Cedar Rapids RoughRiders defenseman Brett Dickinson has been named United States Hockey League Defensive Player of the Week.
Dickinson, 21, collected four assists and posted a plus/minus rating of +3 as the Riders went 2-0-1 in three games last week. After picking up one assist in the Riders’ 4-3 shootout loss last Tuesday at Chicago, Dickinson notched another on the winning goal in a 3-2 victory last Friday in Green Bay. Dickinson collected a pair of assists in the Riders’ 4-1 win over Indiana last Saturday on home ice.
“It’s certainly great to see Brett get this sort of well deserved recognition,” said RoughRiders Coach and General Manager Mark Carlson. “He’s been a consistent presence for us all season.”
This marks the second time in as many weeks that a Rider blue liner has earned Defensive Player of the Week honors. Kevin Wehrs took home the award last week.
Dickinson is in his second season with the Riders. The Furlong, Pennsylvania, product has scored eight goals and totaled 31 points while turning in a +/- rating of +3 in 57 games this year.
Dickinson has been a key source of offense for the Riders in recent days. The Quinnipiac recruit has collected four assists in his last three games and piled up 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in his last 12 games.
In 49 games last season, Dickinson scored one goal and recorded five points. He was selected by the Riders in the ninth round of the May, 2005 USHL draft with the ninety-third overall choice.
The RoughRiders (36-17-5, 77 points) enter the final week of the regular season tied for first place overall in the United States Hockey League with the Waterloo Black Hawks and Omaha Lancers and tied for the top spot in the East Division with the Black Hawks. The Riders are gunning for their second Anderson Cup (USHL regular season title) in three years and their third straight East Division title.
The Riders will visit the Indiana Ice Friday evening before returning home to wrap up the regular season with a potentially vital clash with Waterloo Saturday evening at 7:05.
Tickets for Saturday’s game 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.