Hawks In with a Win - Junior Hockey News

A 2-1 Waterloo Black Hawks victory against the Dubuque Fighting Saints at Young Arena Saturday concluded the regular season and officially put the Hawks into the playoffs.

After falling behind early in Friday's game against the Green Bay Gamblers, the Hawks found themselves in the same position Saturday.  A score by Vinny Saponari just 1:09 into the game was the only goal of the first two periods.

Waterloo trailed until 6:28 of the third when Anthony Day turned Tyler Zepeda free for a breakaway score.  Then with exactly five minutes to go, Justin Kloos dragged a puck out of the corner and stuffed it in before he was sent flying across the crease.  Eamon McAdam came into the game midway through the third and made 14 saves for the win.

Friday's crowd pushed total attendance for the 2010-2011 season past 85,000.  The final figure of 85,996 surpassed the 2006-2007 campaign for the fourth-highest attendance in franchise history.  The Black Hawks issued the following statement during the game in recognition of the support the team has received:

"This accomplishment is a testament to the loyalty and pride of hockey fans in the Cedar Valley.  To the season ticket holders who never miss a game, and to those who are only able to join us once or twice throughout the winter, the players, coaches, staff, and ownership of the Waterloo Black Hawks would like to extend our sincerest thanks for your support.

For generations, you have cheered the team while introducing friends and family to the sport.  We look forward to the playoffs, to celebrating 50 years of Waterloo hockey in 2011-2012, and to decades of great games in the future. Thank you for making Party Town the loudest, most challenging place for visiting teams to play in the United States Hockey League.  Once again during 2010-2011, you have proved you are, in fact, the greatest fans in all of hockey!"

Playoff dates and times for next week's postseason series against the Indiana Ice will be released by the United States Hockey League in the coming days.  Visit waterlooblackhawks.com for the latest updates.

For a box score from Saturday's game, please visit the following link:
http://ushl.stats.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=1341754&refresh=1