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High School Hockey Opens 2017-2018 Season

By Roger Kelly - rogerkelly@cableone.net, 10/24/17, 10:15AM CDT

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Des Moines, IA | The Midwest High School Hockey League opens the 2017-2018 season this coming weekend, October 27-29, when all 12 teams take the ice for two-game sets against inter-division rivals. The lone Friday contest features the Ames Little Cyclones traveling to the Kansas City Jets for the first of two games. Saturday and Sunday action sees Mason City at Waterloo, Quad City at Des Moines Oak Leafs, Des Moines Capitals at Sioux City, Omaha at Dubuque, and Lincoln at Cedar Rapids. These particular matchups are the only time these teams will face each other during the season.

When the Des Moines Capitals travel to Sioux City, it will launch their pursuit of a third consecutive Varsity Regular-Season Championship. The Capitals will also have the opportunity to avenge a 6-5 semifinal loss at the hands of Sioux City in last year’s Varsity Championship Tournament. The Waterloo Warriors topped Sioux City 2-1 in the championship game to capture the 2017 Varsity Tournament title.

The Omaha Jr. Lancers owned last season’s Junior Varsity Regular-Season Championship, while the Lincoln Jr. Stars topped the Des Moines Oak Leafs 2-1 to earn the Year-End Tournament title.

Team Midwest once again competed at America’s Hockey Showcase in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The top-20 players in the League make up the Team Midwest roster. For the first time, after attending the event continuously since 1990, Team Midwest earned the #1 seed at the conclusion of pool play. The team was later eliminated in the championship quarterfinals.

The Omaha Jr. Lancers was the sole League representative at last year’s USA Hockey High School National Championships in Cleveland, Ohio, where they advanced to the semifinals before being eliminated by a team from Missoula, Montana, 4-2.

Breaking news from the League’s fall meeting was the inking of a contract with the City of Ames to host the Varsity and Jr. Varsity year-end tournaments at the Ames/ISU Ice Arena for the next five years. The 2018 Varsity and Jr. Varsity year-end tournaments will share the same weekend in Ames, March 1-4.  The Varsity tournament will run from Friday, March 2 to Sunday, March 4, while the Jr. Varsity tournament will begin Thursday, March 1, and run through Saturday, March 3. The first day of quarterfinal games for both tournaments will be single-elimination.

The 12-team Midwest High School Hockey League is divided into three divisions. Kansas City, Lincoln, Omaha and Sioux City in the West; Ames, Des Moines Capitals, Des Moines Oak Leafs and Mason City in the Central; and Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Quad City and Waterloo in the East.

Each team plays division rivals four times and teams outside the division twice to make up a 28-game schedule. All teams compete at the Varsity and Jr. Varsity levels. The season ends with the Varsity Championship Tournament and Jr. Varsity Year-End Tournament in Ames. Nearly 400 high school student athletes compete in the League that covers three states. This year marks the 42nd year of the Midwest High School Hockey League, formerly known as the Iowa High School Hockey League.

The MHSHL is a member of the Pointstreak Scoring Network. For scores, standings and statistics go to: http://www.midwesthighschoolhockey.com

For a complete history of the Iowa/Midwest High School Hockey League including year-by-year listings of past champions and statistics, go to the Information Vault at http://www.mhshl.com/