Cedar Rapids RoughRiders Weekly Update January 22nd 2007
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders Weekly Update January 22nd 2007

THIS WEEK

Friday, January 26, 7:05PM @ Cedar Rapids Ice Arena

Omaha Lancers vs. Cedar Rapids RoughRiders

 

Saturday, January 27, 7:05PM @ Cedar Rapids Ice Arena

Waterloo Black Hawks vs. Cedar Rapids RoughRiders

 

RECORDS

Cedar Rapids

21-11-1, 43 points, tied 1st place East Division

Omaha

19-13-2, 40 points, 3rd place West Division

Waterloo

20-8-3, 43 points, tied 1st place East Division

 

COMING IN

            The RoughRiders split a pair of home games last weekend.  The Tri-City Storm defeated the Riders 4-3 last Friday and in the process ended Cedar Rapids’ five-game winning streak.  The Riders bounced back to shut out the Green Bay Gamblers 3-0 one night later.

            The RoughRiders are tied for first place in the United States Hockey League’s East Division with the Waterloo Black Hawks.  The Black Hawks have two games in hand on the Riders.  The Riders and Hawks are two points behind Sioux City in the race for first place overall.

            The Riders are the only team in the league averaging more than four goals per game.  The Riders score 4.2 per contest.  Last Saturday’s victory was the Riders’ first win when scoring fewer than four goals since a 3-2 defeat of Lincoln on December 9.  After that game the Riders scored at least four times in each of their next seven wins.

            Jacob Cepis (24-23-47) has ripped off a seven-game point-scoring streak during which he has rung up 14 points on seven goals and seven assists.  Cepis leads the league lead in goals and points.  He is also tied for eighth in assists.

            The Riders this weekend close out a six-game homestand- their longest homestand of the season.  Last Friday’s loss ended the Riders’ six-game home winning streak.

            Rider goaltender Kent Patterson made 24 saves while posting his first career shutout last Saturday.  With that effort Patterson also extended his personal winning streak to five straight games.  He has posted a 2.95 goals against average and a .917 save percentage during that streak.  Patterson has also suffered just one regulation loss in his last ten appearances, going 7-1-1 with a 2.69 goals against average and a .926 save percentage during that stretch.

            The Lancers won three games in five days last week.  Omaha defeated Waterloo 4-2 last Tuesday at home, dropped Des Moines 7-4 last Friday in Urbandale and came from behind to down the Black Hawks 3-2 last Saturday in Waterloo.

            The Lancers have gone 10-2-0 in their last dozen games after going 9-11-2 in their first 22 games. 

The start of Omaha’s turnaround coincided with the December 10 acquisition of goaltender Drew Palmisano from the Ohio Junior Blue Jackets.  Palmisano started eleven straight games after coming over to the Lancers, going 9-2-0 while turning in a 2.32 goals against average and a .921 save percentage, before finally sitting out last Saturday’s game in Waterloo.

Brett Bruneteau (9-17-26) leads the Lancers in points, while Jarmo Jokila (14-10-24) is the club’s top goal scorer.

Omaha is six games over .500 despite having been outscored 116 to 115 on the season.  The Lancers have allowed a league high 55 power play goals and rank last in penalty killing efficiency at 77.9 percent.

The Black Hawks went 1-2-0 last week.  The Hawks sandwiched loss to Omaha last Tuesday and Saturday around a 3-1 home win over Green Bay last Friday.

            The Black Hawks are the top defensive team in the USHL.  Waterloo surrenders just 2.3 goals per game.

Joshua Turnbull (17-9-26) leads Waterloo in goal scoring while James Marcou (9-19-28) in the Black Hawk’s

top point scorer. 

            The Hawks’ Matthew DiGirolamo and Ryan Rondeau have formed perhaps the top goaltending tandem in the league. 

