Waterloo, Iowa – Games between the Waterloo Black Hawks and Omaha Lancers on Friday, November 6th and Saturday November 7th have been declared a No Contest.
Per the United States Hockey League’s safety protocols, minimum standards were not met to play these games as originally scheduled. The USHL will work with Waterloo and Omaha to reschedule the games, with an announcement of details about when the games will be played expected at a later date.
Single game ticket sales for this weekend’s games had begun on Wednesday afternoon. The Black Hawks will automatically refund all individual game purchases which were made in that time. Fans with season ticket packages will be admitted to the rescheduled games as part of their plans.
In addition, here is a portion of a forthcoming statement from Waterloo Mayor Quentin Hart, regarding rising numbers of local COVID-19 hospitalizations, Black Hawk County’s high positivity rate, and the overall increase in cases:
“Thanks for the shared conversations regarding the upcoming Black Hawks hockey games.
This weekend’s games must be postponed due to the current severe COVID-19 risk in our community.
I, along with Paul Huting, Leisure Services Director, and Black Hawks ownership made this determination after speaking with the Black Hawk Public Health Director, Dr. Nafissa Cisse Egbuonye, who informed us of the rising number of hospitalizations in the county, a high county positivity rate of over 20% and the overall increases in cases. These factors contribute to making Waterloo and Black Hawk County high risk for COVID-19 spread. Although I can’t go into detail because of HIPPA rules, there are positive staff members directly tied to Young Arena.
This is an extremely risky time. We need to err on the side of safety for all. We believe bringing more than 1500 people to this community, while it may be legal by the Governor’s standards, is problematic to our local community. We love our hockey fans and are putting their health first.
We can evaluate the conditions prior to the next home game.
Sincerely,
Quentin Hart, Mayor”
