Waterloo Black Hawks — Madison Capitols: 3:2, USHL

Waterloo Black Hawks defeated Madison Capitols 3:2 on 10 October 2026 in the USHL. The hosts saw out a hard-fought victory against visitors who came in with momentum. It was a result that kept the table largely intact after six rounds.

We had tipped the away side at 47 per cent confidence, but the match refused to follow that script. And here's the thing — the visitors had just beaten Cedar Rapids 6:2, so the expectation was reasonable. By then the home side had settled into a tighter shape, and the game tightened with it.

Waterloo sit top after six games with five wins and a single loss. Madison occupy fifth place with two victories and four defeats. The standings show positions rather than points at this stage, so the gap is measured in games played.

The Capitols were on a good run before this fixture, winning their last two outings against Maskwagons and Cedar Rapids. But they never got going after the opening exchanges. The home defence held firm, and the visitors found themselves chasing the game.

The result keeps Waterloo at the summit of the USHL table. Madison drop further behind in the standings, now trailing the leaders by a margin of three wins in the same number of fixtures. The prediction was wrong, and the match simply didn't give the visitors what they needed to turn it.