Waterloo Black Hawks Weekly Preview
USHL Waterloo Black Hawks

Waterloo Black Hawks Weekly Preview

Published on January 20, 2026 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Waterloo Black Hawks News Release


Storm Approaching

The Black Hawks host the Tri-City Storm on both Friday and Saturday, and both weekend games begin at 6:35 p.m. Tri-City currently holds fifth place in the United States Hockey League Western Conference. They've solidified that position in recent weeks by earning nine of the last 10 possible standings points with a 4-0-1 record. The upcoming games will complete the regular season series between the clubs. In November, Waterloo claimed a pair of wins (6-3 and 6-1) in Kearney, Nebraska. Including this weekend, eight of the Hawks' next 10 games are on home ice at Young Arena.

Sharp Penalty Killers

Tri-City and Waterloo have both enjoyed penalty-killing success this season. The Storm rank second in the league, denying opponents on 84.7 percent of their power plays. The Black Hawks are fourth (83.3 percent). Waterloo and Tri-City also have a track record of turning defense into offense with five shorthanded goals apiece, tying the clubs for fifth in the league. During their two November meetings, each side recorded one power play conversion: the Storm were one-for-four, and the Hawks were one-for-six.

World Junior Goalies

The Hawks and Storm were each represented by a goalie at the IIHF World Junior Championships earlier this month. Phileas Lachat was part of the Swiss delegation. He was held in reserve as the third netminder, while Switzerland finished sixth during the competition. Michal Pradel played for Slovakia and compiled a 1-3 record with a .877 save percentage in four appearances. Slovakia ended the competition eighth. Lachat and Pradel faced each other during Waterloo's 6-3 win on November 7th. Lachat battled through a tough first period to earn the victory with 23 saves. Pradel turned away 19 of the 23 shots he faced.

Resilient Hawks

When Waterloo prevailed against Tri-City on November 7th, it was on the strength of six consecutive goals after the Storm took an initial 3-0 lead. That effort represents the Hawks' biggest comeback of 2025/26, but it is far from the only victory under adverse circumstances. Waterloo has trailed by multiple goals in five of their 12 wins, including four of six road victories.

Recent Games

The Hawks were denied a win by three opponents over three days in three cities last weekend. The Madison Captiols upended Waterloo 6-3 Friday. The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders edged the Hawks 2-1 Saturday. Sunday, the Sioux City Musketeers skated away with a 4-2 decision. The Hawks were tied with under two minutes to play during both the Saturday and Sunday matchups.

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 January 20, 2026


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