Fighting Five: Saints Host Black Hawks on Teddy Bear Toss Night

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Dubuque Fighting Saints

Fighting Five: Saints Host Black Hawks on Teddy Bear Toss Night

December 6, 2024 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Dubuque Fighting Saints News Release


DUBUQUE, IA - The Dubuque Fighting Saints (15-7-0-0, 30 pts) host the Waterloo Black Hawks (10-7-2-4, 26 pts) on Friday night to open a home-and-home set against their Cowbell Cup Rival.

Here are five things to know ahead of the matchup:

1. Cowbell Cup

The Fighting Saints meet the Black Hawks for a pair of games with the Saints leading Waterloo at the top of the Cowbell Cup standings. The Saints have a 6-1-0 record through seven Cowbell-Cup contests.

This weekend marks the start of a seven-game stretch in which the Saints play Waterloo three times. The Saints have won both previous meetings, downing the Hawks 4-3 in overtime on Oct. 5 and 4-3 in a shootout on Oct. 29.

2. Missing Pieces

Both teams will be missing key contributors this weekend as the World Jr. A Challenge begins next week in Camrose, Alberta. The Saints will skate without Lucas Van Vliet's nine goals and 16 points, which are tied for the team lead. Dubuque will also miss Torkel Jennersjö, who is representing Team Sweden at the tournament. Jennersjö has seven goals, including the overtime-winner against Waterloo on Oct. 5.

The Hawks will be without leading scorer Brendan McMorrow. McMorrow leads Waterloo with nine goals and 18 points. His five power-play goals are the second-most in the USHL and he scored two power-play goals against Dubuque on Oct. 29.

3. Steady Saves

Jan Špunar has the best save percentage in the USHL at .923 and has won nine of his 14 decisions this season.

Saturday's loss to Muskegon ended a stretch of 10-straight games without allowing more than three goals. Špunar made 30 saves on 33 shots against Waterloo and made all three shootout saves in a 4-3 win on Oct. 29 in Waterloo.

4. So Hot Right Now

Two Saints enter the weekend on torrid offensive stretches. Josh Giuliani has seven goals in his last 10 games, while Matthew Desdierio has a point in a career-high six-straight contests.

Desiderio is tied for the team lead with 16 points, including four of his six goals on the power play. Giuliani is just behind with nine goals and 15 points, including two tallies on Saturday in Muskegon.

5. Waterloo Wisdom

The Black Hawks enter this weekend with their power play having earned the most opportunities in the USHL, but the Hawks are also the most-penalized team in the league.

In 85 power-play chances, Waterloo has a 23.5% conversion rate. Two of the Hawks' 20 power-play goals came on Oct. 29 against the Saints. Waterloo's 82.1% penalty kill has been a factor with 95 penalty kills faced this season. Dubuque is 1-5 against the Hawks' kill this season.

Friday's game begins at 7:05 p.m. CST at ImOn Arena and tickets can be purchased here. After Dubuque's first goal, fans will toss Teddy Bears onto the ice to be donated to Toys for Tots. The game can also be found on Eagle 102.3 and FloHockey.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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