Support Breast Cancer Patients While Cheering on the Black Hawks!

The Waterloo Black Hawks will play their final home games during Breast Cancer Awareness Month this weekend, and the team will be trading in their regular colors Friday and Saturday for purple sweaters that honor cancer patients and survivors.

The Black Hawks’ “Hockey Fights Cancer” games will both be against the Fargo Force. Immediately following Saturday’s game, the team’s 2018 cancer awareness jerseys will be auctioned with all profits benefiting the Beyond Pink TEAM, which is celebrating 30 years of service to local breast cancer patients in 2018.

Tons of Fun Promotions

Friday night, the first 2,000 fans receive a free magnet schedule. Saturday night, fans can enjoy discounted concessions all game long. Plus, it's "Daddy/Daughter Date Night", kids can get their picture taken with "Rapunzel" (from the famous fairy tale). Both nights are Healthcare Appreciation Nights - healthcare professionals will receive discounted tickets for just $8.00. For Black Hawks tickets, call the Domino’s Black Hawks Box Office at (319) 291-7680 or order online click here for tickets

Home x2

For the first time this season, the Black Hawks will play twice at Young Arena in the same weekend. The Fargo Force visit the Cedar Valley for games on Friday and Saturday, both beginning at 7:05 p.m. The Hawks are 1-0-1 when playing in downtown Waterloo so far in 2018/19. October’s four home games set the tone for the early months of the season; the Hawks are also on home ice four times in both November and December. Fargo enters the weekend with one of the lowest penalty minute averages in the USHL, just 11.4 per game, tied for second-fewest. Offensively, Ben Meyers paces the Force with 12 points, fourth-most in the league.

Dueling Power Plays

The Black Hawks and Force are ranked first and second respectively in power play efficiency. The Hawks clock in at 34.6 percent, while Fargo has converted 29.4 percent of their tries. Three of the league’s top five individual power play point producers skate for one of the two teams (Ben Meyers and Hank Crone for Fargo; Vladislav Firstov for Waterloo). While penalty killing and special teams scoring seem likely to be a significant factor this weekend, the statistics suggest that they would carry even greater importance if this weekend’s games were at Scheels Arena. Waterloo’s road power play (42.9 percent) and the Force’s home power play (36.0 percent) are both more effective than their overall averages and respectively lead the USHL.

Special Start

Matej Blumel begins the week with more goals on special teams – five – than any other USHL player. His two shorthanded scores tie with three other players for a league high. His three power play goals rank second. Fargo’s Ben Meyers has scored four power play goals and is the only USHL player currently with more in that category. Last season, just one of Blumel’s scores came on special teams: a late game-winning power play goal during a 5-4 road victory versus the Muskegon Lumberjacks.

Better Late Than Never

Waterloo has done more scoring in the third period than any other USHL team. Over the first eight games of the season, the Hawks have an aggregate mark of 17 goals during the final segment of regulation. Defensively, Waterloo has allowed a middle-of-the-road eight third period scores to their opponents. All three of Wyatt Schingoethe’s points so far have come in the third, while Ryan Drkulec has three of his four in the final frame.

Weekly Recap

Playing three times in three days, the Hawks bookended their weekend with wins against Youngstown Thursday (5-3) and Sioux City Saturday (4-2), taking a 6-5 overtime loss to Sioux Falls in the middle. Those results yielded five of six possible standings points. Matt Koopman and Xander Lamppa had a point in each game.

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