Black Hawks Blast Storm, 6-1

Drew Melanson and Liam Pecararo each scored twice Friday at Young Arena, and the Waterloo Black Hawks topped the Tri-City Storm for the third time in four tries, 6-1.

An early Black Hawks power play led to the only goal of the first period. On a rush at 4:31, Tyler Sheehy fed Melanson in the slot, and the RPI recruit scored his team-leading seventh special teams goal of the season, shooting low to the glove side of netminder Hayden Lavigne.

Waterloo’s healthy second period stretched the lead to 4-0.  Out of the locker room and back underway for just 59 seconds, Pecararo dodged a defender and slipped a shot through Lavigne’s pads.  Exactly 13 minutes later, Zach Sanford scored during a power play, rifling the puck off the
crossbar and in.  Then at 16:52, Austin Vieth stepped across the blue line and sailed a chance through the legs of a back-peddling defender and into the net.

For the second period in a row, Pecararo scored in the first minute after intermission.  Eighteen seconds after play restarted, his own centering pass bounced back his direction, and Pecararo flipped it in from Lavigne’s right.  Tri-City broke up goalie Cameron Johnson’s shutout bid when Chase
Berger scored on a power play redirection at 2:53.  Johnson finished the night with the win and 25 saves.  Melanson added the final goal just after a power play ended, jabbing a rebound across the line at 8:02

Although Friday’s result is in the books, the Hawks still have a busy weekend ahead.  Saturday Waterloo travels to meet the Dubuque Fighting Saints in a Prairie Farms Cowbell Cup series contest.  Then Sunday, it’s back to Young Arena to faceoff against the Sioux Falls Stampede.  The
first 1,000 fans in attendance for the 3:05 p.m. tilt will receive a Black Hawks drawstring backpack, courtesy of Covenant Cardiology.  The game is also part of an i Wireless College Weekend, with $8 tickets available for college students with ID on game day.  To order seats, call the Domino’s Black Hawks Box Office at (319) 291-7680 or visit waterlooblackhawks.com.