Recapping Tuesday's action around the USHL
In the only game around the USHL on Tuesday evening, the Dubuque Fighting Saints topped the Waterloo Black Hawks at Young Arena, 2-0.
Erik Pahlsson and Beckett Hendrickson (BOS) found the back of the net, and Saints netminder Kevin Reidler (OTT) stopped all 28 shots on goal.
With the win, the Fighting Saints clinched the No. 1 in the Eastern Conference for the first time since the 2012-13 season.
With the first period remaining scoreless, Dubuque opened the scoring at the 11:16 mark of the second frame.
Hendrickson carried the puck below the net and around the right side of the cage before finding Pahlsson in front for what was essentially a tap-in goal.
The game's first goal marked Pahlsson's 24th goal and first since March 22. The Swedish forward also extended his point streak to nine games. During that stretch, Pahlsson has four goals and 14 points and has 66 points in 53 games this season.
Less than three minutes later, Dubuque doubled their lead on Hendrickson's 24th goal of the season.
Pahlsson returned the favor to his Saints teammate, dishing a pass to Hendrickson from the right dot to the right side of the net. The Boston Bruins draft pick turned and stuffed the puck into the back of the Waterloo net.
Since being acquired by Dubuque before the USHL trade deadline, Hendrickson has scored goals in three of his last four games and six in 12 games.
What the win means for Dubuque
The Fighting Saints will have the No. 1 seed in the Clark Cup Playoffs and await the winner of the No. 4 and 5 seeds in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in a best-of-five series. Currently, the Youngstown Phantoms and Madison Capitols occupy those seeds.
What the loss means for Waterloo
The Black Hawks have dropped three straight and four of their last ten games. With a playoff spot already clinched, Waterloo is now trying to improve their seeding. Matt Smaby's squad currently owns the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, three points ahead of Tri-City and three points behind Sioux City with four games remaining.