Cedar Rapids RoughRiders goaltender Kent Patterson will compete for a spot on the U.S. National Junior Team at the 2007 National Junior Evaluation Camp in Lake Placid, New York, August 3-11. Patterson is one of 45 players bidding to make the U.S. Under-20 squad that will compete in the 2008 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship from December 26, 2007 through January 5, 2008 in Pardubice and Liberec, Czech Republic.

Patterson, 17, last season was named to the United States Hockey League All-Rookie Team after finishing second in the league in save percentage (.913) while going 20-5-3 in 29 games. 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 in 2005-06, 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 twelfth among North American goaltenders in the final 2006-07 National Hockey League Central Scouting Service rankings of draft eligible players. He was the highest rated USHL goalie in the pre-draft rankings.

The Junior Evaluation Camp will feature practices, a pair of intra-squad games and eight international scrimmages with American split squads facing off against the Swedish and Finnish Junior National Teams.

Should he earn a spot on the U.S. squad, Patterson would join Justin Abdelkader and Bobby Goepfert as the third RoughRider product to play for Team U.S.A. at the World Junior Championship. Abdelkader helped the U.S. to a bronze medal at last year’s WJC in Sweden while Goepfert’s spectacular goaltending propelled the Americans to a strong fourth place finish at the 2003 tournament in Nova Scotia.

The RoughRiders will open their ninth season in Cedar Rapids this fall. 2007-08 season tickets are currently available through the RoughRiders’ business office (247-0340). Fans who pay for season tickets in full before August 15 will receive a significant discount in addition to a host of other benefits available exclusively to season ticket holders.