COMING IN
The RoughRiders have won three straight games and have gone 6-0-1 in their last seven. The Riders collected a pair of road wins last week. Cedar Rapids edged Chicago 4-3 last Tuesday and shutout Ohio 4-0 yesterday afternoon.
The Riders have not suffered a regulation loss since falling to Des Moines 4-2 on March 3.
The Riders are one point ahead of the Waterloo Black Hawks in the race for first place in the United States Hockey League’s East Division. The Black Hawks have one game in hand on the Riders.
The Riders are just one point behind the Omaha Lancers and Lincoln Stars in the battle for the top spot overall. The Stars have played one more game than the Riders and Lancers.
The Riders are the second highest scoring team in the USHL. Cedar Rapids averages 4.1 goals per game on the season and has scored 34 goals over its last seven games.
Sunday’s shutout of the Blue Jackets’ was the Riders’ fifth whitewashing of the season.
The Riders’ Jacob Cepis (30-35-65) is within one of the RoughRiders’ single season goal scoring record. He is the only player in the league to have reached the 30-goal plateau this season. Cepis is also tied for fourth in the league in points.
The Riders will return home Friday night having won six straight games at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena.
Last Tuesday’s win was the two hundred fiftieth regular season victory in RoughRider history and likewise, the two hundred fiftieth of Rider boss Mark Carlson’s USHL coaching career.
With yesterday’s win the Riders reached 70 points for a fourth straight season and for the fifth time in the last six years.
The battle for the i wireless Corridor Cup- the trophy awarded to the winner of the Cedar Rapids-Waterloo- regular season series- will heat up again this weekend. The Black Hawks have won three of the first five meetings between the two teams this season. The Hawks could clinch the Corridor Cup this weekend if they collect at least three points from the two games and the Riders pick up no more than two points.
Tomorrow night’s game between the Riders and Lancers was originally scheduled for March 2, but was postponed because inclement weather prevented the Riders from traveling to Council Bluffs.
The Lancers have gone 17-1-3 in their last 21 games. A 5-2 loss at Tri-City last Tuesday ended Omaha’s run of 18 straight games (16-0-2) without a regulation loss. The defeat at the hands of the Storm was the Lancers’ first regulation setback since a 3-2 loss to Sioux Falls on January 13.
The Lancers’ rebounded from last Tuesday’s loss by edging Sioux Falls 3-2 in overtime last Friday. One night later Omaha worked overtme again, earning one point for a wild 7-6 sudden death loss at Lincoln.
The Lancers have gone 24-3-3 in their last 30 games after going 9-11-2 in their first 22 outings.
The start of Omaha’s turnaround coincided with the December 10 acquisition of goaltender Drew Palmisano from the Ohio Junior Blue Jackets. Since joining the Lancers, Palmisano has gone 17-3-1 with a 2.77 goals against average and a .913 save percentage.
Michal Valent, the Lancers’ other goaltender, has gone unbeaten in regulation (7-0-1) since joining Omaha in January.
Mark Olver (27-28-55) is far and away the Lancers’ top point producer and is tied for third in the league in goal scoring.
The Black Hawks have won four straight games. Waterloo downed Sioux City 4-1 last Saturday on home ice and traveled to Green Bay to hand the Gamblers a 5-1 defeat yesterday.
The Black Hawks are the top defensive team in the USHL. Waterloo surrenders just 2.5 goals per game. The Hawks have allowed just one goal in each of their last four games.
The Black Hawks’ James Marcou (21-41-62) is tied for fifth in the league in assists and ranks sixth in points.
Joshua Turnbull (25-21-46) is tied for eighth in goal scoring.
The Hawks’ Matthew DiGirolamo and Ryan Rondeau form a formidable goaltending tandem.
DiGirolamo leads the league in goals against average (2.43), ranks third in save percentage (.911) and is tied for fifth in wins, having gone 19-8-0 so far this season. Rondeau, who has gone 14-7-3, ranks second in goals against average (2.44).
LAST WEEK
Cedar Rapids
Tuesday, March 20: RoughRiders 4 Chicago Steel 3
The Riders rallied from a 3-1 deficit with second period goals from Brett Dickinson, Casey Wellman and Danny Dries.
