Waterloo, IA – The Dubuque Fighting Saints (6-6-0-0, 12 pts) visit the Waterloo Black Hawks (8-1-2-0, 18 pts) on Saturday to open a home-and-home series.
Here are five things to know ahead of the matchup:
1. Late Leads
The Fighting Saints swept Sioux City last weekend with late game-winners from Joseph Covelluzzi on Friday and Olle Därth in overtime on Saturday. Covelluzzi scored with 3:01 remaining in regulation in Friday's game against the Musketeers before Därth added an empty-netter in a 5-3 win.
On Saturday, Därth finished the sweep for the Fighting Saints with his sixth goal of the year in overtime. It was the first overtime game of the year for the Saints as Därth scored the game-winner.
2. Captain's Crew
The Fighting Saints named Caden Dabrowski and Travis Lefere to their leadership team as assistant captains this week, joining captain Melvin Ekman and assistant Kris Richards to lead the squad.
Dabrowski is off to a quick start in his second USHL season with 14 points in his first seven games to tie Ekman for the team lead. Lefere led the Fighting Saints with eight points in six games before an injury on Oct. 9.
3. New Names
Cruz Martin made his Dubuque debut on Saturday against Sioux City, while Josh Banini is primed for his USHL debut this weekend for Dubuque. Martin has played in 80 career USHL games and logged an assist on Därth's overtime goal in his Saints debut.
Banini joins the Saints after spending two years in the Western Hockey League with Moose Jaw and Kelowna. Overall, Banini posted an .894 save percentage in 57 WHL games.
4. Cowbell Cup
The Fighting Saints play a full Cowbell Cup weekend as they look for their first wins of the season in the competition and take on the first-place Black Hawks for a pair of games.
In the only previous matchup between the teams on Oct. 2, Waterloo skated to a 6-3 win as Dylan Nolan scored a power-play goal and a shorthanded goal in the contest. The Saints allowed 36 shots in that loss, tied for the most against in a game this season (Oct. 9 vs YNG). It was one of just four games this season that Dubuque allowed 30-or-more shots.
5. Water Works
Waterloo entered the week with the second-best defense in the USHL, allowing an average of just 2.4 goals per game through 10 games. In Friday's win over Sioux City, Waterloo allowed just one goal on 15 shots. The Hawks' goaltending tandem of Charlie Menard and Sebastian Charvat are second in the USHL with a .924 save percentage.
Nolan has led the way on offense for Waterloo with eight goals, while Cody Sokol has 14 points to pace the Hawks. Sokol logged three points in the win over Sioux City on Friday night.
Saturday's game at Young Arena is set to begin at 3:05 p.m. CT. The game is available on Eagle 102.3 and FloHockey.
