Black Hawks Sink Buccaneers in Party Town

Early offense sent the Waterloo Black Hawks on their way to a 4-2 win against the Des Moines Buccaneers on Sunday afternoon at Young Arena.

The Hawks’ strong start yielded material rewards just 1:22 into the game. Jackson Cates took away the puck near the Des Moines blue line and fed it rink-wide to Nick Swaney. Waterloo’s leading scorer snapped a low wrist shot from the right wing past Jan Ruzicka’s stick side. At 5:10, the Hawks struck again. A faceoff win put the puck on Ethan Spaxman’s stick; the big defenseman stickhandled into the left circle and setup a backside tap-in by Ethan Johnson.

Robbie Beydoun kept the Buccaneers scoreless in the early portion of the second period, making the best of his 26 saves against Chase Berger near the eight minute mark. With the visitors on a power play, Berger sped to the net in transition, but Beydoun snuffed out his chance and gave no rebound.

The Hawks’ lead reached its largest margin at 12:39 of the second. From just inside the blue line, Mikey Anderson lifted an opportunity toward the net, and it flew past Ruzicka, who was screened by Kevin Charyszyn.

Beydoun gloved Reed Lebster’s penalty shot attempt three-and-a-half minutes later, but then with 40.7 seconds to go before intermission, Collin Rutherford sparked a comeback. Rutherford received a feed at the inside edge of the left circle and found the net as Beydoun moved from left to right.

Des Moines added one more during an extended power play at 10:36 of the third period. David Keefer capitalized when he found a loose rebound in the slot.

The Hawks protected the remaining one-goal lead to the final minute. Jackson Cates was credited with the score which set the final margin, guiding the puck into an empty net after a faceoff win by Shane Bowers at the other end of the rink.

Sunday’s game was the first of five-in-a-row at home for the Hawks. Friday, Waterloo meets the Sioux Falls Stampede at Young Arena. The 7:05 affair is a college night, presented by Hawkeye Community College. Advanced purchase tickets are $7 for college students with ID. To order, call the Domino’s Black Hawks Box Office at (319) 291-7680.

Saturday features the same two teams inside Young Arena. It's K-98.5 Country Night. Plus, during the first intermission, you'll be able to witness the annual Dainty Dog Dash (read more).

Contributed By: Time Harwood (Waterloo Black Hawks Media Relations