SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — The Sioux Falls Stampede will travel to Waterloo, Iowa, this week to take on the Black Hawks, a team the Herd went 1-6-0-1 against last season.

The Herd maintain a four-point lead over the Fargo Force for the top spot in the Western Conference after splitting last weekend's series against the Dubuque Fighting Saints. After surrendering four unanswered goals on Friday night, the Stampede bounced back with a 4-1 victory on Saturday. Two power-play goals from Ryder Betzold gave the group a one-goal advantage at the end of the second period, while Joe McGraw and Brock Schultz added goals to secure two points for the Stampede.

The Waterloo Black Hawks, who are 12-23-1-1 and sit seventh in the Western Conference, dropped both games against the Tri-City Storm last weekend. On Friday night, the Hawks took a two-goal lead early in the second period, but two Storm goals tied the game heading into the final frame. Waterloo retook the lead at 5:57 before giving up three unanswered goals to the Storm beginning just 40 seconds later.

Saturday's contest saw all the action in the first period, with ten penalties—including six roughing penalties—assessed and four goals scored. The Storm jumped out to a 2-0 lead within the first two-and-a-half minutes, and by the end of the opening period the score stood at 3-1. Both teams scored third-period goals before the Storm secured the weekend sweep with an empty-net goal at 15:37.

Waterloo is 3-7-0-0 in its last ten games and is currently on a five-game losing streak. The Black Hawks' last win came on January 10 against the Omaha Lancers at home, where they earned a 7-3 victory.
The Black Hawks' top scorers are Ty Mason and Salvatore Viviano, who each have 31 points this season. On a league-wide level, defenseman Ryan Whiterabbit has also made his mark, ranking in the top 20 among defensemen with 19 points.

Waterloo has struggled with stability in net after losing star goaltender Carter Casey to major juniors. In early November, the Black Hawks acquired goaltender Michael Chambre from the Stampede in exchange for forward Brock Schultz. Chambre has played 16 games since returning to the USHL and ranks 14th in goals-against average. He is 3-10-0-0 with a .907 save percentage.

Since joining the Herd, University of North Dakota commit Brock Schultz has recorded 28 points in just 18 games, including eight multi-point performances. That total includes a four-point outing against the Madison Capitols on December 6.

The Stampede's up-and-down performance on special teams has been evident in recent weeks, as they have gone 3-for-24 on the power play in their last five games. They currently rank fifth in the league on the power play with a 23.8 percent conversion rate. The penalty kill ranks 10th at a 77.9 percent success rate.

Sioux Falls will face a challenge this weekend against Waterloo's strong special teams units. The Black Hawks rank sixth on the power play, having gone 27-for-114, while their penalty kill ranks fourth at 82.5 percent.

Sioux Falls and Waterloo have yet to face off this season but met eight times last year, including four playoff games. The Stampede went 1-7 in those matchups, including a double-overtime loss that ended their season. The Herd will look to put last season behind them as they focus on earning their first weekend sweep of 2026.

The Stampede return to the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center next Thursday for their first game against the Green Bay Gamblers. They will then travel to Sioux City for a Friday night matchup before returning home Saturday for Super Hero Night. Tickets for both games next weekend can be purchased here.