By Trevor Grimm

There are a lot of reasons Waterloo is undefeated at home in the playoffs.

Many will point to the 200x100 foot ice, yet the Black Hawks are a team that wins with grit and determination - characteristics often associated with ice sizes smaller than the North American standard 200x85.

Others will point to the crowd. At 105 db one point during the play in this series - without any noise over the sound system - that’s the loudest this observer has seen in the smartphone era - or at least the era of the DecibelX app.

And yet others will point to the speed and quickness of this year’s squad.

All three factors have played a big role in the Black Hawks going 6-0 at home in the playoffs. And this could come into play in a strange way in the Clark Cup Final

Although Muskegon finished with 84 points in the regular season, six more than Waterloo, they find themselves without home ice advance in the best-of-five final. As Waterloo finished third in the Western Conference and Muskegon finished fourth in the Eastern Conference, by USHL rules, the team that had a higher seed in their conference has home ice in the final.

It’s an unusual rule, but nobody in the Cedar Valley is complaining.

The games start Friday and Saturday in Young Arena, in what should be boisterous capacity crowds.

Carter Casey has been the story of these playoffs. The Waterloo goaltender has gone 10-2 in these playoffs, posting a 2.34 goals against average and a .925 save percentage. The 17-year-old had just five games of USHL experience before these playoffs, going 3-2 with a 2.08 goals against average and a .920 save percentage.

This will certainly be a battle between the pipes, as Muskegon’s Shikhabutdin Gadzhiev has posted a 1.74 goals against and a .948 save percentage six postseason appearances.

Despite those numbers, don’t be surprised to see Steven Peck to face some action between the pipes as well. Muskegon has used a somewhat unorthodox 60/40 rotation in net firing the playoffs, but there’s no arguing with success.

In style, this should be a great matchup. Muskegon is a team that quietly does everything well. At first, it may not be obvious why they are so strong - until you realize they just do everything well. Not to mention, they can match anyone’s physicality, which is a key in any playoff series.

Waterloo is a team built on speed, grit, energy, and a never-say-quit attitude. They feed off the raucous home crowd, and they’ve made Young Arena the toughest place to play in these playoffs.

PREDICTION: When each team enters the final on fire, anything can happen. Either one could easily continue the roll and sweep the series.

Yet with a week off, momentum may slow a bit. This series will come down to the little things - pick battles, faceoffs, taking a hit to make a play. Both teams are good at those elements of the game.

It feels too close to call, but Waterloo in five.