USHL pre-season heats up with tourney tests

Most, if not all USHL teams have already been in action with some pre-season matches, but this weekend the Regional Showcase scene heats up, beginning Thursday.

Iowa Classic/Battle in Lincoln

With the Subway Shootout in Green Bay the previous weekend, the scene shifts first to Waterloo, IA where the Blackhawks will be the host of a five-team all-Iowa event and Lincoln, NE for another event.

Thursday (Sept. 17), the tournament will open with the Hawks playing the Des Moines Buccaneers in a 7 p.m. contest. The second day will see Cedar Rapids Roughriders taking on the Sioux City Musketeers in a 3:05 game followed at 7:05 by the Bucs against the Dubuque Fighting Saints.

On the final day, the Fighting Saints will play the Musketeers in an 11:05 a.m. game followed by the finale between the Blackhawks and Roughriders.

Also on Thursday, the Lincoln Stars will kick off its event with a game against the Fargo Force, starting at 7:05 p.m.

The Force will be right back at it on Friday at 1 p.m. taking on the Tri-City Storm followed at 7:05 by the Stars against EC Red Bull Salzburg, a junior team from Austria.

Wrapping it up on Saturday will be the Sioux Falls Stampeders against the Storm at 1 p.m. and the Stars against the Omaha Lancers in a 7:05 p.m. match.
Pittsburgh Showcase

The USHL will take its act on the road with a Showcase event in Pittsburgh starting Friday.

Involved in that one will be the Muskegon Lumberjacks, Team USA U17, Team USA U18 and Youngstown Phantoms.

The Lumberjacks will start the event with a 5 p.m. (EST) game against the U-18 National team followed at 8 p.m. by the Phantoms against the U-17’s.

The following day will see Muskegon against the U-17s at 4 p.m. and Youngstown against the U-18’s at 7 p.m.

Bob Suter Memorial

Wrapping up the busy Showcase weekend will be the Bob Suter Memorial Tournament, near Madison, WI., Sept. 18-19

The first game on Saturday(Sept. 19) will see the Green Bay Gamblers playing the Bloomington Thunder at 3 p.m. followed by the Chicago Steel against the Madison Capitols at 7 p.m.

A 10:a.m. game Sunday will pit the Thunder against the Capitols followed at 1 p.m. by the Steel against the Gamblers.