Waterloo will be away from the friendly confines of Young Arena for a total of three weeks by the time they return home in mid-November. The Black Hawks dive into a brutal schedule of six games in a row away from home, the biggest of the season. The team hits the road this weekend for games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Eastbound and On Top
Waterloo is currently in 1st place in the Western Conference and tied with the Lincoln Stars with 14 points each. The Black Hawks’ jump on the bus and head off on a big adventure which includes stops in Muskegon, Chicago, and Madison. A game in Des Moines last Saturday was the first of six straight away from Young Arena. As Waterloo’s odyssey continues to Muskegon at 6:05 p.m. on Friday, the Hawks will meet a Lumberjacks team which has played just two games at L.C. Walker Arena this season. Only the Dubuque Fighting Saints have played fewer games (one) on their own ice. Saturday, Waterloo visits the Eastern Conference-leading Chicago Steel at 7:05 p.m. The Steel feature both the USHL Goaltender of the Week (Victor Ostman) and Defenseman of the Week (Owen Power). Wrapping up the weekend against the Madison Capitols at 3:05 p.m. on Sunday, the Hawks will see an opponent which has relied on special teams scoring: ten of Madison’s 26 goals have come on the power play.

UMass Beckons Black Hawks’ Bohlinger
Black Hawks defenseman Aaron Bohlinger became the second Waterloo player this week to make a college commitment; he has selected the 2019 NCAA national runners-up, the University of Massachusetts. Bohlinger is in his first season with the Black Hawks. The New York native scored goals in each of his first two appearances, including an overtime winner on September 26th against the Tri-City Storm during the USHL Fall Classic.

Caponi Decides Denver is His Destination
The Black Hawk's leading scorer, forward Connor Caponi will play college hockey for the University of Denver Pioneers after wrapping up his junior career. Caponi has been the Black Hawks’ top scorer through the first five weeks of the 2019/20 season. In just eight games, he has a team-leading nine points (four goals, five assists). That includes a pair of shorthanded scores and two goals which have been game-winners. “Connor’s success is one of the reasons the Black Hawks have had the best start in team history,” said General Manager and Associate Head Coach Shane Fukushima. “With so much of the season still ahead of us, it is exciting to think about how much time he still has to continue building and improving.”

Caponi is the second Waterloo player on the current roster to commit to the Pioneers. He joins Wyatt Schingoethe, who made a similar announcement in September.

Back in Partytown November 15th & 16th
Waterloo returns to Young Arena for a two-game set vs. the Omaha Lancers on Friday, November 15th and Saturday, November 16th.

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