin event during its final tryout camp to be held Aug. 31-Sept. 1 at the Poppy Waterman Ice Arena.
Here are some of the highlights of the team’s schedule:
- The season begins with the first of two Showcase Events at Rochester, MN Sept. 12-15. The Ducks will play four teams from the eight team Great Lakes Division at that time.
- A bit of a scheduling quirk will see the Ducks play the Maple Grove Energy in five consecutive league matches to open the Minnesota Division portion of its schedule.
- After making the trip to Maple Grove for a pair Sept. 20-22, the Ducks will make a trip to the Upper Peninsula the following weekend for games against Northern Michigan University. The team will return to league play though with its first three home games Oct. 4-6 against the same Energy. Actually, the Ducks will visit Maple Grove on Halloween and be done with that season series.
- Other three-game homestands will take place Oct. 25-27 against the Twin Cities Northern Lights; Nov 8-10 against the Edina Lakers; Dec. 13-15 against the Steele County Blades; Jan. 31-Feb. 2 vs. the Minnesota Owls, Feb. 7-9 against the Rochester Ice Hawks and finally, Feb. 21-23 with the Hudson Crusaders paying a visit.
- In the first two seasons, the Ducks have had substantial breaks after both Thanksgiving and Christmas, but this season will have more flow. The Ducks begin a six-game trek to six different college campuses the day after Thanksgiving (Nov. 29). There will be some time off for most over the Christmas break with a final first half league game Dec. 21 at Owatonna and the second half starting Jan. 2 – also at Owatonna.
- Some players will gladly play one extra game over the Christmas Break as the league is resurrecting the annual All Star Game which this season will be played at Maple Grove Dec. 22.
- The second League Showcase event is scheduled for Jan. 9-12 and will be held at either Kenosha, WI or Fort Wayne, IN.
- Final games of the regular season will see the Ducks on the road for a trio at Isanti, MN Feb. 28, Bloomington, MN March 1 and finally, at Hudson, WI March 2.
