The Waterloo Black Hawks overcame a big deficit under formidable circumstances to slip past the Omaha Lancers 6-5 Sunday, on the road at Liberty First Credit Union Arena.

The visitors were playing their third game in three days.  They spent most of the matchup with just 10 healthy forwards on the ice.  For good measure, the Hawks had to overcome a three-goal second intermission deficit.
 
Waterloo came out for the final 20 minutes down 5-2.  The Hawks moved Jacob Delaney to a wing, and on his first shift of the period, he pushed the puck to Reid Morich speeding through the neutral zone.  The forward faked left then slipped a low shot inside the opposite post just 1:33 into the frame.

Minutes later on a power play, John Mustard spurred the comeback further, beating Mikhail Yegorov with a low shot from the left circle, making it a one-goal game with 16 minutes remaining.

At 7:49, Tyler Miller leveled the score for the first time since the mid-first period.  Moments after a faceoff win in the offensive zone, Miller let go of a wrister from the left dot which flew between Yegorov and the post.

Landon Nycz gave the Hawks their first and only lead just past the 10-minute mark.  He was only a step off the left boards, but still capitalized on the tight-angled chance which found its way across the goal line.

Waterloo was unable to add an insurance goal during a late power play, nor into an empty net in the closing minutes.  However, the Hawks limited the Lancers to six shots in the frame.  Jack Spicer stopped all of them and a total of 17 during his relief win.  Waterloo finished the game with a 43-25 shots advantage.

The Hawks are now 3-0-0 against Omaha this season.

The teams had combined for five goals during a wild first period.  Omaha's Christian Kocis spun within the right circle and let go of a quick wrister to notch the opener at 3:16.  Gavyn Thoreson tied the game on a gift from the Lancers at 10:49.  A defender attempting to get the puck to Yegorov pushed it into a wide open crease, leaving a tap in for Waterloo's top point producer.

Nick Pierre got the next two goals for the Lancers.  Charlie Lieberman sprang him into the offensive zone for a wrister to the stick side of Calvin Vachon at 12:37.  Less than two minutes later, Will Elger set up a Pierre score to the opposite top corner.

On the goal which made it 3-2, Teddy Townsend didn't have a second to spare, recording the tally with 0.2 seconds left.  Townsend fired from the high slot on a setup from behind the Omaha net by Eero Butella.

Omaha did all the scoring in the second.  Trey Scott hit the net with a sharp-angled chance from the bottom of the right circle at 10:23.  Then Scott set up Rylan Brady, who chopped a puck bouncing in the netmouth at 13:06.

The Hawks are home for their next four games beginning Friday against the Madison Capitols at 7:05 p.m.  Friday is also the next night when the Black Hawks' Family 4-Pack is available; for $64 get four tickets, four chuck-a-pucks, and $32 worth of concession vouchers.  To order, click here.

Waterloo 2 0 4 - 6
Omaha 3 2 0 - 5

1st Period-1, Omaha, Kocsis 3 (Elger), 3:16. 2, Waterloo, Thoreson 9   10:49. 3, Omaha, Pierre 12 (Lieberman), 12:37. 4, Omaha, Pierre 13 (Elger, Kroll), 14:35. 5, Waterloo, Townsend 8 (Butella), 19:59. Penalties-Nycz Wat (tripping), 4:24; Fredericks Oma (head contact), 16:50.

2nd Period-6, Omaha, Scott 1 (Pierre), 11:21. 7, Omaha, Brady 2 (Scott, Brennan), 13:05. Penalties-Sluys Oma (slashing), 3:09.

3rd Period-8, Waterloo, Morich 3 (Delaney, Nycz), 1:33. 9, Waterloo, Mustard 17 (Townsend), 4:00 (PP). 10, Waterloo, Miller 6   7:49 (PP). 11, Waterloo, Nycz 1 (Battaini, Williams), 10:04. Penalties-Veney Oma (roughing), 2:07; Thoreson Wat (slashing), 4:50; Morich Wat (major-fighting, 10-minute misconduct), 11:25; Sluys Oma (major-fighting, 10-minute misconduct), 11:25; Kusler Oma (slashing), 14:32.

Shots on Goal-Waterloo 16-12-15-43. Omaha 6-13-6-25.
Power Play Opportunities-Waterloo 2 / 4; Omaha 0 / 2.
Goalies-Waterloo, Vachon 14-6-0-0 (6 shots-3 saves); Spicer 7-6-0-1 (19 shots-17 saves). Omaha, Yegorov 3-13-3-0 (35 shots-29 saves); Szyszka 4-7-0-0 (8 shots-8 saves).
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