DiGirolamo leads the league in goals against average (2.03), ranks second in save percentage (.923) and is tied for fourth in wins, having gone 13-5-0 so far this season.  DiGirolamo has won three straight games and gone 5-1-0 in his last six games.

Rondeau, who has gone 7-3-3, ranks fourth in goals against average (2.43) and is tied for tenth in save percentage (.904).

 

RECENT ACTION

Cedar Rapids

Friday, January 19:  Tri-City 4  Cedar Rapids 3

The Riders surrendered the game-winning goal with just 3:51 left in the third period.  Aaron Bogosian, Jacob Cepis and Dan Dries scored the Cedar Rapids goals.

 

Saturday, January 20:  Cedar Rapids 3  Green Bay 0

Kent Patterson made 24 saves to shut out the Gamblers.  The Riders got the jump on Green Bay with first period goals from Robin Bergman and Pat Cannone.  Jacob Cepis’ third period goal capped off the win.

 

Omaha

Tuesday, January 16:  Omaha 4  Waterloo 2

Jarmo Jokila scored two goals as the Lancers jumped out to a 3-0 lead and held on for the win.

 

Friday, January 19:  Omaha 7  Des Moines 4

Corey Toy and Barry Almeida (who also had one assist) score two goals apiece to key the Omaha attack.

 

Saturday, January 20:  Omaha 3  Waterloo 2

Will O’Neill scored the winning goal- his second of the game- with just 55 seconds left in regulation as the Lancers rallied to erase a 2-0 third period deficit.  O’Neill got Omaha on the scoreboard at 5:21 of the third and Andrew Conboy tied the game at 15:20.

 

Waterloo

Tuesday, January 16:  Omaha 4  Waterloo 2

The Black Hawks’ third period rally came up just short.  Goals from Kyle Reeds and Josh Turnbull enabled the Hawks to trim the Omaha lead from 3-0 to 3-2, but the Lancers put the game away with a late empty net goal.

 

Friday, January 19:  Waterloo 3  Green Bay 1

Blake Kessel, James Marcou (who also had an assist) and Tim Gilbert scored the Black Hawks goals.

 

Saturday, January 20:  Omaha 3  Waterloo 2

The Black Hawks were unable to hold a 2-0 third period lead. Ryan Cramer and Joshua Turnbull scored the Waterloo goals.   

 


TOP POINT SCORERS

Cedar Rapids                   GP       G          A          PTS

Jacob Cepis                 32         24         23         47

Pat Cannone                 33         12         18         30

Robin Bergman             25         15         14         29

Kevin Wehrs                  33         7          20         27

Evan Stephens              33         5          20         25

 

Omaha                             GP       G          A          PTS

Brett Bruneteau             29         9          17         26

Robby Dee                   34         11         14         25

Mark Olver                    31         11         14         25

Jarmo Jokila                 32         14         10         24

Andrew Conboy            30         11         11         22

 

Waterloo                          GP       G          A          PTS

James Marcou              29         9          19         28

Josh Turnbull                31         17         9          26

Matt Arhontas               31         10         11         21

(three players tied with 16 points)

 

LEADERS

Cedar Rapids

Goals- Jacob Cepis (24)

Assists- Jacob Cepis (23)

Points- Jacob Cepis (47)

Plus/Minus- Evan Stephens (+13)

Penalty Minutes- Kevin Wehrs (69)

Power Play Goals- Robin Bergman (9)

Shorthanded Goals- Aaron Bogosian (2)

 

Omaha

Goals- Jarmo Jokila (14)

Assists- Brett Bruneteau (17)

Points- Brett Bruneteau (26)

Plus/Minus- Ross Keir (+13)

Penalty Minutes- Nick Petrecki (102)

Power Play Goals- Robby Dee (7)

Shorthanded Goals- Jarmo Jokila (3)

 

Waterloo

Goals- Joshua Turnbull (17)

Assists- James Marcou (19)

Points- James Marcou (28)

Plus/Minus- Tim Gilbert (+13)

