Waterloo Black Hawks Release 2015-16 Schedule

The countdown to 2015-16 Waterloo Black Hawks hockey officially began with the release of the entire United States Hockey League (USHL) schedule on Thursday (July 16, 2015).

Waterloo will take the ice for the first time on Friday, September 25th against the Bloomington Thunder at U.S. Cellular Coliseum. Back in Waterloo the following night, the Hawks will bring the Young Arena crowd to their feet for the first time during a tilt with the Muskegon Lumberjacks.

“This schedule is very friendly for our hard-working fans and their families. We look forward to announcing a wide variety of great promotions in the weeks ahead,” said Black Hawks Vice-President of Sales and Marketing Joe Greene. “On behalf of the Black Hawks organization, I would like to thank everyone throughout the USHL for their efforts during the scheduling process; it is often a thankless task, but now that it has been wrapped up, fans here in Waterloo and around the league can get excited for a great hockey season ahead.”

Waterloo's home slate includes 16 Saturday contests, nine games on Friday nights, Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve (both on Thursdays), two Sundays and one Tuesday game. Most contests will begin at 7:05 p.m. The exceptions will be 6:05 p.m. face-offs during the traditional Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve holiday contests, in addition to 3:05 p.m. starts on Sundays. The Black Hawks' home game against the Fargo Force on Saturday, December 12th also begins at 3:05 p.m.

Some highlights on the 2015-16 schedule include:

• For the 19th consecutive year, the Hawks take the ice at home on Thanksgiving evening. The 2015 renewal marks the 16th-straight occasion during which Waterloo will meet the arch-rival Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. Waterloo seeks to rebound from a 2014 Turkey Day loss which ended a six-year winning streak on the holiday.
• The RoughRiders return again on New Year's Eve. While Hawks fans have been accustomed to ringing in the New Year in Party Town, this season’s contest will be the first time Waterloo has faced Cedar Rapids on December 31st since 2011.
• Waterloo hosts the defending Clark Cup Champion Sioux Falls Stampede on January 30th and 31st. The Hawks and Stampede dueled for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference into the closing weeks of the 2014-15 regular season.
• There’s no love lost between the league’s longest continuous rivals, but the Black Hawks and Sioux City Musketeers get together on Valentine’s Day, Sunday, February 14th.
• The season concludes April 9th with a match-up against the Dubuque Fighting Saints. The regular season finale is the third home contest on the schedule against the Hawks’ Highway 20 rivals.

Season tickets for the 2015-16 campaign start at under $11 per game and are currently available from the Black Hawks front office, by calling (319) 232-3444. In addition to savings and convenience, season ticket holders receive exclusive perks and opportunities, which make a season ticket package the best deal at Young Arena.