Black Hawks Put Down Buccaneers

Successful power play efforts early on Saturday, December 27, 2014 sent the Waterloo Black Hawks on their way to a 5-4 road victory against the Des Moines Buccaneers at Buccaneer Arena.

The Hawks made good use of a five minute major penalty to Des Moines’ Vince Marinaro during the first period. On the power play at 6:54, Brock Boeser sent a shot from the left circle to the short side top corner after a cross-ice feed by Tom Novak. Just after the advantage ended at 8:24, it was Boeser on the setup, giving Tyler Sheehy the chance to score from close range.

The Bucs got one back at 9:24 as Corey Schueneman bisected the rink with a pass from the side of his net to Ara Nazarian at the Hawks blue line; Nazarian was able to fend off a check on his way to the top of the crease, where he flipped in a backhander.

Hawks special teams continued to hum in the second. On a power play at 7:41, Rem Pitlick hoisted the rebound of Ethan Spaxman’s shot across the line from just outside of the crease. Then with 8.3 seconds to go before intermission, Boeser scored his second of the night as the Hawks tightened the perimeter during a two-man advantage.

In the third, the Black Hawks had to weather a Buccaneer rally, which began at 4:44 when Brennan Sanford dashed to the net and slipped a low shot between the pipes. Alec Rauhauser fired a chance into the net during a power play at 8:54 to bring the home team back within one.

After play had resumed, and just as the crowd was beginning to chant “Let’s Go Bucs,” John Wiitala silenced the building, firing an opportunity to the twine on a feed from Pitlick at 9:41. It proved to be the winner, as Patrick Grasso added one more Des Moines goal during an extra-attacker situation with 13.3 seconds remaining.

Goalie Trevor Gorsuch earned the win with 24 saves, his best coming on a Tanner Karty blast after a turnover with 4:33 remaining in regulation.

The Hawks don’t wait long for their next contest; Sunday afternoon, Waterloo hosts the Fargo Force at Young Arena, with the opening faceoff at 3:05. Tickets are on sale from waterlooblackhawks.com or by calling the Domino’s Black Hawks Box Office at (319) 291-7680. The matchup is on the 20th anniversary of Young Arena’s grand opening. Fans can order two white or blue zone tickets for $22 on game day.

For Saturday's box score, please click here.