USHL Waterloo Black Hawks

Waterloo Black Hawks Weekly Preview

Published on April 5, 2022 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Waterloo Black Hawks News Release


Dakota Double

The Black Hawks collide with the USHL's North and South Dakota-based clubs on Friday and Saturday respectively. The weekend opens with Friday's 7:05 p.m. visit by the Fargo Force (24-26-5). Fargo currently leads Waterloo by three points for fifth place in the Western Conference. The Force also hold a game-in-hand. When Fargo visited during the first weekend in February, the Hawks won the first game, 4-2, but the Force bounced back for a 3-2 overtime decision the next night. Then Saturday at 6:05 p.m., Waterloo visits the Sioux Falls Stampede (16-33-6). The Hawks won a spirited 5-2 game when the teams last met February 18th.

The Rest Against the West

Each of Waterloo's six remaining games are against opponents from the Western Conference. Overall during conference games, the Hawks are currently 16-22-2, although some of the strongest results are against the four clubs Waterloo will meet from now through April 23rd: Fargo (4-1-1), Sioux Falls (4-1-0), Omaha (1-3-1), and Des Moines (3-3-0). While scoring leaders like Garrett Schifsky and John Waldron have had success against those four opponents, Owen Baker and Tyler Procious have both punched above their weight versus the quartet. Baker and Procious each have 10 points against the group, more than half of their season scoring totals.

Shooting Stumbles

The Hawks are 0-5-1 during the past six games; in that span, the team has recorded 11 goals on 153 shots. The resulting 7.2-percent success rate has dragged Waterloo's shooting percentage below 10 percent for the year (9.7). The Black Hawks and the Sioux Falls Stampede (9.0) are currently the only teams averaging less than one goal for every 10 shots on target.

Fust's First Trip Back

Saturday's game is scheduled to be Ray Fust's first visit to Sioux Falls since the Black Hawks acquired him in a trade on January 12th. The 19-year-old played in 22 games for the Stampede prior to the deal, recording four goals and four assists. Last Saturday's game was Fust's 22nd appearance as a Black Hawks; he scored in the second period against the Dubuque Fighting Saints, giving him nine goals and six assists for Waterloo.

Recent Games

The Black Hawks' last 1-0 victory was a 30-save Logan Stein shutout on November 30, 2019. Needless to say, single goals last Friday and Saturday were not enough to bring Waterloo a win. On Friday - at the scene of Stein's notable shutout - Jake Schneider scored the Hawks' lone goal, but the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders protected their home ice in a 4-1 decision. At Young Arena Saturday, Waterloo carried a 1-0 lead into the last four minutes before the Dubuque Fighting Saints tied the score, then tallied an overtime goal for a 2-1 result.

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

Check out the Waterloo Black Hawks Statistics

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United States Hockey League Stories from April 5, 2022


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