Cedar Rapids RoughRiders forward Jacob Cepis has been named to the RBK All-United States Hockey League First Team, while Rider goaltender Kent Patterson has been named to the Center Trophy USHL All-Rookie Team.

“Jake is obviously a very skilled player but he’s also a guy who works hard at both ends of the ice and fills a key leadership role for us,” said RoughRiders Coach and General Manager Mark Carlson. “Kent has adapted really well as a first year guy and has just been so solid for us all season.”

In his second season with the RoughRiders, Cepis led the USHL with a club record 34 goals and finished third in the league with 72 points. The 19-year old Parma, Ohio, native is just the third player in team history to total better than 70 points in one season and is also the third Rider to reach 100 career points (46-55-101). Cepis also led the RoughRiders in plus/minus rating (+18) this season.

Cepis, a Rider assistant captain, will begin his college career at Bowling Green next season. He scored 12 goals and totaled 29 points last year after being selected by Cedar Rapids in the third round of the May, 2005 USHL draft with the thirty-second overall choice.

Cepis joins Alex Stalock (2005-06), Derek Peltier (2003-04) and Bobby Goepfert (2001-02) as the fourth Rider in team history to earn First Team All-USHL honors.

Patterson, 17, posted the league’s second best save percentage (.913) while going 20-5-3 in 29 games this season. The Plymouth, Minnesota, native finished seventh in the USHL in goals against average (2.91) and tied for seventh in wins. He also notched a pair of shutouts.

Patterson, who joined the RoughRiders after playing for the Blake School last year, set a team record on January 13 by making 58 saves in a 6-5 shootout win over the Ohio Junior Blue Jackets.

Patterson was ranked eleventh among North American goaltenders in the National Hockey League Central Scouting Service mid-season ratings of draft eligible players. He was the highest ranked USHL goalie.

The RoughRiders open their best-of-seven first round Clark Cup playoff series against the Ohio Junior Blue Jackets tomorrow night in Columbus. Though the Riders will have home ice advantage in round one, Cedar Rapids will take to the road for the first two games of the series. Game two will be played Wednesday night. The Riders will return to the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena for game three Friday night and game four Saturday evening. Both of those contests will start at 7:05. If a fifth game is necessary it would also take place in Cedar Rapids at 7:05 on Monday night, April 23. Should the series go to a sixth game the Riders would once more hit the road to meet the Junior Blue Jackets on Wednesday night, April 25. If the series goes the distance, the Riders would host game seven on Saturday night, April 28 at 7:05PM.

Tickets for RoughRiders first round Clark Cup playoff games are now on sale at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena ticket office. Playoff tickets are available for purchase over the phone at (319) 261-4625, in person at the ice arena and 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. Playoff ticket prices range from $8 to $18.