One in October, One in November

This weekend, the Black Hawks turn a page on the calendar.  They skate one more time in the current month on Friday in Green Bay, then open November at home against Sioux City.  Their visit to the Resch Center (7:05 p.m.) will be Waterloo's third road game against the Gamblers already this season.  The teams split a weekend on October 10th and 11th; the Hawks won the opener 5-4, but Green Bay rebounded to take a 6-4 rematch.  Saturday at Young Arena (6:35), the Hawks will play the first of five 2025/26 games against the Sioux City Musketeers.  Last weekend, Sioux City split two games at home against the Youngstown Phantoms, winning 4-2 on Saturday, then losing 6-3 on Sunday.

Flipping a Switch

Seven of the Black Hawks' first 10 games have been against Eastern Conference opponents.  That scheduling trend changes dramatically with the beginning of November.  Saturday's contest with Sioux City will be the first of seven straight in the Western Conference.  After the Musketeers, Waterloo will play two apiece versus the Tri-City Storm, Des Moines Buccaneers, and Fargo Force.  Last season, the Hawks went 22-5-5 versus the West and 12-13-5 against the East.
 
Brady's Back

Morgan Brady started the season on the Black Hawks' injured reserve list and missed the first eight games of the season.  He returned to the lineup for both games against the Muskegon Lumberjacks over the weekend.  Although his Waterloo tenure has generally been characterized by a defense-first approach, Brady put three shots on goal and scored for the first time in the new season in the third period on Saturday.  Last year, Brady scored twice and assisted on 10 goals in 59 regular season games.

Time on Our Side

The Hawks are currently looking up at the rest of the Western Conference, but they have time to erase the deficit.  Waterloo has played just 10 games, tying for fewest in the USHL.  Some teams have skated as many as 14 times.  The Hawks won't have their first three-game week until just before Christmas, December 7th to 13th.

Recent Games

The Black Hawks lost a pair of 5-2 home games to the Muskegon Lumberjacks last weekend.  On Friday, Muskegon jumped to a 2-0 lead, and Waterloo closed to within one goal twice, thanks to scores by Adyn Merrick and Ty Mason.  The visitors pulled away with two goals during the third period.  Then Saturday, Muskegon led 4-0 by the early third period.  The Hawks made it close with a goal and an assist from Adyn Merrick, but a Lumberjacks empty net goal sealed the outcome.

Friday, October 24 MUSKEGON 5, Black Hawks 2  Recap
Saturday, October 25 MUSKEGON 5, Black Hawks 2  Recap

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Support The Salvation Army's Red Kettle Kickoff on Saturday night during the Black Hawks' game against Sioux City.  Then after the game, stick around for Signature Saturday with free autographs from select Black Hawks players on the concourse near Party Town Outfitters.  Order your seats from tickets.waterlooblackhawks.com.