Jeff Johnson

The Iowa Heartlanders hit the road Tuesday afternoon for their ECHL game Wednesday night at Kansas City. The ECHL and Professional Hockey Players’ Association officially ratified a new collective bargaining agreement

Who made a lasting impression? Libby Fandel, Quentin Nauman, Williamsburg softball, South Winneshiek cross country, and an all-too-brief moment in the sun for my Drake Bulldogs.

The Iowa men’s basketball team will play nothing but Big Ten Conference games the rest of the way. The Hawkeyes completed their non-conference portion of the schedule with a 90-62 win Monday over Massachusetts-Lowell.

Iowa men’s basketball team takes a step back in competition after three straight games against Big Ten Conference/in-state foes, hosting Mid-American Conference opponent Western Michigan.

Saturday night saw the ECHL and Professional Hockey Players’ Association release a joint statement saying a potential new collective bargaining agreement has been agreed upon, with striking players expected to return to their teams to prepare for games before the new year.

Iowa men’s basketball team plays its final non-conference game of the season Monday afternoon at Carver-Hawkeye Arena against Massachusetts-Lowell. Transfer forward Alvaro Folgueiras is coming off his best game offensively for the Hawkeyes and could be a key player for them in Big Ten play.

ECHL hockey players went on strike Friday after attempts at negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement between the ECHL and Professional Hockey Players’ Association failed. The Iowa Heartlanders had their scheduled home game against Bloomington at Xtream Arena postponed, with weekend games Saturday and Sunday on the road against the Bison very much up in the air.

The Professional Hockey Players’ Association says hockey players in the ECHL will go on strike Friday unless a new collective bargaining agreement with the league is finalized. The sides have been negotiating since June, after the current CBA expired. The Iowa Heartlanders are a member of the ECHL and have a home game scheduled Friday night at Xtream Arena against Bloomington.

Cedar Rapids Prairie’s boys’ basketball team began this season with four straight road games. It took almost three weeks in before the Hawks got to play on their own floor, celebrating it with a 78-60 win Monday night over Cedar Rapids Kennedy.

The Iowa High School Athletic Association has released its first official boys basketball rankings of the season. Waukee Northwest, Huxley Ballard, Orange City Unity Christian and Fort Dodge St. Edmond are your numbers ones in their respective classes.

Iowa’s men’s basketball team goes into the holiday break with a 10-2 record after smashing Bucknell, 94-39, Saturday night at Casey’s Center in Des Moines. Believe it or not, Bucknell led the game early, 10-2. Alvaro Folgueiras had 10 points in a 17-0 run after that putting the Hawkeyes ahead for good.

A couple of guys intended to play major roles on this season’s Cedar Rapids Xavier boys basketball team didn’t play Friday night due to injuries. The Saints, who will be a main contender for the Class 3A state championship when healthy, found a way to get past scrappy Cedar Rapids Washington, 67-57.

Iowa plays Saturday afternoon against Bucknell at Casey’s Center in Des Moines, formerly known as Wells Fargo Arena. Hawkeye head coach Ben McCollum said this week he’d like to continue playing games in the state’s capital city, against a power-five conference opponent.

Iowa men’s basketball team takes a step back in competition after three straight games against Big Ten Conference/in-state foes, hosting Mid-American Conference opponent Western Michigan.

The first of two Crossover Challenge boys basketball events is January 3 at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse in downtown Cedar Rapids. Pairings were set earlier this week for the event, which consists of 14 teams playing seven games.