USHL Waterloo Black Hawks

Waterloo Black Hawks Weekly Preview

October 20, 2015 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Waterloo Black Hawks News Release


At Home With Omaha

This Saturday, the Black Hawks play on home ice for the first time since a 5-1 victory against the Fargo Force on October 3rd. Waterloo is preparing for a single game this weekend, matched up against the Omaha Lancers, who currently hold the second position in the United States Hockey League Western Conference standings. The contest will be just the third at Young Arena this season. Waterloo has already played five games on the road. Both the Hawks and Lancers have generally been involved in low-scoring games lately. Omaha has held opponents to two goals or fewer four of the last five times they have taken the ice. Aside from Waterloo's 7-5 defeat in Sioux City on Sunday, the Hawks and their opponents have not combined to score more than six goals in any other game during 2015/16.

Swaney Climbs Toward the Top

Waterloo forward Nick Swaney leads the Black Hawks with six goals. That count is tied for second in the USHL, behind league-leader Jake Jaremko of the Chicago Steel, who has eight. Swaney's current pace is roughly on par with Brock Boeser's fast start last season. A year ago, Boeser had nine goals in nine games by the end of October. Swaney has three games left to reach the same threshold before the calendar turns.

Anderson in Good Company

Defenseman Mikey Anderson scored his first USHL goal on Sunday afternoon. The accomplishment put him in rare company among young Black Hawks skaters. Since the beginning of the 2009/10 season only four other Waterloo defensemen have scored before their 17th birthday: Sam Rossini, Ian McCoshen, Jacob MacDonald, and Nick Ebert. Among that group, Ebert holds the distinction of having scored while still age 15.

A Trend Extended

Last season, the Black Hawks had more shots on goal than their opponents in 43 of 60 games. However, Waterloo finished the 2014/15 campaign with just a 20-20-3 record in those contests. The Bloomington Thunder suffered the next-highest regulation loss total under those circumstances: 15. Once again this season, the Hawks have consistently outshot opponents, but currently own a 1-3-1 record in those games.

Weekly Recap

Waterloo finished on the short side of three nail-biters: 3-2 and 4-2 in Sioux Falls against the Stampede on Friday and Saturday, then 7-5 on Sunday while visiting the Sioux City Musketeers. Captain Ronnie Hein recorded a point in all three games, finishing the weekend with a goal and three assists. David Cotton and Nick Swaney also each accumulated four points apiece. Hein, Alex Robert, Mikey Anderson, and Brandon Schultz each scored their first goals of the season (for Anderson and Schultz, their first goals in the USHL).

Check out the Waterloo Black Hawks Statistics



United States Hockey League Stories from October 20, 2015


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