Emmett Croteau made 30 saves, and the Waterloo Black Hawks improved to 5-0-0 during November, edging the Lincoln Stars 2-1 at Young Arena on Saturday.
Waterloo had also topped the Stars on Friday. The two victories allowed the Hawks to close a four-point gap and climb into a tie with Lincoln for second place in the United States Hockey League Western Conference. Dating back to late October, Waterloo has won six-in-a-row.
For the second consecutive night, there was no scoring in the first period. Unlike Friday – when the Hawks had an 18-2 edge in opening period chances – there were just 11 combined shots on goal before intermission.
Waterloo tallied the game's first goal at 8:18 of the second. James Hong chased down the puck behind the Lincoln net, reversing it back to Jake McLean in the right circle. From there, McLean snapped the opening score past Cameron Whitehead.
The Stars carried play for much of the period after that, ultimately outshooting Waterloo 15-6 in the frame.
Lincoln's momentum carried into the third. At 3:11, Tanner Ludtke leveled the score, putting in a low shot from near the right hashmark on a setup by Mason Marcellus.
Waterloo was turned away on a pair of power plays as the period continued. However, shortly after the second of those, the Hawks were swarming the offensive zone. A pointblank opportunity didn't initially lead to a shot, but the puck came back to Ben Robertson at the left point. Robertson's attempt was redirected, but Patrick Geary had a swat at the puck from just outside the crease and knocked it across the goal line with 7:26 to play.
The Stars made a last push with their fourth power play of the night in the final three minutes. The latter half of that advantage was played six-on-four with the Lincoln net empty. Croteau and the Hawks protected the netmouth to complete the low-scoring victory.
The Black Hawks conclude their eight-game homestand on Thursday with the annual Thanksgiving game against the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. The game will feature the annual Teddy Bear Toss following Waterloo's first goal. The Thanksgiving crowd is expected to be the largest of the season so far, but good seats are still available from tickets.waterlooblackhawks.com or by calling the Domino's Black Hawks Box Office at (319) 291-7680.
Lincoln 0 0 1 - 1
Waterloo 0 1 1 - 2
1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Grimes Lin (interference), 9:49; Rinzel Wat (holding), 15:13; Buckberger Lin (tripping), 19:48.
2nd Period-1, Waterloo, McLean 3 (Hong, Kerr), 8:18. Penalties-O'Connell Wat (bench minor-too many men), 4:13; Raftery Lin (hooking), 9:42; Bade Wat (interference), 12:40.
3rd Period-2, Lincoln, Ludtke 7 (Marcellus), 3:11. 3, Waterloo, Geary 2 (Lindberg, O'Connell), 12:34. Penalties-Marcellus Lin (tripping), 6:25; Buckberger Lin (holding), 9:44; Hong Wat (tripping), 17:38.
Shots on Goal-Lincoln 6-15-10-31. Waterloo 5-6-17-28.
Power Play Opportunities-Lincoln 0 / 4; Waterloo 0 / 5.
Goalies-Lincoln, Whitehead 7-5-0-0 (28 shots-26 saves). Waterloo, Croteau 5-5-0-0 (31 shots-30 saves).
A-1,883
Referees-Rocco Stachowiak.
Linesmen-Reilly Hickey, Jake Paugh.
