This weekend the Waterloo Black Hawks take on the Tri-City Storm. This marks the first meetings between the teams since a second round Clark Cup Playoff Series last May.

Revisiting the Storm:
Three of five games during the best-of-five Clark Cup Playoffs set were played in Kearney, with the Storm winning two of three, including the decisive fifth game. Tri-City went on to claim the Clark Cup, and the Storm have eight veterans of last season’s postseason run forming the core of their 2016/17 team. Six Black Hawks who appeared in the prior series between the teams remain in Waterloo. This season, the Hawks and Storm are tied (along with the Lincoln Stars) as the teams who have been to overtime most often (five games apiece).

November Numbers:
November was a split for Waterloo; the Black Hawks were 4-4-0. A .500 finish to the month provided Waterloo with enough points to retain second place in the United States Hockey League Western Conference. Just two of the Hawks’ eight games (November 11th versus the Sioux City Musketeers and 19th versus the Fargo Force) were played against in-conference opponents. Nick Swaney led Waterloo offensively with five points. Goaltender Robbie Beydoun was in net for three of four wins, including two shutouts.

By Percentage:
Black Hawk goal scoring dipped from October to November. In both months, Waterloo put just over 31 shot on goal per game versus opponents. However, in October the Hawks scored on 12.4% of those chances. The success rate in November dipped to 5.2%. For the season, Waterloo’s 8.6% overall shooting percentage is tied for 11th in the United States Hockey League with the Sioux City Musketeers and Madison Capitols.

Ohrvall On Track:
After being sidelined for four games, forward Emil Ohrvall recorded the only goal during Thanksgiving’s 1-0 win against the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. The 18-year-old from Sweden now has five goals in 15 appearances this season. The count ranks fourth on the team. Ohrvall scored the Hawks’ first goal of the season during his USHL debut against the Des Moines Buccaneers on September 24th.

Weekly Recap:
The Black Hawks split two games with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders Thursday and Saturday. On Thanksgiving night, Robbie Beydoun made 14 saves for his fourth shutout of the season as Emil Ohrvall provided all of the offense in a 1-0 win. It was also Teddy Bear Toss Night, see photos here. The teams met for a return matchup at Cedar Rapids Ice Arena Saturday; the RoughRiders prevailed, 3-0. The result put Waterloo first and Cedar Rapids second in the Dupaco Cowbell Cup series, both ahead of the Dubuque Fighting Saints.

Contributed By: Tim Harwood (Waterloo Black Hawks Media Relations

 

More From AM 950 KOEL