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USHL Waterloo Black Hawks

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April 17, 2019 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Waterloo Black Hawks News Release


The Waiting is the Hardest Part

With the regular season completed, the Black Hawks are prepared to begin the playoffs this weekend at Young Arena. It remains undetermined which opponent Waterloo will see and what nights the games will be played. The Hawks could face the Des Moines Buccaneers on Friday and Saturday. If the Sioux Falls Stampede are the visitors, the games could be on Friday-Saturday or Saturday-Monday. During the regular season, Waterloo was 2-0-2 versus Des Moines and 2-2-2 against Sioux Falls. Five of the Black Hawks 13 overtime games during the regular season were contests with the Buccaneers or the Stampede.

"Record" Territory

Saturday's 6-2 win during the final game of the regular season with the Hawks' 39th victory this season. Not long ago, 39 wins was a club record. Waterloo first reached that mark in 2006/07. Since then, the Hawks hit 39 wins again in 2012/13, set a new (and current) team record in 2013/14 with 44, and climbed to 40 victories in 2016/17. Prior to P.K. O'Handley's arrival in 2002/03, Waterloo had never won more than 33 games in a season; in the past 17 years, the Hawks have surpasses that number ten times.

Reflecting on Solid Seasons

Emil Ohrvall concluded the regular season as the Black Hawks' leading scorer with 63 points, tying him for eighth in the USHL. Defenseman Mason Palmer was +42, which ranked second in the league for individual plus/minus figures. Vladislav Firstov's 58 points clocked in second among all USHL rookies. Hank Sorensen was the loop's fifth-highest scoring defenseman with 45 points.

The Special Teams Story

Waterloo finished the year as the USHL's most successful power play club. A solid late-season stretch put the Hawks' final conversion rate at 26.1 percent, outdistancing the Chicago Steel (24.6 percent) and the U.S. National Team Development Program (24.5 percent). In addition, Waterloo ended the year with the league's sixth-ranked penalty kill at 82 percent.

Weekly Recap

Waterloo entered the final weekend of the regular season tied for second in the USHL Western Conference, and ultimately needed two wins to hold that position. The Hawks topped the Dubuque Fighting Saints 2-1 on Friday, with goals from James Marooney and Joe Cassetti. Saturday, Cassetti scored one of four late goals to lift Waterloo to a 6-2 result in a rematch. Marooney also scored again on Saturday. Evan Fear was in the crease for both games, earning the wins with 26 and 18 saves respectively. In addition, Friday's victory clinched the Hawks' third consecutive Dupaco Cowbell Cup.

For complete box scores from previous Black Hawks games, visit ushl.com.

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United States Hockey League Stories from April 17, 2019


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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