Waterloo Black Hawks Weekly Preview

February 25, 2020 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Waterloo Black Hawks News Release

Rolling East

The Black Hawks cross the Mississippi River for the final time in the 2019/20 regular season during the weekend ahead. Waterloo concludes the season series against USA Hockey's National Team Development Program Friday at 6:05 p.m. (Central) in Plymouth, Michigan. Waterloo defeated the NTDP U17s 6-1 on January 25th at Young Arena, with multipoint contributions from five different players. Then Saturday, a 6:05 p.m. (Central) game in Youngstown will be a rematch of the Phantoms' 5-3 win in Waterloo last Friday. Trevor Kuntar - Youngstown's leading scorer - had two goals and an assist in that game. After this weekend, the Hawks will have completed the head-to-head season series with six of eight Eastern Conference teams.

Final Ten Road Games

Waterloo currently has ten road games remaining during the regular season. The Hawks are 13-5-2 in hostile buildings this winter, while also winning two additional games on neutral ice during the USHL Fall Classic in the Pittsburgh area. Last season, Waterloo won 20 games away from Young Arena. The Hawks' best mark on the road was 21-5-4 during the 2013/14 season.

Western Conference Closing In

Over the last 10 games, the Black Hawks are 4-5-1. During the same span, the Omaha Lancers are 10-0-0. Second-place Omaha has now closed within one point of Waterloo for the Western Conference lead. The Hawks' margin had been nine points (over the Tri-City Storm) at the beginning of the month and a dozen points (ahead of Fargo) on New Year's Day. The Lancers are as close as any challenger has been since the Lincoln Stars were within one point of Waterloo on November 15th.

Four-on-Four Scoring

A Youngstown Phantoms goal against Waterloo early in the third period of Friday's game was scored while the teams were skating four-on-four due to a pair of offsetting penalties. The Hawks have now been outscored 5-3 in four-on-four situations this season. Conversely, Waterloo has had a 6-2 advantage against their collective opponents when matched up three-on-three in overtime this season.

Weekly Recap

The Youngstown Phantoms and Chicago Steel each scored five goals when they visited Young Arena over the weekend. Friday, Hawks defensemen Nic Belpedio and Luke Bast each recorded third period tallies, but the Phantoms broke a 3-3 tie, then added an empty-netter in the 5-3 decision. Saturday, Chicago was two-for-seven on the power play, while also turning aside the Hawks on five chances in a 5-2 decision. Like Youngstown, the Steel also scored into an empty net to extend the final margin.

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

United States Hockey League Stories from February 25, 2020

• Weekly Preview - Muskegon Lumberjacks
• Waterloo Black Hawks Weekly Preview - Waterloo Black Hawks
• Randl Named USHL Forward of the Week - Omaha Lancers
• Jack Randl (Omaha), Mitchell Miller (Tri-City) and Jaxson Stauber (Sioux Falls) Earn Weekly Honors - USHL
• Mitchell Miller Named USHL Defenseman of the Week - Tri-City Storm
• Jaxson Stauber Named USHL Goaltender of Week - Sioux Falls Stampede
• 1-On-1 with Cody Chupp Following USHL Trade Deadline - Lincoln Stars
• Musketeers Add Carrabes and Heidemann in Trade Dealine Deal - Sioux City Musketeers
• Stampede Add Scoring Punch in Big Trade with Sioux City - Sioux Falls Stampede
• Hawks Add Scorer Strada - Waterloo Black Hawks
• Bucs Acquire Harvard Commit Forward Drkulec from Waterloo - Des Moines Buccaneers

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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