WATERLOO - It was a valiant effort by the Waterloo Black Hawks' public address announcer, but all a sellout crowd of 3,500 needed to see was a No. 19 sweater with the name Marcou.

One of Black Hawk fans' all-time favorite players - James Marcou - made it back onto the Young Arena ice last Saturday for Waterloo's Clark Cup playoff game against Cedar Rapids.

The Hockey East Rookie of Year of the University of Massachusetts was back in town to watch younger brother Mike play and was persuaded by Black Hawks' assistant coach Shane Fukushima to drop a ceremonial first puck prior to the game.

Marcou graciously accepted the offer to take center ice. To boot, Black Hawks' front office staffer Clint Rowe borrowed Marcou's old sweater from a fan for him to wear during the pre-game ceremony when the PA's list of Marcou's accomplishments was drowned out by a massive roar from the Young Arena faithful.

"It is definitely great to be back," Marcou said. "It's been fun. The rink is a blast. It was a little weird watching my brother from the stands, but it just reminded me of how great of a place it was to play in."

After registering 42 goals and 61 assists in two seasons with the Black Hawks, including 24 goals and 47 assists a year ago while leading Waterloo to its first Anderson Cup, Marcou took his game to one of the toughest collegiate conferences in the nation.

Marcou more than proved he belonged by earning the Rookie of the Year award and a place on the league's All-Rookie team. He led the Minutemen in scoring with eight goals and 24 assists in 36 games.

Ironically, another former Black Hawk, Cory Quirk, was the team's second-leading scorer with 11 goals and 18 assists.

"The USHL is the best league to prepare you for college. and it definitely helped me this year," Marcou said, who committed to UMass as a high school sophomore.

Marcou helped the Minutemen score victories over eventual national champion Boston College and national runner-up Notre Dame during the regular season.

Marcou is eligible to be drafted in the NHL Entry Draft in June, where the 5-foot-7, 145-pound Kings Park, N.Y., native is expected to be taken. Last summer, along with current Black Hawk Blake Kessel, Marcou participated in the New York Islanders' prospect camp, which featured 30 players whose draft rights are held by the NHL franchise. Marcou was one of two free agents invited to the camp.

"It was nice. I got a chance to show my skills," Marcou said. "A lot of pro guys were there, and I learned a lot from the coaches. They told me I need to get bigger and stronger. We're working on that."

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