Rob Madore made a remarkable 74 saves as the host Chicago Steel defeated the RoughRiders 4-3 in a shootout Tuesday.
Madore shined as the Riders, who did earn one point for the shootout loss, set a club record by hurling 77 shots at the Chicago net.
Jacob Cepis also made Rider history, scoring his team record-breaking thirty-second goal of the season in the second period.
Cepis and Pat Cannone- whose goal with 2:27 left in the third period forced overtime- both scored for the Riders in the shootout, but the Steel would convert three times as Andy Miele, Sean Dolan and Cory Chakeen all buried penalty shots.
The Riders were forced come from behind to tie the game three times in regulation. Cannone provided the final equalizer with a wrist shot from the high slot after Ryan Raven fired a Miele (two assists) centering pass in to give the Steel a 3-2 lead at 3:32 of the third.
The Riders were on the power play when Cepis wrote his name in the club record book by jamming in a rebound at 3:27 of the second. Cepis’s goal deadlocked the game after the Steel had outscored Cedar Rapids 2-1 in the first period.
Chicago was up a man when Dan Ryan opened the scoring by steering home a cross-crease pass from Miele 7:10 into the contest.
Scott Wietecha scored the Riders’ first with a drive from the high slot at the 10:06 mark of the opening period.
The Steel retook the lead in the final minute of the first with another power play goal. Sean Dolan tipped in a Mike Walsh shot with just over 36 seconds left in the period to make it 2-1.
Cepis’s goal broke the old club record of 31 goals set last year by Chad Costello. Cepis currently leads the league in goals and is ranked third in points (69). The Bowling Green recruit is in his second season with the Riders. Cepis returned to the Riders this season after scoring 12 goals and totaling 29 points last year.
As a team the Riders broke the old club shots record of 63 set on January 13 of this season in a 6-5 shootout win over the Sioux City Musketeers. The Riders peppered Madore with 30 shots in the third period alone.