Penalty Minutes- Pasko Skarica (98)

Power Play Goals- Matt Arhontas, James Marcou (5)

Shorthanded Goals- Matt Arhontas, Joshua Turnbull (2)

                                                  

WHO’S HOT

Cedar Rapids              

Robin Bergman: eight points (five goals, three assists) in his last seven games

Jacob Cepis: seven-game point-scoring streak (7-7-14)

Evan Stephens: ten points (two goals, eight assists) in his last ten games

Kent Patterson: five-game winning streak (2.95, .917, 1SO)…7-1-1 in his last ten games (2.69, .926, 1SO)

 

Omaha                                                                 

Brett Bruneteau: seven-game point-scoring streak (2-8-10)       

Andrew Conboy: 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in his nine games

Jarmo Jokila: 11 points (seven goals, four assists) in his last nine games

 

Waterloo

Matt Arhontas: eight points (three goals, five assists) in his last eight games

James Marcou: eight points (two goals, six assists) in his last six games

Kyle Reeds: eleven points (four goals, seven assists) in his last nine games

Joshua Turnbull: four goals in his last six games

Matthew DiGirolamo: three-game winning streak (1.30, .947, 1SO)…5-1-0 in his last six games (1.81, .929, 1SO)

 

GOALTENDERS

Cedar Rapids                   GP       MIN                  GAA     W-L-SOL           SO       SPCT  

Kent Patterson              18         1039:54             3.00      13-3-1               1          .911

Richard Bachman          10         596:21              3.72      5-5-0                 0          .886

 

Omaha                                 GP       MIN                  GAA     W-L-SOL           SO       SPCT

Drew Palmisano            11         619:41              2.42      9-2-0                 0          .921

Jordan Tibbett               15         662:19              3.71      5-4-1                 0          .871

Michal Valent                1          60                     2.00      1-0-0                 0          .938

 

Waterloo                             GP       MIN                  GAA     W-L-SOL    SO       SPCT

Matthew DiGirolamo      18         1035:51             2.03      13-5-0         2          .923

Ryan Rondeau              15         840:05              2.43      7-3-3           1          .904

                                   

WIN-LOSS

Cedar Rapids               Omaha                         Waterloo

Home: 11-6-0                 Home: 10-6-1                 Home: 12-2-1

Away: 10-5-1                 Away: 9-7-1                   Away: 8-6-2

 

vs. East: 16-4-0             vs. East: 10-1-0             vs. East: 15-3-2

vs. West: 5-7-1              vs. West: 9-12-2            vs. West: 5-5-1

 

GOALS

Cedar Rapids               Omaha                         Waterloo

Goals For: 4.24 (1)         Goals For: 3.38 (7)         Goals For: 3.42 (6)

Goals Against: 3.45 (9)   Goals Against: 3.41 (8)   Goals Against: 2.32 (1)

                                                                                   

SPECIAL TEAMS

Cedar Rapids                                       Omaha

Power Play:       19.3 47/244 (3)              Power Play:       14.1 36/256 (10)

Penalty Kill:       81.9 34/188 (9)              Penalty Kill:       77.9 55/249 (12)

 

Shorthanded Goals For: 8                       Shorthanded Goals For: 8

Shorthanded Goals Against: 4                 Shorthanded Goals Against: 3

 

Waterloo

Power Play:       15.1 36/238 (9)

Penalty Kill:       86.0 26/286 (1)

                                        

Shorthanded Goals For: 5

Shorthanded Goals Against: 2

 

SEASON SERIES

Cedar Rapids vs. Omaha
1/26/07             Omaha at Cedar Rapids                         3/2/07               Cedar Rapids at Omaha

2/17/07             Omaha at Cedar Rapids                         3/16/07             Cedar Rapids at Omaha

 

                   GP       W-L-SOL           PTS      H          A                      OPP REC         OPP PTS

2005-06        5          3-1-1                 7          2-0-1     1-1-0                 2-2-1                 5

