This Week

Friday, December 14, 7:05PM

Cedar Rapids Ice Arena

Green Bay Gamblers vs. Cedar Rapids RoughRiders

Saturday, December 15, 7:05PM

Sioux Falls Arena

Cedar Rapids RoughRiders vs. Sioux Falls Stampede

Last Week

Friday, December 7

RoughRiders 5 Sioux Falls 2

Saturday, December 8

RoughRiders 6 Waterloo 2

At a Glance

Cedar Rapids

14-5-1, 29 points

2nd place East Division

Coach/GM: Mark Carlson

Green Bay

8-12-1, 17 points

5th place East Division

Coach/GM: Mark Mazzoleni

Sioux Falls

10-9-2, 22 points

3rd place West Division

Coach/GM: Kevin Hartzell

Headlines

Back-to-Back: The RoughRiders put together back-to-back wins over the weekend, outscoring the opposition 11-4 in the process. The Riders have now gone 7-2-0 in their last nine games.

Tricked: Casey Wellman scored three goals in the Riders’ win over Waterloo last Saturday. The hat trick was the first by a Rider in 77 regular season games since Jacob Cepis scored three times in a 10-3 win over the Chicago Steel in Bensenville, Illinois on October 13, 2006. Overall, Wellman’s hat trick was the first since Cepis notched the second playoff hat trick in team history on April 21 of this year. Cepis lit the lamp three times as the Riders’ opened the 2007 postseason with an 8-0 win over the Ohio Junior Blue Jackets.

Terrific Trio: The line of Wellman, Tyler Thompson (two assists) and Ian Slater (two assists) combined for seven points in last Saturday’s win. The trio totaled ten points on the weekend– Thompson set up Slater’s game winner last Friday night against Sioux Falls and then added an insurance goal himself.

Welcome Back: Goaltender Kent Patterson made his first appearance of the season last Friday night, stopping 23 Sioux Falls shots on the way to the win. Patterson came off injured reserve earlier last week after missing the start of the season following sports hernia surgery.

Jonesing: Doug Jones (6-14-20) became the first Rider to reach 20 points this season by scoring in last Friday night’s win. Jones is tied for ninth in the United States Hockey League in assists.

Home Sweet Home: The RoughRiders this Friday night complete a three-game home stand. The Riders have won six straight home games and are 10-1-1 on home ice this season.

D-Fense!: The RoughRiders have given up fewer goals (46) than any other team in the league. The Riders allow an average of just 2.3 per game.

Extra Special: The RoughRiders boast the league’s best power play (22.1 percent) and rank second in penalty killing (86.3 percent).

Happy Holidays: The Riders this weekend will play their last two games before the USHL’s holiday break. Following Saturday evening’s tilt the Riders will be idle for 12 days before heading to Columbus for a two-game series against the Ohio Junior Blue Jackets December 28 and 29.

Alumni Spotlight: Bowling Green freshman Jacob Cepis (2005-07) scored both goals as the Falcons erased a 2-0 deficit in last Saturday’s game at Michigan only for the Wolverines to escape with a 3-2 win. On the season Cepis (6-7-13) is BGSU’s top scoring freshman.

Scouting Report

Green Bay: The Gamblers swept a pair of home games from the Des Moines Buccaneers last weekend. The Gamblers won 5-2 last Friday and scored a 3-2 victory last Saturday…The Gamblers have won four of their last five games after starting the season 4-11-1... The Gamblers allow an average of 3.8 goals per game, second most in the league...Mike Borisenok (6-10-16) is the Gamblers’ top point scorer...Neil Conway has started in goal in four of the Gamblers’ last five games– winning all four while giving up just six goals– and has started eight of eleven games since being acquired from the Owen Sound Attack of the Ontario Hockey League last month...The RoughRiders won their first meeting of the season with the Gamblers, shutting out Green Bay 4-0 on October 12 at the Resch Center. All-time they have gone 33-16-3 against the Gamblers and have posted a 19-7-1 record in home games against Green Bay…The Riders and Gamblers were to have met December 1 at the ice arena, but inclement weather forced the postponement of that game. The contest has been rescheduled for Tuesday, February 26 at 7:05PM.

Sioux Falls: The Stampede has won just one of its last five games (1-3-1)...After falling to the Riders last Friday, the Stampede did earn one point for a 5-4 shootout loss last Saturday in Sioux City...The line of Nick Dineen (13-11-24), Jack Connolly (10-13-23) and former Rider David Grun (7-16-23) is among the best in the USHL. Dineen ranks third in the league in goals and is tied for eighth in points. Connolly and Grun are tied for tenth in points, while Grun also ranks sixth in assists...Veteran goaltender Max Strang has appeared in four straight games for the Stampede...After winning the opener of the season series between the two clubs last Friday, the Riders are now 17-16-5 against the Stampede all-time. The Riders have posted a 9-7-3 record in Sioux Falls.

Promotions

KRNA $50,000 Cash Shot: The RoughRiders and Eastern Iowa’s Real Rock, 94.1 KRNA, will team up to give three lucky fans the chance to strike it rich in the $50,000 KRNA Cash Shot. One contestant will be chosen from the fans in attendance at Friday night’s game to join two lucky KRNA listeners in competing on the ice for all that cash.

Watch the RoughRiders at Jersey’s Pub and Grub: The RoughRiders have teamed up with Jersey’s Pub and Grub and B2 Networks to offer fans the chance to watch the RoughRiders’ game Saturday in Sioux Falls live at Jersey’s. Fans can catch all the action of the Riders’ meeting with the defending Clark Cup champion Sioux Falls Stampede starting at 7:00PM. This first ever live RoughRiders viewing party offers Riders fans the chance to cheer on the team in the company of their fellow fans amid what is sure to be a fun filled atmosphere. In addition to rooting on the Riders, fans who join the fun at Jersey’s Saturday evening will also have the opportunity to win a variety of RoughRiders merchandise prizes in a live raffle. Jersey’s Pub and Grub is located at 5761C Street SW.

Watch/Listen

That’s The Ticket!: RoughRiders single game tickets can be purchased in person at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena ticket office, over the phone at (319) 261-4625 or online 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.

Be Flexible: 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) and can still enjoy the games of their choice in the seats they want.

On the Air: All RoughRiders regular season and playoff games are broadcast on AM-1360 The Fan in Cedar Rapids. Brian Lavelle provides play-by-play.

Online: Courtesy of B2 Networks, free audio webcasts of Riders games are available at www.roughridershockey.com. The RoughRiders and B2 also 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 catch the action. 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.