Sunday March 25: RoughRiders 4 Ohio Junior Blue Jackets 0
Richard Bachman made 33 saves to blank the Blue Jackets. Tyler Thompson, Ian Slater, Danny Dries and Brett Dickinson provided the Rider goals.
Omaha
Tuesday, March 20: Tri-City 5 Omaha 2
The Lancers spotted Tri-City a 4-0 lead before Ben Arnt and Mark Olver scored Omaha’s goals.
Friday, March 23: Omaha 3 Sioux Falls 2 (OT)
Brett Bruneteau scored the game winner at 4:21 of overtime as Omaha rallied from a 2-0 deficit. Andrew Conboy and Travis Novak also scored for the Lancers.
Saturday, March 24: Lincoln 7 Omaha 6 (OT)
Mark Olver tied the score at six with 52 seconds left in regulation only for the Stars to grab the game winner with just 48 seconds left in overtime. Olver and Matt Thurber both scored twice for the Lancers.
Waterloo
Saturday, March 24: Waterloo 4 Sioux City 1
The Black Hawks built a 4-0 lead on the way to the win. James Marcou, Kyle Reeds, Brett Olson and Mitch Ryan scored for Waterloo.
Sunday, March 25: Waterloo 5 Green Bay 1
Ryan Cramer scored twice and James Marcou picked up three assists to pace the Black Hawk attack.
LEADERS
Cedar Rapids
Goals- Jacob Cepis (30)
Assists- Jacob Cepis (35)
Points- Jacob Cepis (65)
Plus/Minus- Evan Stephens, Kevin Wehrs (+13)
Penalty Minutes- Kevin Wehrs (118)
Power Play Goals- Robin Bergman (17)
Shorthanded Goals- Aaron Bogosian (4)
Omaha
Goals- Mark Olver (27)
Assists- Mark Olver (28)
Points- Mark Olver (55)
Plus/Minus- Mark Olver (+27)
Penalty Minutes- Nick Petrecki (157)
Power Play Goals- Andrew Conboy (9)
Shorthanded Goals- Jarmo Jokila, Mark Olver (3)
Waterloo
Goals- Joshua Turnbull (25)
Assists- James Marcou (41)
Points- James Marcou (62)
Plus/Minus- Vince LoVerde (+24)
Penalty Minutes- Pasko Skarica (133)
Power Play Goals- James Marcou (10)
Shorthanded Goals- Matt Arhontas, Tim Gilbert, Joshua Turnbull (2)
WHO’S HOT
Cedar Rapids
Robin Bergman: four game goal scoring streak (five goals) ended yesterday
Pat Cannone: four game point scoring streak (one goal, five assists) ended yesterday
Brett Dickinson: six game point scoring streak (three goals, four assists)
Danny Dries: eight goals (and one assist) in his last nine games
Doug Jones: five game point scoring streak (three goals, six assists)
Mike Seidel: seven game point scoring streak (two goals, ten assists) ended yesterday
Ian Slater: nine points (three goals, six assists) in his last six games
Tyler Thompson: eight points (five goals, three assists) in his last seven games
Richard Bachman: four game winning streak (2.00, .938, 1SO)…6-1-1 in his last eight games (2.23, .938 2SO)
Omaha
Andrew Conboy: 13 points (nine goals, four assists) in his last ten games
Mark Olver: five game point scoring streak (4-2-6)…31 points (16 goals, 15 assists) in his last 20 games
Nick Petrecki: eight points (three goals, five assists) in his last eight games
Matt Thurber: 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in his last 14 games
Michal Valent: 7-0-1 with Omaha with a 2.15 goals against average and a .918 save percentage
Waterloo
Ryan Cramer: 15 points (nine goals, six assists) in his last 12 games
Blake Kessel: five points (one goal, four assists) in his last five games
James Marcou: ten game point scoring streak (6-13-19)…33 points (12 goals, 21 assists) in his last 18 games
Kyle Reeds: four goals in his last four games…13 points (eight goals, five assists) in his last 12 games
Joshua Turnbull: 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in his last 15 games
COACHES
Cedar Rapids
Mark Carlson, 8th year (251-174-41)
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 (481-188-48)
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 (292-301-45); 5th year Waterloo (152-114-24)
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 Tuesday’s win was the two hundred fiftieth regular season victory in RoughRider history and likewise, the two hundred fiftieth of Rider boss Mark Carlson’s USHL coaching career.
