USHL Waterloo Black Hawks

Williams Joins Irish Next Fall

November 10, 2021 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Waterloo Black Hawks News Release


Waterloo, Iowa - Junior hockey players across North America signed dozens of NCAA National Letters of Intent on Wednesday. Most were mere formalities following verbal commitments which had been made months or years earlier.

One exception was for veteran Waterloo Black Hawks goaltender Jack Williams, who announced that he will become a member of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish hockey program during the 2022/23 academic year.

The St. Louis, Missouri, native has been one of the best goalies in the United States Hockey League early this season, leading the USHL in both minutes played (641) and shutouts (three). Williams blanked the Youngstown Phantoms on September 24th and then whitewashed the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders October 1st. He was named the league's Goaltender of the Week after each of those performances. Williams' third shutout came last Saturday against the Sioux Falls Stampede with 25 saves.

Overall, he owns a 6-3-1 record while appearing in 11 of the Hawks' 13 games. Williams 1.97 goals-against average (third) and .924 save percentage (fourth) are both among the USHL's best marks. His 254 total saves currently outdistance all of his counterparts.

Williams is in his third season of junior hockey. He was a member of the Muskegon Lumberjacks in 2019/20, playing in 28 games and finishing 12-8-4. Last year in 18 appearances for the Hawks, he was 3-8-0. Williams' career goals-against average stands at 3.06, with a .897 save percentage.

In the last decade, former Black Hawk netminders made an inordinate impact on the Fighting Irish program. From the 2014/15 through 2016/17 seasons, Cal Petersen played in 110 of Notre Dame's 119 games, helping the school to a pair of NCAA tournaments and one Frozen Four. Petersen joined the Los Angeles Kings organization after completing his college career. Fellow Waterloo alumnus Cale Morris backed up Petersen in 2016/17, then took the reins in the fall of 2017 for the first of three campaigns as a starter. Morris played in 105 of the next 117 Irish contests, as the school went to two more NCAA tournaments, including an appearance in the 2018 National Championship Game.

The current Notre Dame roster includes two Waterloo alumni: junior forward Solag Bakich and sophomore forward Ryder Rolston.

Williams is the 15th current Black Hawk with an NCAA Division I college commitment. Michigan State recruits Owen Baker and Tucker Shedd are the only others planning to skate for Big Ten schools.

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United States Hockey League Stories from November 10, 2021


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