Cedar Rapids RoughRiders Weekly Update
March 27, 2006 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders News Release
CLARK CUP PLAYOFFS, ROUND ONE
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders vs. Indiana Ice
Game 1: Cedar Rapids @ Indiana, Tuesday, March 28, 6:05PM
Game 2: Indiana @ Cedar Rapids, Friday, March 31, 7:05PM
Game 3: Indiana @ Cedar Rapids, Saturday, April 1, 7:05PM
Game 4: Cedar Rapids @ Indiana, Thursday, April 6, 6:05PM (if necessary)
Game 5: Indiana @ Cedar Rapids, Saturday, April 8, 7:05PM (if necessary)
RECORDS
Cedar Rapids
33-21-6, 72 points, tied 1st place East Division
Indiana
25-29-6; 56 points, 4th place East Division
COMING IN
The RoughRiders enter the Clark Cup playoffs on the heels of their second straight East Division title. The Riders finished tied for first in the division with the Des Moines Buccaneers. The Riders earned the top seed in the east for the post-season by virtue of having won their regular season series with Des Moines. As a result, the Riders have home ice advantage for the first and- should they advance- second round of the playoffs.
The Riders went 1-2 in the final week of the regular season. The Riders fell to Sioux Falls 5-2 last Tuesday and split a weekend home-and-home series with the Chicago Steel. The Riders shut out the Steel 3-0 last Friday in Cedar Rapids. The Riders clinched a share of the division title and the top East Division playoff seed with that win. Chicago bounced back with a 3-2 win one night later in Bensenville, Illinois.
Rider goaltender Al Stalock made 42 saves last Friday to pick up the shutout in his final regular season appearance. Stalock finished the campaign as the league leader in wins (28), save percentage (.931) and saves (1511). He also set new Rider records for most wins and saves in a season.
Rider forward Chad Costello (30-45-75) finished tied for the league point scoring title with Des Moines' Trevor Lewis. Costello also ranked third in assists and was tied for third in goals.
Ted Purcell (18-52-70) led the league in assists and finished tied for third in points.
Special teams may prove crucial in the opening round match-up between the Riders and Ice, as the series will feature the top two power play units in the USHL. Indiana led the league in power play efficiency (21.3 percent), while the Riders ranked second (20.2 percent). The Ice was especially potent on the man advantage on home ice, converting on one quarter of its opportunities at Pepsi Coliseum. The Riders, meanwhile, had the best road power play in the league (21.1 percent).
The Riders will open round one on the road despite being the higher seed because the grounds of the Indiana State Fair- where the Ice's home rink, Pepsi Coliseum, is located- will be taken over by the Hoosier Horse Fair and Expo later this week.
The Riders and Ice also met in the opening round last spring. Cedar Rapids defeated Indiana three games to none and went on to win the Clark Cup title.
In fact, this is the third straight year the Riders have squared off with the Indiana/Danville organization in round one. The Danville Wings eliminated Cedar Rapids three games to one in the spring of 2004 before moving to Indiana following that season.
This marks the Riders' sixth straight trip to the playoffs. They are, along with the Omaha Lancers, one of just two teams who have reached the post-season each of the last half dozen years.
The Ice outlasted the Waterloo Black Hawks to claim the fourth and final East Division playoff spot. The Ice played its final three regular season games on the road, starting with a crucial 2-1 overtime win over Chicago last Tuesday. Indiana clinched a post-season berth last Friday- in its second to last regular season game- by earning one point for a 3-2 overtime loss at Sioux City. The Ice suffered a meaningless 8-5 loss to the Musketeers in last Saturday's regular season finale
Jack Bowkus piloted the Ice into the playoffs after taking the head coaching reins from Dean Grillo on January 25. The Ice went 12-11-1 under Bowkus after posting a 13-18-5 record under Grillo.
The Ice enters round one without leading goal scorer Garrett Roe (21-32-52). Roe missed Indiana's final six regular season games after suffering an ankle injury in a March 14 loss to the Riders.
John Kemp (7-48-55) was Indiana's top regular season point scorer. Kemp finished second in the league in assists.
Eddie Del Grosso (19-29-48) led USHL defenseman in goals, ranked third in points and finished fourth in assists.
Todd McIlrath boosted the Indiana attack when he returned from a long-term knee injury midway through the season. McIlrath scored 20 goals and totaled 32 points in just 33 games this season. He was especially valuable during the Ice's late playoff push, scoring six goals in Indiana's last five games and notching ten during the last eleven games of the campaign.
Steve Jakiel established himself as Indiana's number one goaltender after coming over to the Ice in a January trade with the Lincoln Stars. Jakiel was unbeaten in regulation (3-0-1) in his final four starts and went 8-1-1 over his last 11 starts.
