Cranberry Twp, PA – The Dubuque Fighting Saints (2-0-0-0, 4pts) beat the Waterloo Black Hawks (0-1-0-1, 1 pt) 5-2 on Thursday, finishing the season-opening Fall Classic with a pair of wins.

Dubuque continued its torrid offensive pace to begin the season with five more goals in the win. In the third period, special teams made the difference to extend a Dubuque lead from one to three. First, Teddy Merrill converted on a power-play chance for the Fighting Saints. The captain scored his third goal in the first pair of games of the season to give the Saints a 3-1 lead just 2:27 into the third.

Then, at 11:52, a shorthanded Owen Crudale stick save sent Melvin Ekman up ice on an odd-man rush. Ekman ripped a wrister from the right circle to extend the lead to 4-1 for Dubuque.

The penalty kill allowed a goal later in the game on its fifth chance, but stopped four of five Waterloo power plays in the game. Dubuque has killed eight of nine penalties through two games this season. Merrill's power-play goal was the third of the season for the Saints, who operated at a 42.9% clip in the first two games.

Dubuque scored multiple first-period goals for the second-straight game as Colin Frank found Dante Josefsson-Westling to open the scoring nine minutes in. A few minutes later, Brandt Dubey found Frank to put the Saints ahead 2-0.

Frank is off to a hot start, scoring three goals and four points through two games for Dubuque. Ekman added a late tally into the empty net for his second of the third period, bringing his point total to five through two games.

Dubuque returns home with all four possible points at the Fall Classic, and 15 goals scored in a pair of games. The Saints are back in action on Friday when they visit the Madison Capitols in their first meeting since the Saints won Game 4 of the 2025 Eastern Conference Semifinals.