Two-Star Weekend

The Lincoln Stars visit the Waterloo Black Hawks Friday (6:35 p.m.) with a return engagement the next evening in Lincoln (6:05 p.m.).  Lincoln won three of four head-to-head meetings last season, including two games at Young Arena.  The Stars have opened this season with a 4-8-1 record.  Last weekend, they lost both ends of a home-and-home set against the Omaha Lancers.  Waterloo faces Lincoln six times this season; among Western Conference opponents, they only meet the Des Moines Buccaneers (eight games) more often.

Every Goal a Milestone

Dylan Nolan leads the Black Hawks with nine goals.  If he adds another this weekend, he will be up to 10 at least a week earlier than any Waterloo skater last season.  Ty Mason was the first Hawk to 10 goals in 2025/26, reaching the threshold on November 15th.  Nolan is two goals from matching the 11 he scored last winter.  When he reaches 12, it will equal the goal count from his first two USHL seasons combined; Nolan skated for the Tri-City Storm during the 2024/25 schedule.
 
Starts Spur Hawks' Success

The Black Hawks have outscored opponents 13-6 during the first periods of the team's 13 games so far this season.  The six goals scored against Waterloo represent the fewest allowed in the opening 20 minutes by any USHL club.  The Black Hawks have scored the first goal ten times in 2026/27, including all three games last weekend.  Waterloo also leads the league in that category, while earning a 7-1-2 record during those tilts.

Facing His Former Team

Charlie Menard was traded from Lincoln to Waterloo just before the 2026/27 regular season began.  Based on the Hawks' steady goaltending rotation, Menard is likely to meet Lincoln once during the weekend ahead.  The Alaska native's goals-against average (2.42) currently ranks sixth, with a .913 save percentage that ties for seventh.  The last Black Hawk goalie to beat a previous team in his first try was Kam Hendrickson.  On January 10, 2025, Hendrickson made 22 saves in a 2-1 shootout decision against the Omaha Lancers.

Recent Games

The Black Hawks won two games on home ice last weekend, but fell short of completing a perfect three-day run in Sunday's road finale.  Friday, Sal Viviano recorded two goals and an assist during Waterloo's 5-1 win against the Sioux City Musketeers.  The Hawks held the visitors to 15 shots on goal.  Back in action Saturday, Waterloo edged the Dubuque Fighting Saints 3-2 in overtime on Caleb Deanovich's winning score 26 seconds into the extra period.  Viviano scored two more goals Sunday, but the Fighting Saints overtook the Hawks, pulling ahead in the third, on the way to a 6-3 decision.  

Friday, October 30 Sioux City 1, BLACK HAWKS 5  Recap
Saturday, October 31 Dubuque 2, BLACK HAWKS 3 (OT)  Recap
Sunday, November 1 Black Hawks 3, DUBUQUE 6  Recap

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The Chick-fil-A Family 4 Pack returns for Friday's game against Lincoln.  Get four attack zone tickets, four chuck-a-pucks, and 32 hot, fresh Chick-fil-A nuggets for $68.  Order the package before the noon Friday deadline from the SHOP section of waterlooblackhawks.com.