WATERLOO - P.K. O'Handley realized his Waterloo Black Hawks were going to win when he turned to his left and saw Paul Weisgarber praying.

Weisgarber's prayer was soon answered, as he scored with 13 seconds left to force overtime, which the Black Hawks then parlayed into a 3-2 shootout win over the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders Friday at Young Arena.

It was Weisgarber's second goal of the game and fourth of his career in 13 games against the RoughRiders.

"He's always praying on the bench … and I'm usually praying with him," laughed O'Handley. "He was praying right before he scored the game-winner last year to clinch the Anderson Cup. It's a good sign when Paul prays. We usually win."

Mad at himself for letting his guy, Bryce Aneloski, score Cedar Rapids' go-ahead goal in the third period, Weisgarber was hoping for an opportunity to redeem himself.

"Their second goal, honestly, that was my guy, and I felt pretty bad about that because it was all on me," said Weisgarber. "I was hoping to get one, and I was lucky to get it. It was a great play by Billy Maday and Brett Olson."

Weisgarber's goal happened after the Black Hawks pulled goalie Matt DiGirolamo for an extra attacker.

After a line change, Maday outfought a RoughRider for the puck behind the Cedar Rapids net. He cycled the puck to Olson, who redirected it to Weisgarber for a slam dunk.

"Sometimes, if you can get a whistle, you can set up a play, but there it had been a minute so you just keep going at the net and hope something good happens," said Weisgarber. "It came to me right in the slot, (I) saw him (Cedar Rapids goalie Brady Hjelle) move laterally, so I put it five-hole and got lucky."

Weisgarber has a history of scoring big goals against Cedar Rapids. He has three game-winning scores in his two-year career, and two have come against the RoughRiders.

One of them occurred in the season finale last year, as Waterloo beat Cedar Rapids to clinch the United States Hockey League's East Division and the Anderson Cup, the award given to the team with the best regular-season record.

Cedar Rapids twice held the lead Friday, 1-0 in the first when Aneloski pinched in from his defensive spot with 2:26 left in the first.

Waterloo tied it in the second, with the teams skating 4-on-4. Olson won a face-off and set it back to Weisgarber, whose quick wrist shot ripped the back of the net.

"(Weisgarber) played good. I thought the goal in the second period off the face-off was incredible," said O'Handley.

The RoughRiders took a 2-1 lead when Aneloski pinched in again, this time with Cedar Rapids on the power play. Cedar Rapids' Robin Bergman centered a pass from the right of DiGirolamo toward Aneloski, who redirected the pass. It appeared to glance off a Waterloo defender's skate before finding the net.

That is when Weisgarber asked for intervention from a higher power.

Waterloo dominated the game statistically, out-shooting Cedar Rapids, 38-18, and winning 42 of 59 face-offs through three periods. But Hjelle, who, like DiGirolamo, was an USHL East Division All-Star, turned away 36 shots.

"At some point you have to credit the other team's goalie," said O'Handley. "Brady Hjelle, in my opinion, made some unbelievable saves. Statistically, yes, we were good, but Hjelle was real good."

DiGirolamo was the difference in the shootout, turning away all four RoughRiders who attempted shots.

"Matt was real good in the shootout, made some real difficult saves," said O'Handley.

The Black Hawks got shootout goals from Maday and Craig Smith.

The victory was Waterloo's fourth consecutive, and the Black Hawks will go for five in a row tonight against the Ohio Jr. Blue Jackets at Young Arena.

Contact Jim Nelson at (319) 291-1521 or jim.nelson@wcfcourier.com

Cedar Rapids 1 0 1 0 0 - 2

Waterloo 0 1 1 0 1 - 3

FIRST PERIOD - 1. Cedar Rapids, Bryce Aneloski (Casey Wellman, Nick Oddo), 17:34. Penalties - Chris Wideman, CR (roughing), 2:04 ; Craig Smith, Wat (roughing), 2:04; Robin Bergman, CR (elbowing), 3:21; Doug Jones, CR (slashing), 5:07; Bergman, CR (interference), 5:47.

SECOND PERIOD - 2. Waterloo, Paul Weisgarber (Brett Olson), 19:14. Penalties - Nick Larson, Wat (interference), 9:18; Ian Slater, CR (delay of game), 12:50; John Lee, Wat (delay of game), 12:50; Kyle Flanagan, CR (delay of game), 14:19; Billy Maday, Wat, (delay of game), 14:19; Larson, Wat (interference), 17:23; Matt Donovan, CR (interference), 17:35.

THIRD PERIOD - 3. Cedar Rapids, Aneloski (Bergman, Mike Seidel), 5:45, pp; 4. Waterloo, Weisgarber (Olson, Maday), Penalties - Keegan Meuer, Wat (hooking), 5:03; Jones, CR (tripping), 8:10.

OVERTIME - No scoring. Penalties - Matt Tomassoni, CR (tripping), 4:30.

SHOOTOUT - Cedar Rapids (Wellman, miss; Bergman, miss; Vermeersch, miss; Boehm, miss). Waterloo (Olson, miss; Maday, good; Smith, good).

SHOTS ON GOAL

Cedar Rapids 4 9 4 1 - 18

Waterloo 16 11 9 2 - 38

Goalies - Cedar Rapids, Brady Hjelle (36 saves). Waterloo, Matt DiGirolamo (16 saves).

Referee - Colin Kronforst. Linesmen - Jim Scarpace, Joseph Pocztowski. Att. - 3,500.