| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
RoughRiders to Open Playoffs with Home Games April 8 and 9
|
|
|
RoughRiders to Open Playoffs with Home Games April 8 and 9
<p>March 25, 2005- The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders will open the 2005 United States Hockey League Clark Cup playoffs with home games on Friday, April 8 and Saturday, April 9, the RoughRiders announced today. Both game one and game two of the Riders’ first round series will face off at 7:05PM. First round playoff tickets are currently on sale at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena ticket office (261-4625).</p>
<p>The RoughRiders, who have already clinched the USHL’s East Division title, will meet the fourth place finisher in the east- either the Indiana Ice or the Green Bay Gamblers- in the best-of-five opening round. After defeating Green Bay 4-3 in overtime Wednesday night, the Ice is now six points ahead of the fifth place Gamblers in the standings. If the Ice wins its game tonight against the Black Hawks in Waterloo and the Gamblers lose their home game this evening against the Des Moines Buccaneers, Indiana will clinch the final East Division playoff berth. Both the Ice and Gamblers have four regular season games remaining.</p>
<p>No matter the opponent, the Riders will play the first two games of their first round series at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena before taking to the road for game three. The Riders would also play game four, if necessary, away from home. If a fifth game was required to decide the series, it would be played in Cedar Rapids. </p>
<p>Dates for game three and, if necessary, games four and five of that series will not be finalized until the identity of the Riders’ opening round opponent is determined.</p>
<p>Playoff ticket prices range from $9 to $18. Tickets for only the first round of the playoffs are currently available. Tickets for the second and third rounds- should the Riders advance- will go on sale at a later date. First round playoff tickets are already included in season ticket holders’ packages.</p>
<p>Should they advance, the RoughRiders have already clinched home ice advantage for the second round of the playoffs. </p>
<p>The Clark Cup is symbolic of supremacy in American junior hockey and is presented annually to the playoff champions of the USHL, the nation’s only Tier I junior league. </p>
<p>The league-leading Riders (40-11-5, 85 points) are four points ahead of the Omaha Lancers in the race for first place overall in the USHL. The Riders’ magic number for clinching the Anderson Cup regular season title is five. Any combination of points gained in the standings by the RoughRiders or points lost by Omaha totaling five will result in the Riders locking up first place overall for the first time in team history.</p>
<p>The Riders clinched a playoff spot earlier this season- after just 41 games- than in any other season in team history. The Riders became the first team in the United States Hockey League to lock up a post season berth this season when they defeated the Chicago Steel 5-4 in overtime on February 11. The Riders have now qualified for the playoffs five years in a row.</p>
<p>The Riders clinched the USHL’s East Divison title with a 3-1 win in Green Bay on February 26 and have also already set new club records for most wins and points in a season.</p>
<p>The Riders return to action with a pair of road games this weekend. The Riders will visit the Sioux City Musketeers tonight at 7:35 before traveling to Kearney, Nebraska, to meet the Tri-City Storm tomorrow evening at 7:05. Both of this weekend’s games- and all RoughRiders regular season and playoff contests- will be broadcast on AM-1360 The Fan. </p> |
Posted on Friday, March 25, 2005 (Archive on Friday, March 25, 2005)
| | Return |
|
|
 |
|
|
| |
| Copyright (c) 2008 Cedar Rapids RoughRiders |
|
|