All-Time       31         11-17-3             25         6-7-3     5-10-0               20-7-4               44


 

Cedar Rapids vs. Waterloo

11/23/06            Cedar Rapids 3 at Waterloo 2

11/24/06            Waterloo 4 at Cedar Rapids 3

12/31/06            at Waterloo 3 Cedar Rapids 2

1/27/07             Waterloo at Cedar Rapids

3/3/07               Cedar Rapids at Waterloo

3/30/07             Waterloo at Cedar Rapids

3/31/07             Cedar Rapids at Waterloo
4/14/07             Waterloo at Cedar Rapids

                  GP       W-L-SOL           PTS      H          A                      OPP REC         OPP PTS

2006-07       3          1-2-0                 2          0-1-0     1-1-0                 2-1-0                 4

All-Time     49         24-21-4             52         13-8-2   11-13-2             25-20-4             54

 

Top Point Scorers/Season Series

Cedar Rapids vs. Omaha (2005-06)

Cedar Rapids               GP       G          A          PTS

Chad Costello               5          6          3          9

Ted Purcell                    4          1          5          6

(two players tied with three points)

 

 

Omaha                         GP       G          A          PTS

Matt Schepke                5          2          2          4

Nick Schaus                  5          0          4          4

Brett Bruneteau             5          1          2          3

 

Cedar Rapids vs. Waterloo

 

Cedar Rapids               GP       G          A          PTS

Jacob Cepis                 3          3          1          4

Scott Wietecha              3          3          0          3

(three players tied with two points)

Waterloo                      GP       G          A          PTS

Brett Barta                    3          1          2          3

Vince LoVerde              2          0          3          3

(five players tied with two points)

 

Goaltenders/Season Series

Cedar Rapids vs. Omaha (05-06)

Cedar Rapids                   GP       MIN      GAA     W-L-SOL           SO       SPCT

Alex Stalock                  2          125       1.44      2-0-0                 0          .963

Pat McGann                  3          185       2.92      1-1-1                 0          .926

 

Omaha                             GP       MIN      GAA     W-L-SOL           SO       SPCT

Michael Spillane            4          243:36  2.46      2-2-0                 0          .916

Eddie Neville                 1          65         0.92      0-0-1                 0          .969

 

Cedar Rapids vs. Waterloo

Cedar Rapids                   GP       MIN      GAA     W-L-SOL           SO       SPCT  

Richard Bachman          2          117:52  2.55      1-1-0                 0          .924

Kent Patterson              1          58:56    4.07      0-1-0                 0          .892

 

Waterloo                          GP       MIN      GAA     W-L-SOL           SO       SPCT
Matthew DiGirolamo      2          118:40  2.53      1-1-0                 0          .878

Ryan Rondeau              1          60         3.00      1-0-0                 0          .912

 

COACHES

Cedar Rapids

Mark Carlson, 8th year (239-170-39)

Mark Carlson has been the RoughRiders’ coach since the team arrived in Cedar Rapids in 1999.  In 2005-06 he led the Riders to their second straight East Division title. 

He has also piloted the Riders to six straight winning seasons and six straight Clark Cup playoff berths.  The Riders are one of just two USHL teams to have reached the postseason each of the last six years. 

The Riders are the only team to have advanced at least as far as the Clark Cup semi-finals/East Division finals each of the last two springs and four of the last five years.  On December 3, 2005 Carlson picked up his two hundredth career coaching win as the Riders defeated Omaha 2-1 in a shootout.  Carlson’s RoughRiders went 218-159-38 in his first seven seasons with the club.
            The high point of his tenure was leading the RoughRiders to the first Clark Cup (playoff) title in team history along with a share of the Anderson Cup regular season title and the East Division title in 2004-05.  The Riders went 42-13-5 during the regular season- the best record in club history- and swept through the first two rounds of the playoffs before defeating Sioux City three games to two in the finals. For his efforts, Carlson was named the 2004-05 USHL Coach of the Year.
            Carlson, a native of Lawrenceville, New Jersey, is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts-Lowell where he earned a B.S. in Business Administration and Marketing. Also while at Lowell, Carlson skated in the highly competitive Hockey East conference as a forward on the River Hawks’ hockey team. His on-ice talent was recognized even before he arrived in Lowell when he was taken in the 1987 National Hockey League draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

