Black Hawks Stun Stars, Take 1-0 Lead In Western Conference Finals

Six appears to be a lucky number for the Waterloo Black Hawks.

For the third time this week, the Hawks scored half a dozen goals during a playoff victory, the latest coming in a 6-4 win over the Anderson Cup Champion Lincoln Stars on the road Friday night. Waterloo takes a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five Western Conference Finals series.

The Hawks also hung six on both Monday and Tuesday versus the Sioux Falls Stampede. Waterloo won Game 3 of that series 6-2 and Game 4 6-5 in double overtime.

Lincoln took the early lead, but it lasted just 10 minutes. At 3:17 of the opening period, the puck escaped from Lefty Markonidis on a rush, but rolled right to Kade Kohanski coming up the opposite wing. Kohanski beat Carter Casey with a quick shot for a 1-0 Stars lead.

Waterloo tied the score 1-1 at 13:28. Hunter Ramos was upended in the right circle, but pushed the puck toward the net. Reid Morich and Teddy Townsend were in position, and Townsend chopped a chance inside the post.

The Hawks took control of the game with three of their first five shots in the first 2:31 of the middle frame ending up in the net.

The first came from precision passing on a three-on-one rush at the 48-second mark. Chase Jette flipped in a shot as the net was being kicked off its mooring by goalie Yan Shostak.

Ramos followed with a tally 27 seconds later, firing in the rebound of a transition chance by Brendan McMorrow. Then Kaeden Hawkins scored at 2:31, putting in a shot from the right circle after Nicholas Kosiba dug the puck out of the opposite corner.

Shostak was then sent to the bench in favor of William Prowse. Hunter Anderson tallied a four-on-four goal for Lincoln at 13:31, collecting a loose puck near the edge of the crease and poking it in.

However, Waterloo got the three-goal lead back at 17:35. Morich won an icing faceoff, then positioned himself in the slot seconds later to tip in a shot from the right point by Jette.

Brady Peddle added the sixth goal at 6:54 of the third. Ty Mason won a faceoff back to the big defenseman, and his shot changed directions off a defenseman in the slot.

The Stars tried to fight back in the final minutes. At 10:19, Alex Pelletier shoveled in a rebound from the top of the crease. Then with 35.2 seconds remaining, Markonidis scored from the left circle when Jack Pechar found him on a pass across the slot. that was as close as the Stars would come, and the 6-4 Hawks advantage held up as the final score.

It’s the first time the Hawks have scored at least six goals in three consecutive post-season games since sweeping the Stampede in the opening round of their 2014 playoff series.

The Stars dropped a Game 1 for the third time in eight post-season series over the last four seasons. The Hawks’ offense was generated from just 23 shots on goal in this game.

Casey made 29 saves on 33 shots faced to pick up the victory. Shostak stopped six of the 10 shots he faced, while Prowse saved 11 of 13 in relief.

Game Two between the Hawks and Stars is on Saturday at the Ice Box in Lincoln. Puck drop is set for 6:05 Pm CT.