The Waterloo Black Hawks host Games 1 and 2 during the first round of the 2017 USHL Clark Cup Playoffs. Waterloo hosts the Fargo Force Friday and Saturday inside Young Arena.

The best-of-five set will continue Tuesday and Wednesday (if needed) at Scheels Arena in Fargo. If needed, Game 5 will be back in Waterloo on Saturday (April 22).

The two teams faced each other and split a pair of games in Waterloo to close out the regular season. The two teams split the six regular games they faced each other. The Black Hawks and Force have been prolific qualifiers for the Clark Cup Championship Series; since 2007, either Waterloo or Fargo has reached the final round on seven of ten occasions. However, the Black Hawks and Force have only squared off in a postseason series once.

In 2013, the teams went a full five games before Fargo finally prevailed in overtime during the finale. Each side has a player who won the Clark Cup last season. Waterloo acquired Alex Limoges, and Fargo made a deal for Paul Washe, who earned championship rings last spring as members of the Tri-City Storm.

EYE ON THE GOAL:
Waterloo finished the 2016/17 regular season as the team who scored the most goals during the United States Hockey League regular season. Averaging 3.5 goals per contest, the Black Hawks’ tallied 210 goals in 60 games. Only one other team scored more than 200 goals this past season (Dubuque Fighting Saints had 201).

EXPERIENCE TO LEAD THE WAY:
The Black Hawks played nine playoff games last spring against the Lincoln Stars and Tri-City Storm. Six players on the current Waterloo roster played in each of the 2016 postseason contests. The group includes Nick Swaney (five goals, four assists) and Mikey Anderson (three goals, two assists), who together accounted for more than a quarter of the Hawks’ playoff goal total last year. Jake Ryczek, Shane Bowers, Garrett Wait, and Kevin Charyszyn were also fixtures in the Waterloo lineup.

Doors open at 6:05 PM for both Friday and Saturday's (April 14-15) games at Young Arena, and the puck drops at 7:05 PM.

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