The Waterloo Black Hawks exploded for their third seven-goal night in a 14-day span, stunning the Des Moines Buccaneers in a 7-5 Friday night decision at Buccaneer Arena.
Waterloo trailed 5-2 at the second intermission but did all the rest of the scoring. Connor Brown and Caden Brown each finished with two goals on a night when 11 different Hawks were credited with a point.
The rally began 2:19 out of the second intermission. Zach Bade knocked down a clearing attempt; his shot was blocked, but the puck came to Grayson Badger with an open side for his first USHL goal.
Waterloo denied a Des Moines power play to stay within two, then capitalized on their own power play chance at 9:14. Gavin Lindberg let go of a shot from the left point which made it under the crossbar.
Just over a minute later, the game was tied. There was a pileup beside the Des Moines net, but Caden Brown shoveled the puck into the goalmouth, and it was knocked across the line in the scramble.
The Hawks survived another shorthanded situation and went ahead in the shift after coming back to full strength. Connor Brown gained control in the right corner and dashed to the top of the crease to lift in a go-ahead backhander with 4:10 to play. Caden Brown added his second 89 seconds after that when he was left alone between the right faceoff dot and the edge of the crease.
It was Waterloo's second straight seven-goal game after also reaching that number on Sunday against the Tri-City Storm. The Hawks also celebrated a 7-4 New Year's Eve win against the Youngstown Phantoms. For good measure, Waterloo had also come back to win after facing a three-goal second intermission deficit just last Saturday in Sioux City.
Each team had led for a segment of the first period. The Buccaneers notched the game's opening goal at 3:02; Carter Batchelder was near the bottom of the right circle when a batted puck came his way, and Batchelder lifted it in from a sharp angle.
The Hawks got the next two, separated from each other by less than two minutes. At 8:27, Aaron Pionk looked like he would shoot, but instead feathered a pass to Connor Brown. The second-year forward beat Max Lundgren to the glove side. Garrett Schifsky swung Waterloo in front at 10:08. Moving between the right circle and the edge of the crease, he opened Lundgren to slip in a low chance.
The Buccaneers tied the game with 2:24 left before intermission. A three-on-one rush created a rebound chance for Lubomir Kupco, who put it inside the post at Jack Spicer's right.
Des Moines surged to the lead with three goals in the second period. The first of them came in a delayed penalty situation; an initial shot cleared the crossbar, but Braedon Ford was there to bang it inside the post when it bounced his way off the glass at 11:13. Just over two minutes later, Talon Sigurdson capitalized on a rebound in the initial seconds of a Bucs power play. Another special teams game came at 15:34. Jack Reimann forced a turnover during a Waterloo advantage, skating from his own blue line to score on a shorthanded breakaway.
After three-in-a-row on the road, the Hawks play at home for the only time in a six-game span Saturday. The instant rematch against the Buccaneers at Young Arena begins at 6:05 p.m. Waterloo will wear camouflage jerseys on Military Appreciation Night, with free tickets for veterans and active service personnel. The first 500 fans will also receive a commemorative puck. Tickets are available from the Domino's Black Hawks Box Office or online at tickets.waterlooblackhawks.com.
Waterloo 2 0 5 - 7
Des Moines 2 3 0 - 5
1st Period-1, Des Moines, Batchelder 5 (Rourke), 3:02. 2, Waterloo, Brown 6 (Pionk), 8:27. 3, Waterloo, Schifsky 12 (Erdman), 10:04. 4, Des Moines, Kupco 7 (Reimann, Pelc), 17:36. Penalties-Kupco Dm (hooking), 11:41; Baker Wat (interference), 13:50; Stjernberg Dm (tripping), 18:24.
2nd Period-5, Des Moines, Ford 3 (Kupco, Bevilacqua), 11:13. 6, Des Moines, Sigurdson 7 (Rourke, Stjernberg), 13:14 (PP). 7, Des Moines, Reimann 2 15:34 (SH). Penalties-Chaly Wat (tripping), 13:01; Van Rooyan Dm (high sticking), 14:01.
3rd Period-8, Waterloo, Badger 1 (Bade), 2:19. 9, Waterloo, Lindberg 7 (Robertson, Pionk), 9:14 (PP). 10, Waterloo, Brown 3 (Pionk, Rinzel), 10:25. 11, Waterloo, Brown 7 (Lindberg, Schifsky), 15:50. 12, Waterloo, Brown 4 (Pionk, Baker), 17:19. Penalties-Badger Wat (high sticking), 5:29; Reimann Dm (tripping), 8:53; Pionk Wat (head contact), 13:05; Pionk Wat (high sticking), 18:03; Rourke Dm (high sticking), 19:24; Stjernberg Dm (unsportsmanlike cnd., misconduct-unsportsmanlike conduct), 19:33.
Shots on Goal-Waterloo 10-7-10-27. Des Moines 10-11-10-31.
Power Play Opportunities-Waterloo 1 / 6; Des Moines 1 / 5.
Goalies-Waterloo, Spicer 13-4-0-0 (31 shots-26 saves). Des Moines, Lundgren 9-8-1-1 (27 shots-20 saves).
A-2,543
Referees-Ryan Siegel.
Linesmen-Jake Paugh, Reilly Hickey.
