Waterloo beat the Eastern Division's 1st and 2nd place teams, Muskegon and Chicago, on their ice and by a two goal margin each night! They are now in sole possession of 2nd place in the Western Division.

SATURDAY NIGHT AT CHICAGO
More often than not on Saturday, power plays led to goals during the Black Hawks’ 7-5 win at Fox Valley Ice Arena against the Chicago Steel. The Black Hawks hit the net three times on four tries while the Steel went three-for-six.

Each team scored a pair of special teams goals during a wild second period. The night had begun quietly; the opening 20 minutes were melting away before a flurry of goals sent Waterloo to intermission ahead 2-1. Vladislav Firstov had the first goal on a three-on-one rush. A Chicago shot at the other end clanked off the post, sending Emil Ohrvall up the ice with the puck. Ohrvall fed a pass to the top of the crease for Firstov to spike into the net at 15:58.

In the first eight minutes of the second period, Waterloo added three goals. Hank Sorensen carried the puck into the right corner and centered, with Dane Montgomery finding the feed to score from the top of the crease at 2:42. Exactly four minutes later, Wyatt Schingoethe hit the net in transition during a power play, cutting in from the right circle. That goal chased Steel starting goaltender to the bench; less than a minute later, Mason Palmer scored on the first shot against Reilly Herbst, which the backup netminder got part of, but could not stop.

Matt Cameron stemmed the tide with 2:29 left in the period while the Black Hawks were on the advantage. Cameron had made a hand-off to Firstov on the left wing boards, then went to slot. Firstov dipped toward the corner before turning toward the center of the ice and snaking a pass back to Cameron. His low shot beat Herbst between the netminder’s pads. One final power play conversion gave the Black Hawks the chance to ride out the closing minutes with a multi-goal margin. With 4:55 to go, Sorensen’s low slap shot from the deep slot was tipped by Haskins for his second score of the night.

FRIDAY NIGHT AT MUSKEGON - MOE RETURNS TO THE CREASE
Waterloo pulled Friday’s matchup out of the fire at L.C. Walker Arena, using a four goal third period to rally past the Muskegon Lumberjacks 5-3.

Trailing 3-1 when the period began, Kyle Haskins cued the rally at 4:46. Taking the puck in his own zone, Haskins skated up left wing and triggered a shot from near the top of the circle that beat Brandon Bussi high to the glove side. It was Haskins’ second goal of the night. The Black Hawks tied it at 9:13 when Muskegon missed an opportunity to clear their end. Ryan Drkulec dug the puck off the right wing boards, sending a pass to Zach Michaelis in the slot. Michaelis followed Haskins’ example and picked the top corner for his first USHL goal.

Just 3:12 remained when Wyatt Schingoethe gave the Hawks their first lead. Haskins swept a pass to him from left-to-right into the slot, and Bussi could not keep Schingoethe’s shot out, despite getting a piece of the puck. Griffin Ness added an empty-netter with 1:27 to go.

Jared Moe earned the win stopping 35 of 38 shots in his first action since sustaining an injury in a game on January 24th.

BACK IN PARTYTOWN TUES. NIGHT VS. SIOUX CITY
The Black Hawks are back on home ice Tuesday against the Sioux City Musketeers at 7:05 p.m. It’s Comic Con Night; fans dressed as their favorite superheroes will have the chance to win tickets to all of Waterloo’s playoff games. Fans age 21 and over can also enjoy $2 Coors Light during the game. For tickets, call the Black Hawks Box Office at (319) 232-3444 or purchase tickets here

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