WATERLOO - Nick Larson left Young Arena a hero Wednesday.

In actuality, Larson may have been just an innocent bystander.

Larson was credited with a power-play goal with 5 minutes, 5 seconds remaining that lifted the Waterloo Black Hawks to a 3-1 victory over the Omaha Lancers in Game 3 of the Tier I United States Hockey League Clark Cup national championships.

Waterloo scored the final three goals of the game to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series. Game 4 is Friday in Young Arena.

Larson's game-winner may have been scored by defenseman Chad Billins.

With Omaha goalie Drew Palmisano sprawled on the ice, Billins chipped the shot up and over the Lancer netminder. It looked like it hit Larson and went into the net, but Larson himself wasn't sure.

"I was just in front trying to screen the goalie," Larson said. "I think Chad actually scored the goal. If it hit me, I don't know, but Chad had a great shot there."

The details didn't really matter, because the red lamp lit.

"I thought our guys showed really good poise," Black Hawks head coach P.K. O'Handley said. "We got great second effort all night, and that is what it is going to take. We need second and third efforts, and it is no secret in championship hockey that is what you need.

"I liked the way we didn't panic on the power play, and Billy (Billins) made a great play, great goal. If it wasn't his goal, it was a great play by him to set it up."

The pace was frenetic for the first 40 minutes, but neither team could score despite numerous chances.

For the third consecutive game, the Lancers scored first.

Andrew Conboy scored a power-play goal 3:23 in as the puck came to him in a scramble in front of the Waterloo net.

Waterloo didn't panic, went right back to work and got paid for its efforts in no time.

Just 1:26 later, Eddie Olczyk knotted it up when he slammed home a Mike Marcou rebound, ending nearly a 105-minute scoring drought for the Black Hawks.

"It was a great play. We made a great rush up the ice, and I was fortunate enough to slip it past Palmisano," Olczyk said. "I think really the key was nobody was panicking tonight. Everyone was really just playing their hearts out because we really want this thing."

Ten minutes later, Waterloo's potent power-play got Palmisano moving side-to-side, and Billins and Larson gave the Black Hawks the lead.

Omaha had a chance to get the equalizer less than a minute later when Black Hawk John Lee was sent to the sin bin for checking from behind. But Waterloo buckled down defensively and killed the penalty before icing the game on Brett Olson's empty-net goal with 1:17 to go.

"It was a very energetic game, and they found a way to score on a power-play late and we didn't," Omaha coach Mike Hastings said. "I believe at this time of the year you have to make your own breaks, and Waterloo made their own break.

"It was a great battle, great hockey game."

It appeared Omaha took a 2-1 lead with 11:05 left when Conboy knocked home a puck on another Lancer power play. Head referee Joe Sullivan signalled goal immediately, but after a conversation with his linesmen - Bryan Pancich and Brian Oliver - the trio ruled the puck was knocked in with a glove and disallowed it.

"We thought we had one there that was disallowed, but the linesman said he saw it and I believe him," Hastings said.

Waterloo outshot Omaha by 11 in a game that featured many hard hits and some hard feelings late in the game with Sullivan issuing 30 minutes of penalties with 32 seconds left.

"It was a good win for us, but we're not going to sit on it," O'Handley said. "Omaha is going to come back with everything it has Friday to try to take this back to its home building for a fifth game. We have to be ready for that."

Hastings believes his team still has a lot of fight left.

"I don't see any coffins being handed out. We're not dead," Hastings said. "I know Waterloo will regroup, be ready and … they've got the knife halfway in us and will want to stick it all the way in Friday.

"We're going to try to survive. We want to have a bus ride back to Omaha to have a Game 5."

The Black Hawks, despite the momentum snaring win, also know that.

"This feels great, but there is still at least one more game to play," Black Hawks goalie Matt DiGirolamo said. "We're not going to settle on this. We want to win this thing real bad, and we're going to go after it again on Friday. We have to because Omaha is a great team, and they're not going to quit."

Game 4 is at 7:05 p.m. Friday, and if necessary Game 5 will be Saturday at the Mid-America Center.

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

SCORE BY PERIODS

Omaha 0 0 1 - 1

Waterloo 0 0 3 - 3

FIRST PERIOD - No scoring. Penalties - Billy Maday, Wat (hooking), 8:09; Chris Hepp, Oma (high sticking), 10:41; Andrew Conboy, Wat (holding), 19:44.

SECOND PERIOD - No scoring. Penalties - Jordan Samuels-Thomas, wat (tripping), 8:23; Brett Olson, Wat (cross checking), 10:07; Joe Sova, Oma (tripping), 13:39; Scott Pavelski, Wat (charging), 17:20.

THIRD PERIOD - 1. Omaha, Conboy (unassisted), 3:23, pp; 2. Waterloo, Eddie Olczyk (Mike Marcou), 4:49; 3. Waterloo, Nick Larson (Blake Kessel, Chad Billins), 14:55, pp; 4. Waterloo, Olson (unassisted), 18:43.

Penalties - Nick Larson, Wat (elbowing), 2:18; Samuels-Thomas, Wat (roughing), 4:34; Patrick Wiercioch, Oma (holding), 4:34; Olson, Wat (delay of game), 5:35, Joey Diamond, Oma (delay of game), 5:35; Drew MacKenzie, Wat (tripping), 7:38; Keegan Meuer, Wat (misconduct, game ejection), 8:55; Sova, Oma (tripping), 14:26; John Lee, Wat (checking from behind), 15:18; Wes O'Neill, Oma (roughing, charging), 19:28; MacKenzie, Wat (roughing), 19:28; Kessel, Wat (unsportsmanlike conduct), 19:28; Sova, Oma (roughing, unsportsmanlike misconduct), 19:28; Maday, Wat (roughing), 19:28.

SHOTS ON GOAL

Omaha 5 10 10 - 25

Waterloo 8 19 0 - 36

Goalies - Omaha, Drew Palmisano (33 saves). Waterloo, Matt DiGirolamo (24 saves). Referee - Joe Sullivan. Linesmen - Bryan Pancich, Brian Oliver. Att. - 3,111.