After graduating from UML, Carlson spent one season as an assistant coach at Lawrenceville School before returning to Lowell to serve as an assistant to head coach Bruce Crowder. After helping the River Hawks to a berth in the 1996 NCAA tournament, Carlson spent another three seasons beside Crowder as an assistant at Northeastern University in Boston, where he also acted as recruiting coordinator. He earned a master’s degree in education from N.U.

During his time at N.U. Carlson also acted as recruiting coordinator.  Among those he recruited for the Huskies were Jim Fahey, who now skates for the National Hockey League’s San Jose Sharks, and Mike Ryan, who would later be the top draft pick of the NHL’s Dallas Stars.

 

Omaha

Mike Hastings, 13th year (467-187-45)

Mike Hastings is third all-time among USHL coaches in career wins.  Hastings earned his four hundredth career USHL coaching win on January 29, 2005 when the Lancers defeated the Sioux City Musketeers 3-2 in a shootout.

Hastings steered the Lancers to the Clark Cup (playoff) championship in both 1997-98 and 2000-01 and to the Anderson Cup (regular season) title in 2001-02 and a share of the Anderson Cup (along with the RoughRiders) last season.  He was named both USHL Coach of the Year and General Manager of the Year in 1996-97 and 2001-02.  Hastings has posted a remarkable .701 career winning percentage.  None of his Lancer teams has ever finished a season fewer than 14 games above .500.

Hastings served as an assistant coach for Team USA at the 2003 and 2005 World Junior Championships.

Hastings played college hockey at St. Cloud State after a standout USHL career with the Austin Mavericks and Rochester Mustangs.  Prior to that, he skated for Minnesota’s Crookston High School.

 

Waterloo

P.K. O’Handley, 11th year (280-294-45); 5th year Waterloo (140-107-24)

O’Handley is now in his fifth season with the Black Hawks.  He guided the Hawks to the 2003-04 Clark Cup title and the 2002-03 East Division title.  He also led Waterloo to three straight playoff berths before that streak was snapped last year.

O’Handley won his one hundredth game as Waterloo coach when the Black Hawks defeated the Indiana Ice 5-4 in overtime on October 14, 2005. 

O’Handley spent seven years (1991-98) as the head coach of the North Iowa Huskies, the team that moved from Mason City to Cedar Rapids to become the RoughRiders after the 1998-99 campaign.  He posted a 140-187-21 record behind the Huskies bench.  Prior to returning to the USHL with Waterloo, O’Handley was an assistant coach in the pro ranks for four seasons.          

 

HISTORY

            Last Friday marked the first time the Riders shut out an opponent since Al Stalock made 42 saves in a 3-0 win over the Chicago Steel on March 24, 2006.

Last season was the Riders’ third straight 30-win campaign and also the fifth time in the last six years that the Riders have picked up at least 30 victories. 

The Riders went 42-13-5 on the road over the last two seasons combined.  The Riders’ road record was superior to their home record both last season season and in 2004-05.

The Riders are, along with the Omaha Lancers, one of just two teams who have reached the playoffs each of the last six years.  As all 12 USHL teams will qualify for the postseason this year, that streak will be stretch to seven consecutive playoff berths in April.

The Riders are the only USHL team to advance at least as far as the division finals each of the last two years.  Furthermore, Cedar Rapids is also the only team to reach the league’s final four in four of the last five years.  Only one team (Sioux City) has even reached the second round three times in the last five years.

