NEW ULM — New Ulm Steel fans can get their fill of hockey this weekend at the New Ulm Civic Center when the Steel play home contests this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Friday and Saturday see the Steel hosting North Iowa at 7:10 p.m. each night and then entertaining Willmar Sunday evening at 6:10 p.m.

Fan capacity has been increased to 250 fans for games.

“This will not be an easy weekend for us because of where we are at,” Steel coach Zach Stepan said. “Our younger players are going to find out what three back-to-back games are like. It will be a learning experience for us.”

The Steel will have only seven games left in their regular season schedule after this weekend and in all probability those will be their last games as their chances for the playoffs are slim.

Alexandria would have to lose all of its games and New Ulm would need to win out.

This has been a season where a young New Ulm team has had to age fast against veteran NA3HL squads.

“We have seen players like Zach Mallette (eight goals, five assists) and Josh Delange (three goals. three assists) and Ryler Schelle score his first goal. Those young guys (all 18 years old) are making a push at the end of the season,” Stepan said.

Stepan said that fans may notice a lot of player movement for next season with teams shut down this year are up and running next season.

“With five NAHL teams opening up next year and two USHL (United States Hockey League) teams — that is 160 roster spots opening — there will be a lot of players in this division who are not in this division next season because they will be moving up. With all of those teams losing players that they have and us being able to maintain the ones that we have it will be interesting to see where we fall next year.”

One NA3HL West Division team that Steel fans may not see again are the North Iowa Bulls, who will be an NAHL team next season as the Amarillo (Texas) Bulls will relocate in Mason City, Iowa.

“And I do not know if they are relocating North Iowa or not,” Stepan said. “If they do that and they relocate North Iowa in this area, they will still be in our division. But at the same time I could see them moving Rochester to our division.”