Cedar Rapids RoughRiders defenseman Scott Wietecha has been named United States Hockey League Defensive Player of the Week.

Wietecha, 19, scored two power play goals, added one assist and posted a plus/minus rating of +1 in the RoughRiders’ 7-4 win over the Ohio Junior Blue Jackets last Friday. Wietecha also fired a USHL-season high 11 shots at the Blue Jacket net in that game. One night later, Wietecha was again a +1 as the Riders downed Ohio 4-1.

“Scott’s done a very good job for us at both ends of the ice,” said RoughRiders Coach and General Manager Mark Carlson. “He worked very hard during the offseason and I think we’re seeing the payoff for that hard work now.”

The goals Wietecha scored last Friday were his first two of the season. The Wolverine Lake, Michigan, native has totaled four points in seven games on the campaign. Wietecha made a welcome return to the Rider line-up earlier this month after missing six games because of a shoulder injury.

Wietecha found the net twice last Friday after scoring just one goal in 39 games last year. He has also already this season matched his point total (four) for all of 2005-06. Wietecha is the third RoughRider to earn Player of the Week honors in the first six weeks of the campaign.

Wietecha will play college hockey at Ferris State. He was selected by the RoughRiders in the fourth round of the May, 2005 United States Hockey League draft with the forty-third overall choice after skating for Victory Honda midget program in 2004-05.

Wietecha and the RoughRiders (9-4-0, 18 points) will play three games in three nights this week. The Riders will visit the arch rival Waterloo Black Hawks Thursday night before returning home to take on the Black Hawks Friday evening at 7:05. The Riders enter the two game series with Waterloo trailing the Hawks by just two points in the race for first place in the USHL’s East Division. The Riders will round out the weekend with a visit to Green Bay to meet the Gamblers Saturday night.

Tickets for all remaining RoughRider regular season home games- including Friday night’s- are now on sale. Tickets are available for purchase in person at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena ticket office, over the phone at (319) 261-4625 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. Ticket prices range from $7 to $17 in advance and from $8 to $18 on game days.