The Waterloo Black Hawks edged closer to the league leading Tri-City Storm with a big win Friday at Young Arena. Another Black Hawks/Storm match-up happens again tonight in Waterloo.

Some strange looking scoring gave the Waterloo Black Hawks a 4-1 win against the Tri-City Storm on Friday at Young Arena.

It started early for the home team as Garrett Klee handcuffed goaltender Filip Larsson with a high, hard shot at 4:32 of the first period. Klee was moving up left wing on a rush, and his bid was at facemask level. Larsson’s attempt at a backhanded glove save was unsuccessful; the puck deflected off the Storm netminder and rolled across the goal line.

At 12:04 of the second period, Evan Dougherty temporarily padded the lead as Larsson and the Storm defense desperately – and unsuccessfully – tried to find the loose puck. Ethan Johnson’s close range backhander was bouncing around the crease, and Dougherty located it for a tap in. However, Tri-City converted a power play at 18:09 to pull back within one before intermission. Adam Goodsir freed the puck from the left corner and Hugo Blixt punched it between the pipes from just outside the crease.

A couple more bounces went Waterloo’s way in the third. During a power play 42 seconds after intermission, Ben Copeland’s pass across the slot hit defender Jack Summers; the puck made a left turn and went right in.

Then with the Storm net empty and 1:24 remaining, Solag Bakich swiped a clearing attempt. Although his shot was blocked, it came right to Jackson Cates. Like Bakich , Cates was denied by a defender on his first try but stuck with it to score the game-sealing goal.

The Hawks outshot the Storm in every period and by a final count of 34-17. Matej Tomek claimed the win with 16 saves.

An instant rematch awaits on Saturday night at Young Arena. Following the game, the Hawks’ 2018 John Deere jerseys will be auctioned to benefit Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Iowa. Tickets for Deere employees and their families are available for $8. To order, call the Black Hawks Box Office at (319) 291-7680.

Contributed By:Tim Harwood (Waterloo Black Hawks Media Relations)

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