This Weekend

Friday, March 21, 7:05PM

Cedar Rapids Ice Arena

Indiana Ice vs. Cedar Rapids RoughRiders

Saturday, March 22, 7:05PM

Cedar Rapids Ice Arena

Tri-City Storm vs. Cedar Rapids RoughRiders

Recent Action

Friday, March 14

Cedar Rapids 3 Sioux City 0

Saturday, March 15

Cedar Rapids 4 Lincoln 2

At a Glance

Cedar Rapids

30-19-3, 63 points

3rd place East Division

Coach/GM: Mark Carlson

Indiana

36-10-6, 78 points

1st place East Division

Coach: Charlie Skjodt

Tri-City

21-30-2, 44 points

5th place West Division

Coach/GM: Bliss Littler

Headlines

Back-to-Back: The RoughRiders won back-to-back games last weekend after losing their prior three games in regulation and going winless (0-3-1) in their previous four games.

Closing In: The RoughRiders are closing in on an eighth straight berth in the United States Hockey League’s Clark Cup playoffs. The Riders’ magic number for clinching a post season spot is four- any combination of points gained in the standings by the Riders or available points not collected by the Ohio Junior Blue Jackets (the fifth place team in the East Division) totaling four will result in the Riders locking up another playoff appearance. A pair of wins this weekend would seal a playoff spot for the Riders regardless of what the Blue Jackets do.

Thirty W’s: Last Saturday’s win in Lincoln was the Riders’ thirtieth of the season. The Riders have now won at least thirty games each of the last five years and in seven of the last eight seasons.

Blanked: Kent Patterson made 26 saves against Sioux City last Friday while posting his first shutout of the season and the third of his USHL career. Patterson stopped 62 of the 64 shots he faced while backstopping the Riders to a pair of wins last weekend.

Four Score: The Riders scored four goals last Saturday after scoring three or fewer in each of their prior four games. The Riders scored twice at even strength last Saturday after scoring a total of two even strength goals in their previous three games combined.

Home Is Where the Heart Is: The Riders will play six of their remaining eight games on home ice.

Powering Up: The Riders, who have scored at least one power play goal in each of their last eight games, lead the league in power play efficiency (19.9 percent).

Second Best: The Riders give up just 2.5 goals per game, the second best average in the league.

Jonesing: Doug Jones (13-37-50) is in the midst of a five-game point-scoring streak (2-4-6). On the season Jones ranks fifth in the league in assists and ranks tenth in points.

Ins and Outs: Forward Tyler Thompson was suspended for the Riders’ two games last weekend after being assessed a match penalty in the Riders’ March 8 game at Des Moines. Thompson’s suspension is subject to further league review.

Alumni Spotlight: Vermont senior goaltender Joe Fallon (2002-04) stopped 73 of 76 Northeastern shots over three games last weekend to backstop the Catamounts to a two games to one victory over the Huskies in the quarterfinal round of the Hockey East tournament. On the season Fallon has gone 14-12-5 while posting a 2.40 goals against average, a .914 save percentage and three shutouts.

Scouting Report

Indiana: The Ice has already clinched a playoff berth. Indiana’s magic number for clinching the East Division title is six (points gained by the Ice or not earned by second place Waterloo)…The Ice split a pair of home games last weekend. Indiana fell to Ohio 6-2 last Friday before rebounding to down Green Bay 3-2 one night later... The Ice ranks second in the league in goal scoring (3.7 per game)…Greg Squires (21-42-63) ranks second in the league in points, ranks third in assists and is tied for eighth in goals… Paul Carey (32-28-60) is tied for the league lead in goals and ranks fourth in points…John Kemp (10-48-58) leads the league in assists and ranks sixth in points…Indiana has the best road record in the league- 15-6-2…The Riders have gone 1-4-0 against the Ice this season. All-time the Riders have gone 19-8-0 against Indiana and have posted a 9-4-0 home record against the Ice.

Tri-City: The Storm has already been eliminated from postseason contention. This marks the first time the Storm has failed to qualify for the playoffs since 2001-02…Tri-City lost three home games in five days last week. The Storm was shut out 2-0 last Tuesday by Sioux City, fell to Sioux Falls 4-2 last Friday and dropped a 5-2 decision to Des Moines last Saturday…Mike Cichy (14-26-40) is Tri-City’s top point scorer; Alex Hudson (20-17-37) leads the Storm in goals…Tri-City ranks tenth in the USHL in goal scoring (2.6 per game) but does lead the league in shorthanded goals (14)… Tri-City forward Mario Lamoureux is in his fourth year in the USHL. Lamoureux has played 229 games and recorded 43 goals and a team record 123 points since joining the Storm in 2004. Lamoureux set the record when he picked up his one hundred twenty-first point- an assist- in Tri-City’s 5-1 win over Green Bay on March 8…Pierre-Paul Lamoureux- Mario’s brother- leads the league in penalty minutes (206)…The Riders have gone 3-0 against Tri-City this season. All-time they have gone 15-15-4 against the Storm and have posted a 7-7-2 home record against Tri-City.

Promotions Jimmy Neutron: Jimmy Neutron, the star of his own Nickelodeon animated series and of the Academy Award-nominated film The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, will entertain fans young and old Saturday night during the Riders’ game against the Tri-City Storm.

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. 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.