Waterloo, IA – The Dubuque Fighting Saints (34-17-4-0, 72 pts) clinched a 15th-straight Clark Cup Playoffs appearance and a seventh-straight Cowbell Cup Championship with a 7-2 win over the Waterloo Black Hawks (14-37-2-2, 32 pts).

After a 3-0 Dubuque lead became a 3-2 advantage early in the third, Colin Frank blasted a power-play one-timer to put the Saints ahead 4-2 at 8:33 of the third. Frank scored his 50th-career goal to put the Saints ahead 3-0 in the second period and added his 51st to put the team ahead by two once more in the third.

Frank became the eighth Fighting Saint to reach 50 goals in his career and moved into a tie with Riese Gaber for eighth all-time with 105 points in his Saints career.

The Saints opened a lead at 4:14 of the first with Eetu Orpana scoring the first of his two goals in the win. Caden Dabrowski assisted the goal for the first of a career-best four-point night.

A Ludvig Lafton power-play goal put the Saints up 2-0 in the second and the Saints finished the night with two goals on six chances. 

After Frank's goal to put the Saints up 3-0, Waterloo struck back late in the second and was awarded a major power play after. Early in the third, the Hawks scored to make it 3-2 and Dubuque killed the rest of the power play with just one goal against to set up Frank's lead-extending tally. The penalty kill ended the night with five kills on six chances.

Dubuque continued a third-period barrage with Orpana's second and a goal from Luke Brierley, finishing a four-goal third period to clinch the victory.

Michael Chambre made 18 saves in his second win for the Fighting Saints, helping Dubuque end a three-game skid.

The Saints took over second place in the Eastern Conference with the victory and hold a one-point lead over Green Bay ahead of a weekend series with the Gamblers beginning on Friday in Dubuque.