USHL Waterloo Black Hawks

Hawks Refuse to Lose

Published on March 9, 2013 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Waterloo Black Hawks News Release


The Waterloo Black Hawks fell behind early but had enough time to rally against the Dubuque Fighting Saints Saturday, claiming a 4-3 shootout victory at Mystique Ice Center.

Zach Stepan and Mike Huntebrinker scored in the four-round shootout. A goal in the third round by Peter Quenneville, pushed the tie-breaker to a fourth frame. That's when Huntebrinker lifted a shot to the top corner over the right shoulder of Christian Frey, and Eamon McAdam kicked away a last opportunity by Mike Szmatula. McAdam had finished the regulation and overtime portions of the contest with 28 saves.

A rebound with traffic at the front of the net, had led to a Fighting Saints goal 3:50 into the matchup, with Matt Benning moving in from the right point to gather the puck and fire it into the cage. At 9:38, Szmatula rolled a puck over the goal line; after a discussion, the officials determined the chance had not been kicked in and allowed the play, which made the game 2-0.

Gloves dropped on the ensuing faceoff before Hawks defenseman Hunter Warner dropped the Saint Alex Fossen in the scrap. The resulting boost helped the Hawks strike for a goal at 10:36, when Victor Newell hesitated to dodge a shot-blocker, then fired a chance through traffic from the left point, tipped past Frey by Taylor Cammarata.

Waterloo could not make it through a five-minute major penalty completely unscathed, as Quenneville drove a shot from the right wing circle which found the goal at 3:32 of the second. The Hawks did survive 1:17 of subsequent Dubuque two-man advantage time, and drew back within one on a power play of their own at 10:06. With the Saints penalty killers pulled out of position, Justin Kloos flipped a chance into the net from the bottom of the left wing circle.

Stepan saved the day with 4:03 remaining in regulation. Receiving the puck in the high slot and a strong effort by Kloos and Stenglein along the left wing boards during a power play, Stepan fired a shot off of Frey and across the goal line for an equalizer. Waterloo battled through a penalty called on Stepan with 2:09 left in regulation to force the scoreless overtime.

The victory was the 30th of the season for Waterloo and allowed the Hawks to clinch the regular season series versus the Fighting Saints. It was also head coach P.K. O'Handley's 1,000th USHL regular season coaching appearance, making him the first person in league history to reach that milestone.

Next up for the Black Hawks is a trip to Chicago to meet the Steel. Tuesday night's game is Waterloo's lone visit to Edge Ice Arena. The Hawks return to home ice on Friday, March 25th to host the Lincoln Stars. Tickets for the matchup and all remaining games at Young Arena are available online from waterlooblackhawks.com or by calling (319) 291-7680.

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United States Hockey League Stories from March 9, 2013


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