This Weekend

Wednesday, January 16, 7:35PM

Edge Ice Arena, Bensenville, Illinois

Cedar Rapids RoughRiders vs. Chicago Steel

Friday, January 18, 7:05PM

Cedar Rapids Ice Arena

Chicago Steel vs. Cedar Rapids RoughRiders

Saturday, January 19, 7:05PM

Cedar Rapids Ice Arena

Sioux Falls Stampede vs. Cedar Rapids RoughRiders

Recent Action

Friday, January 11

Cedar Rapids 3 Green Bay 1

Sunday, January 13

Cedar Rapids 5 Green Bay 2

At a Glance

Cedar Rapids

21-7-1, 43 points

2nd place East Division

Coach/GM: Mark Carlson

Chicago

15-12-4, 34 points

4th place East Division

Coach/GM: Steve Poapst

Sioux Falls

14-12-5, 33 points

4th place West Division

Coach/GM: Kevin Hartzell

Headlines

Fantastic Four: The RoughRiders have won four straight games and are within one victory of matching their longest winning streak of the season. The Riders won five in a row between November 10 and November 23.

Winning Gamble: The RoughRiders’ last three wins have come over the Gamblers. In all, Cedar Rapids has won 11 straight clashes with the Gamblers. The Riders have won the first five meetings between the two teams this season and won the final six head-to-head match-ups last year. The Riders have not lost to Green Bay since a season opening 4-2 defeat at the hands of the Gamblers on October 7, 2006 in Cedar Rapids.

Home Sweet Home: The Riders have won a team record-setting nine straight games on home ice. The Riders have broken the old record of eight consecutive home victories set between February 17 and April 7 of last year. The Riders have not lost at home since suffering a 4-2 defeat to the Omaha Lancers on November 9. On the season the Riders are 13-1-1 at the ice arena- the best home record in the USHL.

Well Done: Casey Wellman scored two goals- including the game winner- yesterday afternoon. He has now scored four goals in his last three games. Over the longer haul, Wellman has produced five goals and eight points in his last four games and nine goals and 17 points in his last 11 games. Wellman (13-12-25) is now tied with Thompson for the team lead in goal scoring. In addition, he has posted a plus/minus rating of +13 in his last ten games. Wellman is tied for fourth in the league in plus/minus (+16).

Jonesing: Doug Jones (9-19-28) remains the Riders’ leader in points and assists.

Hjelle Roll: Brady Hjelle has started and won the Riders’ last three games. He has given up just three goals during that run. Hjelle is now 5-0-0 against the Gamblers with a 0.80 goals against average and .973 save percentage. He has surrendered just four Green Bay goals on 146 Gambler shots this season.

D-Fense!: Cedar Rapids ranks first in the league defensively. The Riders allow just 2.3 goals per game and are the only team in the USHL to have surrendered fewer than 70 goals- they have given up just 68.

Powering Up: The RoughRiders can still boast the league’s best power play (19.8 percent) despite seeing their success rate drop just below 20 percent over the weekend.

Ins and Outs: Defenseman Paul Phillips (shoulder) returned to the Rider lineup yesterday after missing seven games.

Alumni Spotlight: Lake Superior State sophomore Nate Perkovich (2003-04) leads the Lakers in goals (12) and points (13). Perkovich has scored five goals in just his last seven games. He counts former Riders Steven Kaunisto and Nik Sellers among his Lake State teammates.

Scouting Report

Chicago: The Steel have gone unbeaten in regulation (6-0-1) in seven games since the USHL’s holiday break. Chicago went 9-12-3 in 24 games before the break. They have not lost in regulation since being shutout 2-0 by Lincoln on December 15…The Steel took three points from a pair of games last weekend against the Tri-City Storm in Kearney, Nebraska. Chicago fell 5-4 in a shootout last Friday but rebounded one night later with a 4-1 win…The Steel ranks third in the league in scoring, averaging 3.8 goals per game while giving up 3.6 per game- also the third highest average in the league…Former Rider Andy Miele has departed the Steel for Miami (Ohio) but remains the league leader in goals (30) and points (41). In his final game for the Steel- January 5 against Des Moines- Miele scored twice to set a new team record for most career goals (40)…Brian O’Neill (11-21-32) leads players still on the Chicago roster in assists and points and is tied for sixth in the league in assists…Drew LeBlanc (13-15-28) is the top goal scorer still with the Steel…The Steel ranks last in the league in penalty killing (80.3 percent) but has scored a league-high 10 shorthanded goals…Chicago goaltender Rob Madore ranks second in the league in minutes played (1338:18)…The RoughRiders and Steel have not met since the Riders defeated Chicago 3-2 in Cedar Rapids on November 3. The win was the Riders’ third in as many games against the Steel this season. The Riders are unbeaten in regulation (9-0-1) in their last ten games against Chicago. The Steel has not beaten the Riders in regulation since scoring a 3-2 win over Cedar Rapids on March 25, 2006 in Bensenville. All-time the Riders have gone 34-12-3 against Chicago...Forwards O’Neill and LeBlanc and defenseman Tim Buttery will represent the Steel at the USHL Prospects/All-Star Game January 29 in Green Bay.

Sioux Falls: The Stampede is winless (0-2-1) in its last three games and has won just once in its last six (1-2-3)…last weekend Sioux Falls dropped a two game series at Ohio. The Stampede fell 3-2 in a shootout last Friday evening and suffered a 5-2 defeat the following afternoon…Forwards Jack Connolly, Jake Hansen and Nick Dineen provide much of Sioux Falls’ scoring punch. Connolly (14-25-39) ranks second in the league in assists, is tied for third in points and is tied for ninth in goals. Hansen (19-15-34) ranks third in goals and is tied for ninth in points. Dineen (16-13-29) is tied for fourth in goal scoring...Veteran Max Strang has been a workhorse in goal for the Stampede over the last month. Strang has started eight of Sioux Falls’ last nine games and 12 of the last 14…The Riders and Stampede split their first two meetings of the season. Cedar Rapids has gone 17-17-5 all-time against the Stampede and has posted an 8-9-2 home record against the Herd…Dineen, Hansen, Connolly and defenseman Eric Springer will all skate in the USHL All-Star Game.

Promotions

Hawkeye Jersey Auction: The RoughRiders will wear special edition Iowa Hawkeye jerseys during their game against the Sioux Falls Stampede this Saturday night. Following the game, the jerseys will be auctioned off with proceeds benefiting the ALS Association and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Iowa.

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.

Catch the Coach: Catch up on all the latest Rider news with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders’ Coach’s Show with Mark Carlson Wednesday nights at 6:00 on AM-1360 The Fan. With the RoughRiders in action each of the next two Wednesdays, the Coach’s Show is currently on a brief hiatus but will return to the air on Wednesday night, January 30. The half hour show is broadcast live from Union Station on 16th Avenue SW in Cedar Rapids. RoughRiders Coach and General Manager Mark Carlson and RoughRiders radio broadcaster Brian Lavelle are joined by Riders players on each edition of the Coach’s Show.

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.