Notwithstanding Jakiel's stalwart work down the stretch, Indiana gave up the second most goals in the league. The Ice allowed more goals- 224, for an average of 3.7 per game- than any other playoff team.
LAST WEEK
Cedar Rapids
Tuesday, March 21: Sioux Falls 5 Cedar Rapids 2
David Strathman and Jordan Pietrus provided the Cedar Rapids goals as the Riders fell despite out shooting Sioux Falls 36-28.
Friday, March 24: Cedar Rapids 3 Chicago 0
Al Stalock made 42 saves to blank the Steel. Dustin Cloutier scored shorthanded to give the Riders a first period lead and third period goals from Brett Dickinson and Kevin Wehrs finished off Chicago.
Saturday, March 11: Chicago 3 Cedar Rapids 2
The Riders were unable to hold a 2-1 third period lead. Second period goals from Ian Slater and Jacob Cepis staked Cedar Rapids to the advantage. Pat McGann made 32 saves while taking the loss in goal.
Indiana
Tuesday, March 21: Indiana 2 Chicago 1 (OT)
Todd McIlrath's power play goal 31 seconds into overtime gave the Ice the win. Indiana led 1-0 until the Steel's Chris Clackson scored on a penalty shot to tie the game with just 43 seconds left in regulation. The Ice first took the lead on Ron Cramer's goal at 19:35 of the second period.
Friday, March 24: Sioux City 3 Indiana 2 (OT)
Sioux City's Chris Miniella scored the game winner at 3:47 of overtime after the Musketeers rallied from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game with a pair of goals in the final of the minute and a half of regulation. Eddie Del Grosso and Mike Hull scored the Indiana goals. Steve Jakiel stopped 38 Sioux City shots to help the Ice to one point.
Saturday, March 25: Sioux City 8 Indiana 5
The Ice never quite recovered after falling behind 3-0 less than midway through the first period. Indiana would later close the gap to 4-3 in the second period and 6-5 in the third, but could not produce a tying goal. Todd McIlrath led the Indiana attack with two goals and one assist.
TOP POINT SCORERS
Cedar Rapids GP G A PTS
Chad Costello 59 30 45 75
Ted Purcell 55 18 52 70
Nik Sellers 59 15 26 41
Phil Axtell 47 22 15 37
David Strathman 58 13 19 32
Indiana GP G A PTS
Garrett Roe 48 21 32 53
John Kemp 45 7 40 47
Eddie Del Grosso 50 18 26 44
Jay Sprague 49 16 14 30
Brian Gifford 50 12 13 25
LEADERS
Cedar Rapids
Goals- Chad Costello (30)
Assists- Ted Purcell (52)
Points- Chad Costello (75)
Plus/Minus- Sergei Kolosov (+9)
Penalty Minutes- Phil Axtell (192)
Power Play Goals- Phil Axtell (14)
Shorthanded Goals- Gary Steffes, Ray Kaunisto (2)
Costello finished tied for the league lead in points, third in assists, tied for third in goals and tied for fifth in power play goals (12)...Purcell led the league in assists and finished fourth in point scoring (70) ...Axtell finished second in power play goals and in penalty minutes...David Strathman finished tied for tenth in power play goals (10) and, among defensemen, ranked fourth in goals (13), ranked fiffth in points (32) and was tied for ninth in assists (19)
Indiana
Goals- Garrett Roe (21)
Assists- John Kemp (48)
Points- John Kemp (55)
Plus/Minus- Todd McIlrath, Garrett Roe, Ryan Scott (-2)
Penalty Minutes- Ryan Scott (111)
Power Play Goals- Eddie Del Grosso (12)
Shorthanded Goals- Eddie DeGrosso, Mike Hull, Jay Sprague (2)
Kemp ranked second in assists...Del Grosso finished tied for sixth in power play goals and, among defensemen, led the league in goals, ranked third in points and ranked fourth in assists...McIlrath was tied for ninth in power play goals (11)...Eric Olimb was tied for ninth among defensemen in goals (8)
GOALTENDERS
Cedar Rapids GP MIN GAA W-L-SOL SO SPCT
Alex Stalock 44 2641:21 2.54 28-13-3 4 .931
Pat McGann 17 998:14 2.95 5-8-3 1 .910
Stalock led the league in wins, save percentage and saves (1511), ranked second in minutes played, was tied for third in shutouts and ranked sixth in goals against average
