Ian Slater’s goal at 5:41 of the third period gave the host RoughRiders a 4-2 lead and proved to be the game winner as the Riders went on to defeat the Waterloo Black Hawks 5-3 Friday night.

Slater jammed the puck in from side of the net to cap off a superb solo rush from Casey Wellman.

Just under two minutes later the Hawks clawed back within one while on the power play when Chad Billins fired the puck home from the high slot.

The Riders put away the Black Hawks away when Ben Lynch’s empty net goal made it 5-3 with just 20 seconds left.

The Hawks spent most of the night battling from behind after the Riders jumped on Waterloo for three first period goals. Casey Wellman knocked the puck in from close range to open the scoring 5:09 into the game. The Riders were on the power play when the lead stretched to 2-0 on Tyler Thompson’s goal from the doorstep at 10:33. Just 57 seconds later Tom Healy pounced on a turnover deep in the Rider end to cut the Cedar Rapids lead to 2-1. The Riders emphatically regained the momentum on Dean Chelios’s goal with just 1:03 left in the first.

The Hawks once more trimmed the Cedar Rapids advantage to one on Brett Olson’s 5-on-3 power play goal at 16:41 of the second period, but Riders would have enough left to put Waterloo away in the third.