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USHL Waterloo Black Hawks

Waterloo Black Hawks Weekly Preview

January 21, 2014 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Waterloo Black Hawks News Release


Frosty Fargo

From a meteorological standpoint, Waterloo and Fargo won't be much different this week. Temperatures in both cities will be mostly frigid as the Black Hawks travel to North Dakota to visit the Force on Friday and Saturday. There was very little to differentiate the two teams on the scoreboard when they met at Young Arena January 3rd. Waterloo claimed a 4-3 shootout win. The Force are the only opponent to have pushed the Hawks to overtime during Waterloo's current 11-game winning streak. Last Wednesday, the two clubs traded goaltenders Cameron Johnson and Mathias Israelsson. The last time the Black Hawks acquired a goalie at midseason, they also faced his former team days later; in 2012, Stephon Williams came to Waterloo from Sioux Falls on February 1st before the Hawks met the Stampede on the 3rd.

Running Toward A Record

Waterloo's string of 11 consecutive wins is one shy of a franchise junior-era regular season record set during P.K. O'Handley's first season with the Hawks. In November and December of 2002, Waterloo won 12 straight. The current streak is perhaps already more impressive in one sense: six of eleven victories have been on the road, while all but four matchups during the 2002 run were at home.

Stops in Starts

Cameron Johnson made a remarkable impression during his first game as a Black Hawk. The goalie from Troy, Michigan, made 46 saves during a 2-1 win against Team USA Saturday. The last time a Waterloo netminder faced over 40 shots in his Black Hawks debut, Joe Howe stopped 39 of 41 chances during a 3-2 win against the Tri-City Storm on October 12, 2007. Johnson's stout effort was well-timed; Team USA's 47 shots were the most allowed by the Black Hawks during a single game this season.

Power Play Pickup

Offensive special teams production has been vital to the Black Hawks recent success. Five of the six goals Waterloo scored last weekend were recorded during power plays. Since the beginning of January, the Hawks have converted 39.4% of their opportunities, led by three tallies from Mark Friedman. The strong showing has driven Waterloo to the top of the power play chart, now at 23.7% overall during 2013/14.

Weekly Recap

The Black Hawks took a 3-0 lead on Friday in Youngstown and were able to stave off a comeback by the Phantoms during a 4-3 win. Peter Krieger led Waterloo with three points. Saturday, he and Tyler Sheehy provided the necessary offense during a 2-1 decision against Team USA. The wins concluded the season set with each opponent; the Hawks claimed a 4-0 and 4-2 edge in standings points from the respective series.

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