RoughRiders Weekly
Published on January 6, 2009 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders News Release
This Weekend Friday, January 9, 7:05PM Cedar Rapids Ice Arena Chicago Steel vs. Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
Saturday, January 10, 7:05PM Cedar Rapids Ice Arena Waterloo Black Hawks vs. Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
Last Week Wednesday, December 31 Green Bay 6 Cedar Rapids 4
Friday, January 2 Cedar Rapids 4 Des Moines 3
Saturday, January 3 Cedar Rapids 3 Sioux Falls 2
At a Glance Cedar Rapids Chicago Waterloo 18-7-1, 37 points 15-13-1, 31 points 18-8-1, 37 points tied 3rd place East Division 5th place East Division tied 3rd place East Division Coach/GM: Mark Carlson Coach/GM: Steve Poapst Coach/GM: P.K. O'Handley
Headlines Back-to-Back: The Riders put together back-to-back one goal wins last weekend after dropping their final game of 2008 in Green Bay.
Tightening Up: The top four teams in the East Division- Indiana, Green Bay, Cedar Rapids and Waterloo- are separated (or not) by just two points. The Ice is in first place with 39 points, one point ahead of Green Bay and two points ahead of both Cedar Rapids and Waterloo.
Top of the Charts: The RoughRiders give up fewer goals per game (2.2) than any other team. The Riders rank second in goal scoring (4.2 per game).
Stingy: In last Wednesday's loss to Green Bay, the RoughRiders gave up more than three goals in one game for the just the second time this season. The Riders have allowed three or fewer goals in 24 of their first 26 games.
Mighty Mike: Forward Mike Seidel (13-25-38) is riding a five game point scoring streak (3-3-6) and has totaled 14 points (four goals, 11 assists) in his last nine games. Seidel ranks second in the USHL in point scoring and assists and is tied for ninth in goals.
Jazzy Jeff: Forward Jeff Costello (14-4-18) has scored ten goals and totaled 13 points in his last in his last 12 games. Costello is tied for fifth in the league in goals.
Ins and Outs: Forward Greg Burke (shoulder) is on injured reserve and is expected to miss the remainder of the season.
Alumni Spotlight: New Hampshire senior forward Greg Collins (2003-2005) picked up three points in a pair of Wildcat wins last weekend. Collins had an assist last Thursday in a 9-4 rout of Holy Cross and scored two third period goals Sunday as UNH came from behind to defeat Maine 5-4.
Tenth Anniversary Tidbit: After playing the first 25 games of their inaugural season on the road, the Riders finally opened the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena with a 4-3 shootout win over the Rochester Mustangs on January 8, 2000. Rochester's Jesse Modahl scored the first goal in Cedar Rapids Ice Arena history at 9:59 of the first period; Gerry Hickey scored the first Rider goal at the ice arena at 17:34 of the first.
Scouting Report Chicago: The Steel fell 7-4 at Waterloo on New Year's Eve and lost 5-2 last Friday at home against Fargo before rebounding with a 5-3 win over the Force last Saturday night...The Steel has not been more than two games above or below .500 all season...The Steel's Andrew Miller (21-28-49) leads the league in goals, assists and points. Miller is in the midst of a nine game point scoring streak (9-9-18) and is one game shy of matching the longest point streak in the league this season...Eric Alexander (17-12-29) ranks third in the league in goals and is tied for ninth in points...Former Rider Dean Chelios has produced better than a point per game since being traded to the Steel in November. Chelios has totaled eight goals and 23 points in 19 games with Chicago...John Moore (9-16-25) leads USHL defensemen in goals, assists and points...Goaltender Nick Pisellini (1-2-0, 5.00, .847) returned to the Steel after the holiday break. Pisellini started this season at Quinnipiac University after spending the prior two years with Chicago...The Riders and Steel split their first two meetings of the season.
Waterloo: The Black Hawks closed out 2008 with last Wednesday's win over the Steel, then rolled to an 8-3 victory over Tri-City last Friday before a 7-4 loss to Green Bay last Saturday ended Waterloo's six game winning streak. That win streak matched the Black Hawks' longest of the season...Waterloo has gone 12-3-0 in its last 15 games after starting the season 6-5-1...The Black Hawks are the top scoring team in the league. Waterloo averages 4.4 goals per game. Prior to scoring four times in last Saturday's game, the Hawks had scored scored seven or more goals in each of their prior four outings...Craig Smith (16-21-37) ranks third in the league in points, is tied for third in assists and ranks fourth in points. Smith is in the midst of a nine game point scoring streak (7-12-19) and is one game shy of matching the longest point streak in the league this season. He has collected four points in three of his last five games...Derek Arnold (14-4-18) is tied for fifth in the league in goal scoring...Jordan Samuels-Thomas (13-16-29) is tied for ninth in goals and points...Joe Howe (12-6-1, 3.04, .892) has seen the bulk of the work in goal for Waterloo...The Hawks have won two of their first three meetings with the Riders. All three games were decided by one goal.
Promotions RoughRiders 10th Anniversary Photo C.D. Presented by Mediacom: The first 1,000 fans through the doors to this Friday's game will receive free RoughRiders 10th Anniversary Photo C.D.'s courtesy of Mediacom. The photo C.D. features some of the most memorable images in the team's history. Mediacom Communications, the local cable company serving more than 1,500 communities throughout the county, is proud to be a leader in bringing new broadband services to improve the quality of life and drive economic development in America's smaller cities and towns.
RoughRiders/Cedar Rapids Youth Hockey 10th Anniversary Celebration: The Cedar Rapids Hockey Association's youth hockey programs and players will be recognized prior to this Friday's game. Like the Riders, the CRHA is also marking its tenth anniversary.
Swiss Valley Farms RoughRider Cowbell Night: The first 1,500 fans through the doors this Saturday night will receive free RoughRiders cowbells courtesy of Swiss Valley Farms. For 50 years, Swiss Valley Farms dairy cooperative has been a strong presence in the upper Midwest dairy industry, providing a strong and secure market for the quality milk produced by over 1,100 dairy producer member-owners.
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.
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.
United States Hockey League Stories from January 6, 2009
- RoughRiders' Coach's Show Returns Tomorrow Night on AM-1360 The Fan - Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
- RoughRiders Weekly - Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
- Storm Adds Forward to Their Roster - Tri-City Storm
- Face Off for Charity - Sioux City Musketeers
- Waterloo Black Hawks Weekly - Waterloo Black Hawks
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