USHL Des Moines Buccaneers

Bucs Release Pre Season Schedule

Published on August 8, 2011 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Des Moines Buccaneers News Release


Urbandale (IA) Fans eager to get a sense of the 2011-2012 Des Moines Buccaneers will once again have ample opportunity to get a sneak peek at the team thanks to another aggressive preseason slate released today by head coach Regg Simon. For the second consecutive season the team will play six exhibition games highlighted by their participation in the 2011 USHL Fall Classic in Sioux City, IA

Des Moines will open the preseason schedule Friday September 16 at Waterloo before playing at home Sunday Sept. 18th against Sioux Falls at 3pm and Tuesday Sept. 20 versus Waterloo at 7pm. The Bucs will then head to Sioux City for the Fall Classic where they will play Sioux Falls on Wednesday Sept. 21 at 1pm, Indiana on Thursday Sept. 22 at 2pm and Chicago on Friday Sept. 23 at 10am.

In all, the Buccaneers will play six games in eight days which is the same amount as a season ago.

"This is a demanding exhibition game schedule," said Simon. "It will enable our staff to get a good gauge on our players early in the season."

Season ticket holders receive free admission to the Buccaneers' home exhibition games on Sept. 18th and Sept. 20th, while ticket information for the rest of the public will be announced at a later date. Fans can visit ushl.com for ticket information for the Fall Classic in Sioux City.

The exhibition schedule will be part of the Buccaneers' training camp that will begin September 12th and run until the team's regular season opener October 1st at home versus Fargo. Fans are invited to attend any and all training camp sessions which will mostly occur in the afternoons.

2011 Exhibition Schedule

Friday Sept. 16 @ Waterloo 7:05pm

Sunday Sept. 18 vs. Sioux Falls 3:05pm

Tuesday Sept. 20 vs. Waterloo 7:05pm

Wednesday Sept. 21 Sioux Falls 1:00pm (Sioux City, IA)

Thursday Sept. 22 Indiana 2:00pm (Sioux City, IA)

Friday Sept. 23 Chicago 10:00am (Sioux City, IA)

Team USA Has Buccaneer Flavor

They are still wearing red, white and blue but the logo on the front carries with it a whole different level of pride and passion. Throughout this week, three players and a coach with ties to the Des Moines Buccaneers are adorning the stars and stripes as members of USA Hockey in a pair of prestigious events.

2009-2010 Buccaneers Connor Brickley and T.J. Tynan are taking part in the Junior Evaluation Camp in Lake Placid, NY this week as they look for a spot on the USA team for the 2012 World Junior Tournament.

Brickley was on the preliminary World Junior roster last season and is no stranger to playing for his country having participated in a number of international events for USA Hockey including the 2010 IIHF U-18 Tournament, 2010 U-18 Six Nations Tournament, 2009 World Junior A Challenge, 2009 Ivan Hlinka Tournament. Brickley is entering his sophomore season at Vermont.

Tynan is coming off a stellar freshman season at Notre Dame that saw him become an intricate part in the Fighting Irish's run to program's first-ever Frozen Four appearance. Along the way, Tynan accumulated a number of rookie awards from the CCHA and NCAA.

Meanwhile, the USA U-17 team that is competing at the Five Nations Tournament in Ann Arbor, MI August 9 -13 will also have a Buccaneer flavor to it.

Future Buccaneer Michael Brodzinski will be one of seven defensemen suiting up for the Red, White and Blue. He'll compete against teams from the Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia and Switzerland. A native of Blaine, MN Brodzinski was the Buccaneers first-round selection in the 2011 USHL Futures Draft.

The U-17 team's assistant coach is also former Buccaneer Pat Mikesch who starred for the Buccaneers from 1990 - 1992 and led the organization to their first-ever Clark Cup and National Championship in 1992. He went on to have a very successful career at Michigan Tech University and in professional hockey.

Another Commit

There is never a punishment for getting something out of the way early and for future Des Moines Buccaneer Kevin LaBanc he now has a benefit many hockey players his age don't have; a college destination mapped out. LaBanc announced last week he is committing to attend the University of Notre Dame once his collegiate career begins.

LaBanc was the Buccaneers' third selection (and first forward) selected in April's Futures Draft. A native of Staten Island, NY, Labanc played last season for the New Jersey Rockets of the Atlantic Junior Hockey League and is coached by former Buccaneer Bob Thornton, a teammate of Bucs' head coach Regg Simon when he played in Des Moines in the mid 90s.

Promotional Plans Taking Shape

With the 2011-2012 schedule now firmly ingrained in staffer's minds like their home telephone number or ATM pin code, work is ramping up on the formation of the promotional calendar. Ideas and concepts are continuing to be designed, tweaked, junked and subsequently pulled out of the trash upon second thought on a daily basis with the end result being a series of creative promotions.

"The best way to put it is we aren't necessarily changing instead adding onto what we do while at the same time keeping true to what this franchise is and what our fans like" said Buccaneers broadcaster Scott Montesano. "We know our fans love the action on the ice and that is what draws them, which isn't the case everywhere, so we don't want to pull attention away from that."

Booster Club Parading

Members of the Des Moines Buccaneers' booster club will participate in the 2011 Iowa State Fair parade on Wednesday at 6:15pm. The parade route begins at the State Capital and heads west on Grand Avenue.

The Des Moines Buccaneers will be playing their 32nd consecutive season in the United States Hockey League beginning in the fall of 2011. Since 1980, the Buccaneers have produced hundreds of NCAA Division I players and dozens of professional alumni. Season Ticket Packages and Corporate Partnership information for the 2011-2012 season is available by calling (515) 278-2827.

Check out the Des Moines Buccaneers Statistics

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United States Hockey League Stories from August 8, 2011


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