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Waterloo Black Hawks Weekly Preview

September 25, 2012 - United States Hockey League (USHL) Waterloo Black Hawks

Finals Foes

The Waterloo Black Hawks begin the 2012/13 season with matchups against two teams they have faced for the Clark Cup Championship in recent years. Friday, the Hawks visit Green Bay in a rematch of last spring's finals series, which went to its duration before the Gamblers prevailed in Game Five. Saturday Waterloo returns home to host the Sioux Falls Stampede, who they clashed with for the Clark Cup during a single-game final in 2007. New Stampede head coach Cary Eades is behind a USHL bench for the first time since leading the Dubuque Fighting Saints in 1992/93, before most of the players who will participate in Saturday's game were born. Both matchups begin at 7:05PM.

Celebrated Scorer

Hawks forward Taylor Cammarata is the United States Hockey League's top returning scorer from last season. The Minnesota recruit recorded 69 points on 27 goals and 42 assists in 2011/12. Cammarata's total led the Black Hawks and ranked sixth overall in the league. The only other player in the top ten a season ago who remains in the league is Austin Cangelosi of the Youngstown Phantoms, who was ten points behind Cammarata.

Streak on the Line

Waterloo will test a nine-game regular season home ice winning streak on Saturday versus Sioux Falls. The Hawks finished 21-6-3 at Young Arena in 2011/12 and did not fall at home from March 10th through the end of regularly scheduled action. The streak began with a 6-2 win against the Stampede. Waterloo went on to also win seven of eight playoff home games. The longest regular season home winning streak in franchise history covered 14 games from November 2, 2002 through January 14, 2003.

Stepan Steps In

When Zach Stepan takes the ice for his first regular season USHL game Friday, he will officially become the sixth Black Hawk in the last five seasons to have been drafted by an NHL team in the 4th round or higher. Stepan was chosen by the Nashville Predators with their fourth round pick in June after spending last season with Shattuck-St. Mary's. He joins Nick Larson (2008), Craig Smith (2009), Patrick Wey (2009), Alex Guptill (2010), and Brady Vail (2012).

Preseason Recap

The Hawks posted a 4-1-0 record versus USHL preseason competition. Following a pair of wins versus the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, Waterloo went 2-1 at the USHL Fall Classic in Sioux City last weekend. The Hawks edged Muskegon and Chicago before falling to the Indiana Ice. Of their preseason foes, Waterloo will only meet the Lumberjacks prior to Thanksgiving, as they visit Muskegon on October 26th.

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United States Hockey League Stories from September 25, 2012


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