2 Executives of USHL quit; 7 teams set
Des Moines Tribune
Tuesday, 4-4-82
by Don Clasen
The commissioner and chief referee of the United States Hockey League have resigned but the Junior A League plans to field 7 teams, the same as last season, when play resumes in the fall.
Ivan Prediger, coach and general manager of the USHL Des Moines Buccaneers said Walter Kyle of Waterloo has quit as commissioner for health reasons and chief referee Tom Yurkevich of Rochester, Minnesota has stepped down to devote more time to his business.
Prediger told members of the Buccaneers Board of Directors Monday night that replacements are being sought and the plans call for an unbalanced 48 game schedule for the 1982-83 season.
"The north teams (Austin, Bloomington and St. Paul Minnesota) will play six games at home and six games on the road against each other and three games at home and three on the road against the southern teams (Des Moines, Dubuque, Sioux City and Waterloo, Iowa) Prediger said.
"The southern teams will play five games at home and five on the road against each other and three and three against the northern teams."
Prediger said the Bucs are negotiating for a 28-game home schedule.
During a league meeting over the weekend at St. Paul, Prediger said that officials voted to keep facemasks optional, to eliminate the center redline except for icing calls, to impose stiffer penalties for fighting, and to revamp the format for postseason playoffs.
He said plans call for a playoff among the three Northern division teams and one among the four southern teams with the four-team Iowa champion possibly being determined in the best-of-seven series.
After that, the north and south winners would clash but instead of the overall winner advancing to the national Junior A finals as in the past, an offer to play the Canadian champion from Manitoba is being considered.
Prediger said the redline and fighting changes are being made "because we have become a college development league and we want to be more attractive to colleges.
We're going to have to look for more fast skaters with the elimination of the redline."
In the past, a player's pass that crossed the center red line and one of the two blue lines constituted an offsides. Without the red line, longer passes could be made and skaters would have to be faster to catch up.
Prediger said Jim Weber, owner of the team at Austin, was elected president of the league. The other officers are Dr. David Field, Dubuque, vice president; Tom Riley, Waterloo, secretary, and Don Geiger, Des Moines, treasurer.
Prediger added that the St. Paul team may be sold and that Mason City has applied for entry into the league.
"Mason City is building a 3,000-seat arena that is supposed to be ready by November 15," he said.
Mason City will not enter the league this season, but several exhibition or league games will be scheduled in the new arena, Prediger said. The city may be added in 1983-84.
Members of the Bucs' board voted Monday night to raise the price of tickets $1 and to launch a season ticket campaign.
The new prices are $5 for reserved seats; $4 for general admission, and $2 for students under q8 and senior citizens. Children under 5 accompanied by an adult will be admitted free.