WEST DES MOINES, Iowa–Saturday night when the Dubuque Fighting Saints visit the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, it will be the first of 36 games which will determine which Iowa team takes home the 2026-27 Dupaco Cowbell Cup.
This year, every head-to-head matchup involving the Des Moines Buccaneers, the Waterloo Black Hawks, the RoughRiders, and the Dubuque Fighting Saints will count toward the Dupaco Cowbell Cup standings. The series will run through the final night of the regular season when Waterloo hosts Des Moines on April 3rd.
"The Dupaco Cowbell Cup has become a fun tradition that brings Iowa hockey fans and communities together," said Tara McDermott, Senior Marketing & Communication Specialist at Dupaco. "We're proud to continue supporting this series and the teams, players, and fans who make it such a special part of the hockey season. We look forward to another exciting year of competition."
Each year since 2015, Dupaco Community Credit Union has presented the Cowbell Cup to the team celebrating the strongest results in the geographic rivalry. The Dubuque Fighting Saints claimed the trophy during the 2025-26 season.
Hockey fans in each market will have the chance to score a "hat trick" of sorts during the Dupaco Cowbell Cup series this year. Each team will give away hundreds of Dupaco Cowbell Cup hats on one promotional night during their respective home schedules. The Buccaneers' Cowbell Cup night will take place at our final home Cowbell Cup matchup of the season on March 5. In addition, dozens of Dupaco Cowbell Cup t-shirts will be tossed into the crowd at each rink throughout the course of the winter. Fans may have opportunities to snag other promotional items when they attend games during the series.
In order to make every game count with an unbalanced schedule, standings for the four teams will be computed based on a new formula. The percentage of possible points earned from each head-to-head series will be averaged equally to create a modified winning percentage (MWP). For example, through Thanksgiving the Black Hawks will play six Dupaco Cowbell Cup games worth two points apiece. If the Hawks earn one of two points against Cedar Rapids (.500), one of four points versus Des Moines (.250), and five of six points versus Dubuque (.833), the average of those three percentages yields a .527 MWP.
Standings for the Dupaco Cowbell Cup will be updated on each team's website and also displayed on a dedicated standings board in each arena.
2025-26 COWBELL CUP STANDINGS
W = 2pts, OT/SOL = 1pt, L = 0pts
| Team |
Points |
Record |
| Cedar Rapids |
0 |
0-0-0 |
| Des Moines |
0 |
0-0-0 |
| Dubuque |
0 |
0-0-0 |
| Waterloo |
0 |
0-0-0 |
2026-27 DES MOINES COWBELL CUP GAMES (Home Games in Blue)
| Date |
Time/Score |
Opponent |
Location |
| October 16 |
7:05 PM |
Waterloo |
MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex |
| October 17 |
6:35 PM |
Waterloo |
Young Arena |
| November 13 |
7:05 PM |
Dubuque |
MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex |
| November 14 |
7:05 PM |
Dubuque |
ImOn Arena |
| December 4 |
7:05 PM |
Cedar Rapids |
MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex |
| December 5 |
7:05 PM |
Dubuque |
ImOn Arena |
| December 15 |
7:05 PM |
Cedar Rapids |
MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex |
| December 29 |
6:35 PM |
Waterloo |
Young Arena |
| December 31 |
6:05 PM |
Dubuque |
ImOn Arena |
| January 17 |
3:05 PM |
Waterloo |
MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex |
| February 5 |
7:05 PM |
Cedar Rapids |
ImOn Ice Arena |
| February 6 |
7:05 PM |
Cedar Rapids |
ImOn Ice Arena |
| February 12 |
7:05 PM |
Waterloo |
MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex |
| February 13 |
6:35 PM |
Dubuque |
MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex |
| March 5 |
7:05 PM |
Waterloo |
MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex |
| March 30 |
6:35 PM |
Waterloo |
Young Arena |
| April 3 |
6:35 PM |
Waterloo |
Young Arena |
