This Weekend
Wednesday, January 23, 7:05PM
95 KGGO Arena, Urbandale
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders vs. Des Moines Buccaneers
Friday, January 25, 7:35PM
Tyson Event Center, Sioux City
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders vs. Sioux City Musketeers
Saturday, January 26, 7:05PM
Cedar Rapids Ice Arena
Ohio Junior Blue Jackets vs. Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
Recent Action
Wednesday, January 16
Chicago 4 Cedar Rapids 2
Friday, January 18
Chicago 5 Cedar Rapids 3
Saturday, January 19
Sioux Falls 2 Cedar Rapids 1
At a Glance
Cedar Rapids
21-10-1, 43 points
2nd place East Division
Coach/GM: Mark Carlson
Des Moines
7-24-2, 16 points
6th place West Division
Coach/GM: Regg Simon
Sioux City
22-9-1, 45 points
1st place West Division
Coach/GM: Dave Siciliano
Ohio
9-17-5, 23 points
5th place East Division
Coach: Jack Fritsche
Headlines
Three of a Kind: The RoughRiders have lost three straight games- their longest losing streak of the season. The Riders last endured a run of at least three consecutive regulation losses when they dropped five in a row between January 28 and February 11, 2006.
Unhappy Home: The Riders lost a pair of home games last weekend after setting a team record by winning their prior nine at home. Last Friday’s setback was the Riders’ first home loss since a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Omaha on November 9.
Men of Steel: The Riders lost back-to-back games against Chicago last week after going 9-0-1 in their prior ten meetings with the Steel. Last Friday’s loss ended the Riders’ six-game home winning streak against Chicago. The win was the Steel’s first in Cedar Rapids since a 3-2 victory at the ice arena on January 21, 2006.
Accentuate the Positive: Defenseman Matt Donovan now leads the league in plus/minus rating (+20). Donovan is a +15 over his last 12 games.
Jonesing: Doug Jones (9-22-31) remains the Riders’ leader in points and assists and is tied for eighth in the league in assists. Jones’s six game point scoring streak (2-4-6) ended last Saturday against Sioux City.
Plenty of Hjelle: Brady Hjelle has started five of the Riders’ last six games. Hjelle took a pair of losses last weekend- just the second set of back-to-back defeats he has suffered this season.
D-Fense!: Cedar Rapids ranks first in the league defensively. The Riders allow just 2.5 goals per game and are the only team in the USHL to have surrendered fewer than 80 goals- they have given up just 79.
Powering Up: The RoughRiders are the only USHL team to have converted more than 20 percent (20.2) of their power plays.
Ins and Outs: Robin Bergman returned to the Riders last Wednesday after starting the season at Notre Dame. He spent all of last season in Cedar Rapids.
Alumni Spotlight: Andy Miele (2005-06) scored the game winning goal in his collegiate debut last Friday as second-ranked Miami defeated Lake Superior State 6-1. Miele started this season with the Chicago Steel (to whom he was traded by the RoughRiders in November of 2006) before heading to Miami earlier this month. At the time of his departure, Miele (30-11-41) was the league leader in goals and points and in fact still has yet to be passed in the goal-scoring race. Miele joined Pat Cannone, Ray Eichenlaub, Billy Loupee, Alec Martinez, Gary Steffes and Tommy Wingels as the seventh Rider alumnus currently skating for Miami.
Scouting Report
Des Moines: The Buccaneers went 1-2-0 last week. The Bucs were swamped 7-0 last Tuesday at Lincoln, rebounded with a 5-2 home win over Sioux City last Friday and were edged 3-2 by Chicago in Urbandale last Saturday…Des Moines is just 1-6-0 in its last seven games, 2-12-1 in its last 15 and 3-17-2 in its last 22…last Friday’s win was the Bucs’ first victory of 2008…The Buccaneers have lost five of their last six home games and have dropped six straight games against East Division opposition. On the season the Bucs have gone 1-9-1 against the east…Des Moines scores just 2.0 goals per game, fewest in the league. The Bucs established a season high by scoring five times in last Friday’s win…They also rank last on the power play (11.3 percent)…Locke Jillson (5-11-16) and Taylor Matson (5-11-16) are tied for the team lead in points, while Chris Knowlton (8-5-13) is the club’s top goal scorer…The Riders won their first meeting of the season with the Bucs, downing Des Moines 7-1 October 20 in Cedar Rapids. All-time the Riders have gone 28-12-4 against the Buccaneers and have posted a 15-4-3 record in Urbandale…Defenseman Austin Handley will be the Bucs’ lone representative in next Tuesday’s USHL Prospects/All-Star Game in Green Bay.
Sioux City: The Musketeers have lost four straight games after going 10-1-1 in their prior 12 outings…The Muskies lost 5-2 at Des Moines last Friday and were shut out 2-0 last Saturday in Waterloo…The Musketeers have been shut out in two of their last three games…Sioux City ranks third in the league in goal scoring (3.7 per game) despite ranking second to last on the power play (13.8 percent)…The Musketeers have played six of their last seven games on the road. On home ice they have gone 13-3-0…Spencer Heichman (17-12-29) leads the team in goals and is tied with Steve Quailer (7-22-29) for the Sioux City point scoring lead. Heichman is also tied for fourth in the league in goals…Muskies goaltender Josh Robinson boasts the league’s third best save percentage (.921) and ranks fourth in wins (14)…The Musketeers defeated the Riders 4-1 on November 30 in Sioux City in the lone meeting between the two clubs this season. All-time the Riders have gone 16-17-4 against the Muskies and have posted a 4-13-2 mark in Sioux City…Along with the RoughRiders and Omaha Lancers, the Musketeers are one of three teams who will send five players to next Tuesday’s All-Star Game. Muskies forwards Heichman, Quailer and Alex Tuckerman, defenseman Matt Crandell and goaltender Robinson will all suit up for the West Division in Green Bay.
Ohio: A 3-2 loss last Saturday at Tri-City ended the Junior Blue Jackets’ team record-setting five game winning streak. Ohio had made it five straight with a 5-2 victory over the Strom one night earlier…Prior to embarking on that winning streak, the Jackets had won just four of their first 25 games…last Saturday’s set back also ended the Jackets’ three game road winning streak. That run of success away from home also established a new team record for a club that entered the USHL as an expansion franchise last season…The Jackets are one of just two teams whose road record (6-10-2) is superior to their home record (3-7-3)…only one team gives up more goals per game (3.6) than Ohio…Tim Hall (10-12-22) is the only Jacket to have topped the 20-point plateau…Derek Roehl (12-6-18) leads Ohio in goals…The RoughRiders have never lost to the Blue Jackets. They have gone 4-0-0 against Ohio this season after posting a 7-0-0 record against the Jackets during the regular season last year and sweeping Ohio in four straight games in the opening round of last spring’s Clark Cup playoffs…Defenseman Greg Pateryn is the Blue Jackets’ only all-star.
Promotions
RoughRiders/Iowa-Iowa State Doubleheader: The Hawkeye-Cyclone rivalry will hit the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena for the second time this season as the Iowa and Iowa State hockey teams collide at 3:30PM this Saturday. The Riders’ match-up with Ohio will follow at 7:05PM. The Cyclones defeated the Ice Hawks at the ice arena on December 8.
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 this Wednesday, 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.