News Tuesday that a buyer would purchase and operate the Des Moines Buccaneers minor-league hockey franchise and two Des Moines area ice arenas means good things for central Iowa hockey fans and Iowa State, said the coach of the Cyclones’ men’s non-varsity team.

“It’s all good news, from my perspective,” said Alan Murdoch, who also coordinates sports clubs at Iowa State.

The 33-year-old Buccaneers franchise and the two ice sports facilities in Urbandale were part of the package in the asset purchase agreement entered into by a Minnesota-based group, said Charles Edwards, president of the Greater Des Moines Ice Sports Association.

Edwards said that development came coupled Tuesday with announcements by two groups that they would try to bring an American Hockey League franchise to Des Moines’ new downtown sports arena.

Murdoch said Iowa State had and would continue to benefit from the Des Moines area’s ability to produce young talent in hockey, figure skating and other sports that use ice.

“Any time you increase skating programs anywhere in the state of Iowa, it’s good for Iowa State,” he said.

The programs put on by the non-profit Des Moines sports association have fed some athletes directly to Ames in the past, Murdoch said.

“We have a number of players every year that are a direct result of [those programs],” he said.

The Buccaneers recently lost their affiliation with the United States Hockey League because of the franchise’s financial problems, but Tuesday’s sale should make that a temporary condition, Edwards said.

Players 20 years old and younger participate in the United States Hockey League, according to the organization’s Web site. The purchasing group from Minnesota is expected to help the Buccaneers play the 2003—2004 season, Edwards said.

An arrangement to keep two ice facilities running and open to the public in Urbandale has benefits for skaters.

“Having successful programs in both communities . . . they reinforce each other,” Edwards said.

Murdoch said he was excited about the possibility of an American Hockey League team coming to central Iowa.

The league is considered the top minor league hockey association, comparable to a Triple A baseball team.

It would likely play in Des Moines’ new downtown Wells Fargo Arena, currently expected to open in 2005.

Murdoch said one of the most likely candidates for an American Hockey League team would be one affiliated with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild.

“If there were a farm team with Des Moines associated with the Minnesota Wild . . . it would be an excellent [draw],” he said.

Of the two groups vying for the opportunity to fill the downtown arena, one is based in Minnesota, and the other is headed by Des Moines lawyer Jerry Crawford in conjunction with local businessmen Bill Knapp and Jim Cownie.

Iowa State has two men’s hockey and one women’s hockey team that all use the Ames/ISU Ice Arena, which was opened in April 2001. Murdoch said Tuesday’s announcements means ice sports opportunities will continue to increase in both Ames and Des Moines, even though having an American Hockey League team in Des Moines could draw interest away from other programs.

“[People] want the best-quality ice for the lowest cost,” he said. “I think there are more positives than there are negatives.”