Waterloo, IA – The Dubuque Fighting Saints (2-2-0-0, 4 pts) dropped Friday night's game 6-3 to the Waterloo Black Hawks (4-0-1-0, 9 pts).
With an early first period power play, the Fighting Saints were poised for a chance at early momentum. However, a neutral zone turnover on the first power play of the game ended up costing Dubuque as Dylan Nolan scored a shorthanded breakaway goal at 4:24 of the opening period.
The Fighting Saints failed to score on the remainder of their power play and took their first penalty late in the first. Nolan scored just 14 seconds into it to send the Hawks to the first intermission with a 2-0 lead.
Dubuque fought back multiple times throughout the game, beginning with the Saints' lone power-play goal on four chances late in the second. Melvin Ekman's wrist shot from the right wing beat Charlie Menard to put the Saints on the board for the first time with 5:30 remaining in the second period. Olle Därth and Lincoln Krizizke assisted for Dubuque's first power-play goal since Sept. 17.
The Saints couldn't seize the momentum to start the third period when they allowed a goal by Hayden Russell just 29 seconds into the frame. Another Waterloo power-play goal by Colin Dustin made it 4-1 Waterloo just 2:22 into the third. Dustin's tally became the eventual game-winning goal after another Saints push.
Just 1:08 after Dustin's goal, Travis Lefere deflected a Joe Wahlund shot past Menard to bring the Saints within two against his former team. Less than four minutes later, Joseph Covelluzzi's second goal of the season made it a one goal game. Wahlund assisted on both goals, while Nikolai Zhukov logged his first USHL point with an assist on the Lefere goal and Kane Johnson helped set up Covelluzzi's tally.
Dubuque's push fell short again when Cayden Jackman added to the Waterloo lead with 8:44 to play. An empty-netter by Waterloo finished the scoring in the final minutes.
Brandon Wright stopped 30 of 35 shots in the game for Dubuque, facing 14 in the third period. The Saints logged 30 shots, but just seven of those came in the final frame.
Dubuque will aim to rebound from its second-straight loss when it returns home on Saturday to take on the undefeated Cedar Rapids RoughRiders at ImOn Arena.
