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Game Summary: March 24, 2006- RoughRiders 3 Chicago 0

Game Summary: March 24, 2006- RoughRiders 3 Chicago 0

<DIV style="FLOAT: right"><IMG src="/content/portals/5/images/stalocka.jpg"> <CENTER>#32 Al Stalock</CENTER></DIV> March 24, 2006- The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders clinched at least a share of a second straight United States Hockey League East Division title and also set up a first round Clark Cup playoff match-up with the Indiana Ice with a 3-0 win over the Chicago Steel tonight. The Riders’ win, combined with the Des Moines Buccaneers’ 4-2 loss at Waterloo this evening, enabled the Riders to open up a two point lead over the Bucs at the top of the East Division. Both the Riders and Bucs finish the regular season tomorrow night. The Riders are guaranteed the top seed in the East Division for the post season even if the Riders lose and the Bucs win tomorrow night and the two clubs finished tied. The Riders would win the potential tie breaker by virtue of having won their season series against Des Moines. Indiana this evening picked up one point for a 3-2 overtime loss to the Sioux City Musketeers and with that point locked up the fourth and final East Division playoff spot and the opening round meeting with the Riders. The Ice outlasted the Waterloo Black Hawks in the race for fourth place in the east. The Riders will travel to Indianapolis for game one of the best-of-five series next Tuesday night. The Riders will host game two next Friday night at 7:05PM and game three next Saturday night at the same time. If a fourth game is necessary, it will be played in Indianapolis on Thursday, April 6. Should the series go the full five games, the Riders would host the deciding contest on Saturday, April 8 at 7:05PM. The Riders will open the series on the road despite being the higher seed because the grounds of the Indiana State Fair- where the Ice’s home rink, Pepsi Coliseum, is located- will be taken over by the Hoosier Horse Fair and Expo later next week. The Riders and Ice also met in the opening round last spring. Cedar Rapids defeated Indiana three games to none and went on to win the Clark Cup title. The Riders’ secured tonight’s crucial win thanks to a 42-save shutout effort from goaltender Al Stalock and goals from Dustin Cloutier, Brett Dickinson and Kevin Wehrs. Cloutier’s first period shorthanded goal gave Cedar Rapids the early jump and Dickinson and Wehrs scored just under four minutes apart in the third period to put Chicago away. With tonight’s victory, Stalock set a new team record for most wins in one season by a goaltender, snapping the old mark of 27 set by Bobby Goepfert in 2001-02. The Riders are, along with the Omaha Lancers, one of just two USHL teams who have qualified for the post-season each of the last six seasons. The Riders have advanced at least as far as the Clark Cup semi-finals/East Division finals three of the last four years. 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. Tickets for the Riders’ first two playoff games are now on sale at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena ticket office. Tickets can be purchased over the phone at (319) 261-4625, in person at the ice arena or on line at www.roughridershockey.com. The ticket office is open from noon to 5:00PM on weekdays and from noon through the end of the second period on game days. Playoff ticket prices range from $8 to $18 including a 50-cent facility fee. <A href="http://www.pointstreak.com/prostats/boxscore.html?gameid=232728" target=_blank>Box Score</A>

Posted on Friday, March 24, 2006 (Archive on Friday, March 24, 2006)

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