It took nearly three hours, but the Waterloo Black Hawks finally prevailed 2-1 in a shootout against the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders at ImOn Ice Arena Saturday.
The first period alone lasted nearly an hour as the teams accumulated more than three dozen penalty minutes during repeated stoppages. The overtime extended the night further, but Waterloo was expeditious in the shootout.
Jakub Altrichter stickhandled to within close range on Waterloo's first attempt before slipping a chance between goaltender James Norton and the post to his left.
The RoughRiders' Landan Resendes missed the net, and Norton stopped Gavin Lindberg on the subsequent tries. Then Jack Spicer made the save of the night on Joel Kjellberg. The high-scoring defenseman's shot popped up over Spicer's left shoulder, but the Waterloo goalie kicked out his left leg and twisted, somehow keeping the puck out as it was falling behind him.
Waterloo clinched the shootout in the third round. Norton got a piece of Gavyn Thoreson's close-range wrister, but the puck still found its way inside the post. The win moves the Hawks to 7-0 in games played beyond 60 minutes, including 4-0 in shootouts this season.
Thoreson had scored the lone Waterloo goal during regulation, setup from behind the net by Altrichter who had raced after a puck in transition to create the chance 5:45 into the game. Much of the opening period after that was played on special teams, but there was no change in score. Thoreson made the most notable contribution by singlehandedly killing off nearly 30 seconds of a RoughRider advantage before intermission as he locked up the puck in the right corner of the Cedar Rapids zone.
The 1-0 score held throughout the second period and most of the third. The game was a grind as the two teams combined for just nine total shots in the middle frame, then 14 in the third.
Cedar Rapids eventually notched an equalizer with 3:43 left in regulation. Amine Hajibi was along the left wing boards and slung the puck into the opposite circle. Zack Sharp was on the receiving end and sent his chance up under the crossbar.
It was the only try that beat Spicer. He finished with 25 saves, in addition to the two shootout denials.
Waterloo returns home for games next Friday and Saturday. Both are against the USHL-leading Fargo Force, and both are part of A Weekend with the Black Hawks, presented by John Deere. Discounted tickets are available for all John Deere employees and families, and Waterloo will wear green and yellow jerseys to be auctioned after Saturday's game for the benefit of the Northeast Iowa Food Bank. For seats, visit tickets.waterlooblackhawks.com or call the Domino's Black Hawks Box Office at (319) 291-7680.
Waterloo 1 0 0 0 - 2
Cedar Rapids 0 0 1 0 - 1
1st Period-1, Waterloo, Thoreson 8 (Altrichter), 5:45. Penalties-Mustard Wat (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 8:34; Stewart Cr (tripping), 9:43; Altrichter Wat (diving/embellishment), 10:23; Hamilton Cr (tripping), 12:57; served by Butella Wat (bench minor-unsportsmanlike conduct), 15:42; Wat (game misconduct-unsportsmanlike conduct), 15:42; Hilman Wat (roughing), 15:42; Muscutt Cr (roughing), 15:42; Stewart Cr (interference), 17:55; served by Mustard Wat (bench minor-too many men), 19:43; Deering Wat (roughing), 20:00; Groenewold Cr (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 20:00; Muscutt Cr (roughing, 10-minute misconduct), 20:00.
2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Altrichter Wat (hooking), 7:14; Ulvebne Cr (high sticking), 7:23; Resendes Cr (roughing), 19:00.
3rd Period-2, Cedar Rapids, Sharp 3 (Hajibi), 16:17. Penalties-No Penalties
1st OT Period- No Scoring.Penalties-No Penalties
Shootout - Waterloo 2 (Altrichter G, Lindberg NG, Thoreson G), Cedar Rapids 0 (Resendes NG, Kjellberg NG).
Shots on Goal-Waterloo 11-4-6-3-1-25. Cedar Rapids 7-5-8-6-0-26.
Power Play Opportunities-Waterloo 0 / 6; Cedar Rapids 0 / 5.
Goalies-Waterloo, Spicer 6-6-0-0 (26 shots-25 saves). Cedar Rapids, Norton 3-0-0-2 (24 shots-23 saves).
A-3,050
