Lumberjacks Chop Down Black Hawks
The Waterloo Black Hawks were limited to 19 shots on goal Saturday during a 4-1 loss to the Muskegon Lumberjacks at Young Arena.
The shot total matched a season low for the Hawks and – until the latter half of the third period – helped put Lumberjack goalie Zach Borgiel in position for a shutout in his first USHL start.
Following a scoreless first, the Lumberjacks broke through on the power play at 5:16 of the second. A tipped pass found Mikael Hakkarainen in the slot, and the turning centerman sent a low shot past Matej Tomek. The visitors doubled their lead at 10:14. Vincent de Mey followed his initial shot to the net and knocked in his own rebound.
Muskegon stretched their lead to 3-0 at 8:38 of the third; Will Schlagenhauf, swiped the puck inside the Waterloo blue line, cut left-to-right across the front of the net, and flipped a shot over Tomek’s left pad.
Waterloo’s lone goal resulted from a five-on-three power play less than a minute later. Jackson Cates was in the high slot and snapped the puck past Borgiel at 9:15.
The Hawks could not claw any closer, and Anthony Del Gaizo added an empty net score with 27.5 seconds remaining in regulation.
The Hawks are now off until next Saturday when they host the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders during a Dupaco Cowbell Cup game. At intermission, the matchup will feature the 2018 Dainty Doggy Dash, presented by Paw Prints Pet Salon and NutriSource Pet Foods. For tickets, call the Black Hawks Box Office at (319) 291-7680 or visit waterlooblackhawks.com.