The Waterloo Black Hawks scored twice in each period Sunday to earn a 6-2 New Year's Eve victory at Young Arena against the Dubuque Fighting Saints.

The performance gives Waterloo three wins during the week between Christmas and New Year's Day and bumps the Hawks into a tie for third place in the USHL Western Conference.  A sell-out crowd of 3,226 cheered the home team to the successful result.  Waterloo and Dubuque now have six points apiece in their head-to-head season series, with three games remaining.
 
Jack Spicer made 37 saves for the win, including at least 11 stops in each period.  It was a solid follow-up after the second-year netminder had posted a 27-save shootout shutout during a 1-0 Waterloo victory at Dubuque Saturday.

In Sunday's rematch, the Hawks scored a pair of first period goals in transition.  The opener came 3:37 into the game.  Eero Butella carried the puck into the Dubuque zone two-against-four; a close call at the line was ruled onside, and Butella found Nick Fascia with a pass through traffic.  Fascia beat Thatcher Bernstein as the netminder slid from left to right to face the shot.

Then with 14.3 seconds left before intermission, Jakub Altrichter stepped around a defender and clicked with Gavin Lindberg flying up the ice.  Lindberg banged the pass into an open side at Bernstein's left.

Dubuque recovered to tie the game with back-to-back power play goals in the second.  Erik Pahlsson scored the first from the right circle at 1:52.  Then Noah Powell recovered a loose puck in the slot, slipping it past Spicer's left skate from the top of the crease at 9:27.

The Hawks went back ahead for good with a five-on-three power play goal at 11:56.  John Mustard fired a shot into the crease from the right circle, creating a rebound opportunity which Grady Deering finished.

Almost exactly four minutes later, Altrichter forced a turnover in the Saints' zone, recovering the puck along the end wall.  He started behind the net, but dropped a pass back to Griffin Erdman at the last moment, leaving Erdman with an open side to score a valuable insurance goal.

In the third, Lindberg built the lead at 10:57.  After winning a power play faceoff back to Tyler Miller, the puck came right back to Lindberg for a quick redirection.

Dubuque's last power play resulted in a shorthanded empty net goal by Waterloo's Jaedon Kerr, on a shot originating from the front of his own net with 2:53 to play.

Next weekend, the Black Hawks go on the road for games against the Lincoln Stars on Friday and Saturday.

Dubuque 0 2 0 - 2
Waterloo 2 2 2 - 6

1st Period-1, Waterloo, Fascia 3 (Butella), 3:37. 2, Waterloo, Lindberg 8 (Altrichter, Erdman), 19:45. Penalties-Thoreson Wat (tripping), 3:45; King Dbq (tripping), 8:23; LaPinta Dbq (cross checking), 11:44.

2nd Period-3, Dubuque, Pahlsson 14 (Powell, Sondreal), 1:52 (PP). 4, Dubuque, Powell 11 (Reeder, Pahlsson), 9:27 (PP). 5, Waterloo, Deering 6 (Mustard, Altrichter), 11:56 (PP). 6, Waterloo, Erdman 9 (Altrichter), 15:57. Penalties-Fascia Wat (high sticking), 1:40; Morich Wat (slashing), 9:08; Frank Dbq (hooking), 10:32; Reeder Dbq (slashing), 11:22; Hilman Wat (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 19:43.

3rd Period-7, Waterloo, Lindberg 9 (Miller), 10:57 (PP). 8, Waterloo, Kerr 4   17:07 (SH EN). Penalties-Dick Dbq (tripping), 10:52; Phelan Wat (tripping), 15:50; Merrill Dbq (checking from behind), 18:44.

Shots on Goal-Dubuque 11-16-12-39. Waterloo 9-10-13-32.
Power Play Opportunities-Dubuque 2 / 5; Waterloo 2 / 7.
Goalies-Dubuque, Bernstein 5-3-0-0 (31 shots-26 saves). Waterloo, Spicer 3-6-0-0 (39 shots-37 saves).
A-3,226