Photo Courtesy of Stephanie Lyn PhotographyThe Anderson Cup Champion Lincoln Stars are on the ropes following a 5-0 shutout loss to the Waterloo Black Hawks Wednesday at Young Arena.
The Hawks lead the best-of-five Western Conference Finals 2-1, putting Lincoln in a must-win situation.
Teddy Townsend scored the first three goals to earn a hat trick, while Hawks goaltender Carter Casey was rock-solid in net.
It took Townsend less than five minutes to get the Black Hawks going. Just 4:54 into the contest, Reid Morich pulled the puck off the right wing boards on a failed clear. His centering pass sent Townsend across the slot, beating Stars goalie Yan Shostak with a wrister from the edge of the left circle.
Casey made eight stops in the first period, including a key glove save on Hunter Anderson with 2:19 left to keep Lincoln off the scoreboard.
The Hawks pulled away early in the middle frame. Morich dropped a pass from the extended goal line to Townsend in the slot, and Waterloo went ahead 2-0 on the same combination that had led to the opening goal.
Townsend completed the hatty at 2:31 of the period as the Hawks capitalized on the first power play of the night.
Triggering a chance from near the top of the left circle, Townsend beat a screened Shostak inside the opposite post.
Kaeden Hawkins and Dylan Compton each got in on the scoring party for the Hawks to make the score 5-0 after 40 minutes. Ty Mason sprung Hawkins on a breakaway from the red line, with Hawkins sprinting up the slot to beat Shostak to his glove side at 11:47.
Less than four minutes later, Compton took a handoff in the right corner and cut to the edge of the crease, putting in a backhander to give Waterloo their second four-goal period of the series. The Hawks had also scored four times in the second period of Game One.
Casey turned away 11 more shots in the second, followed by another 10 saves in the third.
Townsend’s hat trick was the first by a Black Hawk during the postseason since Connor Brown’s four-goal game against the Stars on Apr. 27, 2022. Casey’s 29 save shutout was the first since Evan Fear was perfect against the Sioux Falls Stampede on Apr. 20, 2019.
The Hawks are one win away from making the Clark Cup Final, where they would face the Muskegon Lumberjacks. The Stars, meanwhile, hope to stave off elimination.
Game 4 is Thursday, also at Young Arena. If Lincoln wins, the series would extend to a fifth and deciding game in Lincoln on Saturday. Puck drop for Thursday is set for 6:35 Pm.