With yesterday’s win the Riders reached 70 points for a fourth straight season and for the fifth time in the last six years.
Robin Bergman has set a new team record for most power play goals in one season (17). Bergman scored his fifteenth power play goal in a March 14 win over Sioux City to surpass the old mark of 14 set by Phil Axtell last year.
Pat Cannone scored the Riders’ team record-setting twelfth shorthanded goal of the season in March 17 win over Ohio. The old record of 11 shorthanded goals was originally set in 1999-2000.
Jacob Cepis is within one of the RoughRiders goal scoring record. Cepis scored his thirtieth goal of the season on February 24 in Sioux City. Chad Costello set the club record with 31 goals last season.
Aaron Bogosian has scored four shorthanded goals to break the team record originally set by Brandon Svendsen. Svendsen scored three times while shorthanded in 2004-05.
This is the Riders’ fourth straight 30-win campaign and also the sixth time in the last seven years that the Riders have picked up at least 30 victories.
The Riders have gone 19-8-0 at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena this season and have matched the team record for most home victories in a 30-game home schedule. The Riders also won 19 times in 30 home games in 2001-02. The most home wins the Riders have ever picked up in one season is 20 over a 32-game home slate in 2000-01.
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 in 2004-05, 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)
Barry Almeida (Boston College), 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), Corey Toy (Ohio State)
Waterloo (13)
Matt Arhontas (Princeton), Brett Barta (St. Cloud State), 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), Craig Smith (Wisconsin), Isak Tranvik (Quinnipiac), Joshua Turnbull (Wisconsin)
ALUMNI
Justin Abdelkader, Tyler Howells and Chris Snavely have reached the NCAA Frozen Four with Michigan State after the underdog Spartans upended Boston University and Notre Dame in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament last weekend. Howells picked up a pair of assists in last Friday’s 5-1 win over B.U. Abdelkader and Snavely notched an assist apiece in a 2-1 victory over the Fighting Irish last Saturday.
Ted Purcell and Maine toppled St. Cloud State and Massachusetts on the way to the Frozen Four. Purcell assisted on the first three Black Bear goals in last Friday’s 4-1 win over the Huskies.
ROUGHRIDERS ROSTER
Forward Danny Dries received a game misconduct for fighting with less than five minutes left in yesterday’s game at Ohio. As a result he will be suspended for tomorrow night’s game between the Riders and Lancers at Omaha. Dries was also assessed a match penalty for his role in yesterday’s altercation. The match penalty will be reviewed by the USHL and could result in a further suspension.
TICKETS
The RoughRiders are again this season offering the Flex Plan, which enables fans to purchase books of ten ticket vouchers that can be redeemed in any quantity for any regular season home game during normal box office hours. Fans who purchase the flex plan receive a significant discount ($21 off game day ticket prices) by investing in bulk tickets and can still enjoy the games of their choice in the seats they want.
Single game tickets are now on sale. Tickets can be purchased 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.
ON THE AIR/ON LINE
RoughRiders regular season and playoff games are broadcast on AM-1360 The Fan in Cedar Rapids. Courtesy of B2 Networks, free audio webcasts of Riders games will also be available at www.roughridershockey.com. Brian Lavelle provides play-by-play.
The RoughRiders and B2 have also teamed up to offer pay-per-view video webcasts of all RoughRiders games. Fans can click on the “Watch RoughRiders’ Games Live” icon at www.roughridershockey.com to watch and listen to the game. The broadcast is available to fans with a high speed DSL or cable modem internet connection. The charge for video webcasts is $6 per game.
The RoughRiders Coach’s Show with Mark Carlson airs Wednesday nights at 6:00 live from Union Station on 16th Avenue SW in Cedar Rapids on AM-1360 The Fan.
Real time updates of all USHL games are available on line at www.pointstreak.com/prostats.