The Lancers have won the Clark Cup (playoff) championship a USHL record six times (1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1998 and 2001).  The Lancers shared the Anderson Cup with the RoughRiders last season, marking the fourth time Omaha has taken the regular season title (1990, 1993, 2002 and 2005).

The Black Hawks missed last spring’s Clark Cup playoffs after qualifying each of the prior three years.  The Hawks went 23-30-7 last year after posting winning records each of the prior three seasons.

The 2003-04 Clark Cup title was the first in Black Hawk history.  The 2002-03 division title was the first in twenty-four years for the Hawks.  Prior to that campaign, Waterloo last finished at the top of a division in 1979-80, the USHL’s first season as a junior league.  

           

COLLEGE COMMITMENTS

Cedar Rapids (12)

Richard Bachman (Colorado College), Robin Bergman (Notre Dame), David Boehm (Massachusetts), Aaron Bogosian (St. Lawrence), Rob Bordson (Minnesota-Duluth), Jacob Cepis (Bowling Green), Brett Dickinson (Quinnipiac), Evan Stephens (Dartmouth), Matt Tomassoni (Miami of Ohio), Kevin Wehrs (Minnesota), Scott Wietecha (Ferris State), Tommy Wingels (Miami of Ohio)

 

Omaha (15)

Brett Bruneteau (North Dakota), Andrew Conboy (Nebraska-Omaha), Robby Dee (Maine), Jack Downing (Vermont),

Chris Hepp (St. Cloud State), Nick Larson (Minnesota), Jake Marto (North Dakota), Travis Novak (St. Cloud State), Will O’Neill (New Hampshire), Mark Olver (Northern Michigan), Nick Petrecki (Boston College), Patrick Schafer (Ohio State), Matt Thurber (Wisconsin), Jordan Tibbet (Michigan State), Corey Toy (Ohio State)

 

Waterloo (12)

Matt Arhontas (Princeton), Ryan Cramer (Bemidji State), Jan-Mikael Juutilainen (Nebraska-Omaha), Blake Kessel (New Hampshire), John Lee (Denver), Vince LoVerde (Miami of Ohio), Billy Maday (Notre Dame), James Marcou (Massachusetts), Ryan Rondeau (Yale), Anthony Schooley (Michigan Tech), Craig Smith (Wisconsin), Joshua Turnbull (Wisconsin)

 

NHL DRAFT PICKS

Cedar Rapids               Year     Round   Overall  Team

Sergei Kolosov             2004     5th         151       Detroit

Richard Bachman          2006     4th         120       Dallas

 

Waterloo                      Year     Round   Overall  Team

Jan-Mikael Juutilainen    2006     6th         156       Chicago

 

ROUGHRIDER ALUMNI

Division I                                                                     GP       G          A          PTS     

Justin Abdelkader (Michigan State/sophomore)               21         7          11         18

Phil Axtell (Michigan Tech/freshman)                              22         2          5          7

Casey Bickley (Army/senior)                                           23         5          10         15        

James Brannigan (Colorado College/junior)                     17         0          4          4

Jamie Carroll (Providence/senior)                                   18         3          2          5

Greg Collins (New Hampshire/sophomore)                      17         1          2          3

Chad Costello (Northeastern/freshman)                           22         8          9          17

Ray Eichenlaub (Miami of Ohio/sophomore)                   28         4          13         17

Jon Grabarek (Wayne State/sophomore)                         16         1          4          5         

Jordy Hart (Merrimack/junior)                                          12         1          0          1

Bryan Horan (Providence/senior)                                    22         2          2          4

Tyler Howells (Michigan State/senior)                              25         2          14         16

Ray Kaunisto (Northern Michigan/freshman)                    27         1          0          1

Steven Kaunisto (Lake Superior State/freshman)             25         1          4          5

Billy Loupee (Miami of Ohio/sophomore)                         22         1          2          3

Shane Lovdahl (Alaska-Anchorage/sophomore)              18         0          4          4