Indiana GP MIN GAA W-L-SOL SO SPCT
Cody Reichard 35 1874:46 3.84 12-18-2 2 .875
Steve Jakiel 21 1069:52 2.75 11-5-2 2 .910
(TOTALS) 39 2151:28 3.07 21-11-4 2 .898
Jakiel was tied for seventh in wins and ranked seventh minutes played
WHO'S HOT
Cedar Rapids
Chad Costello: 24 points (ten goals, 14 assists) in his last 19 games
Ted Purcell: 27 points (six goals, 21 assists) in his last 22 games
Indiana
John Kemp: 12 assists in his last nine games...19 points (one goal, 18 assists) in his last 14 games
Todd McIlrath: five game point scoring streak (6-2-8)...16 points (ten goals, six assists) in his last 11 games
Steve Jakiel: unbeaten in regulation in his last four starts (3-0-1)...8-1-1 in his last 11 starts
WIN-LOSS
Cedar Rapids Indiana
Home: 15-13-2 Home: 14-14-2
Away: 18-8-4 Away: 11-15-4
vs. East: 23-11-1 vs. East: 13-20-2
vs. West: 10-10-5 vs. West: 12-9-4
GOALS
Cedar Rapids Indiana
Goals For: 3.27 (3) Goals For: 3.10 (6)
Goals Against: 2.83 (3) Goals Against: 3.73 (10)
SPECIAL TEAMS
Cedar Rapids Indiana
Power Play: 20.2 66/326 (2) Power Play: 21.3 73/342 (1)
Penalty Kill: 84.7 42/274 (5) Penalty Kill: 82.0 58/323 (7)
Shorthanded Goals For: 7 Shorthanded Goals For: 11
Shorthanded Goals Against:14 Shorthanded Goals Against: 9
SERIES
vs. Indiana
11/15/05 Cedar Rapids 6 at Indiana 4 2/24/06 at Cedar Rapids 5 Indiana 2
12/10/05 Indiana 3 at Cedar Rapids 0 3/7/06 Indiana 3 at Cedar Rapids 5
12/17/05 Cedar Rapids 7 at Indiana 3 3/14/06 Cedar Rapids 4 at Indiana 2
1/28/06 Indiana 4 at Cedar Rapids 1
GP W-L-SOL PTS H A OPP REC OPP PTS
2005-06 7 5-2-0 10 2-2-0 3-0-0 2-5-0 6
All-Time 15 13-2-0 26 6-2-0 7-0-0 2-12-1 5
Top Point Scorers/Season Series
Cedar Rapids vs. Indiana Cedar Rapids GP G A PTS
Ted Purcell 7 6 7 13
Chad Costello 7 2 7 9
Ray Kaunisto 7 4 3 7
Indiana GP G A PTS
Jay Sprague 7 2 4 6
(three players tied with five points)
Goaltenders/Season Series
Cedar Rapids vs. Indiana
Cedar Rapids GP MIN GAA W-L-SOL SO SPCT
Alex Stalock 6 358:38 2.68 4-2-0 0 .926
Pat McGann 1 60:00 4.00 1-0-0 0 .882
Indiana GP MIN GAA W-L-SOL SO SPCT
Cody Reichard 7 374:39 3.04 2-4-0 1 .911
Steve Jakiel 1 22:13 8.10 0-1-0 0 .700
Jay Clark 1 20:00 9.00 0-0-0 0 .727
COACHES
Cedar Rapids
Mark Carlson, 7th year (218-159-38)
Mark Carlson has been the RoughRiders' coach since the team arrived in Cedar Rapids in 1999-2000. On December 3 Carlson picked up his two hundredth career coaching win as the Riders defeated Omaha 2-1 in a shootout.
Last season he led the RoughRiders to the first Clark Cup (playoff) title in team history along with a share of the Anderson Cup regular season title and the East Division title.
He has also piloted the Riders to five straight winning seasons and five straight Clark Cup playoff berths. The Riders are one of just three USHL teams to have reached the postseason each of the last five years. The Riders have also advanced at least as far as the Clark Cup semi-finals/East Division finals three of the last four years.
Carlson reached the 150 victory plateau October 30, 2004 as the RoughRiders defeated the Indiana Ice 4-3. He earned his one hundredth coaching win on January 11, 2003 when the RoughRiders defeated the Sioux City Musketeers 3-1 in Sioux City.
He was behind the bench for his three hundredth game as RoughRiders coach as the Riders defeated Indiana 6-5 in a shootout in Indianapolis on October 17.
Prior to taking over the RoughRiders in 1999, Carlson spent four seasons as a collegiate assistant coach at Northeastern and Massachusetts-Lowell. In his playing days, Carlson was a forward at Lowell and was a 1987 draft pick of the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins.
Indiana
Jack Bowkus, 1st year (12-11-1)
Jack Bowkus replaced Dean Grillo as Ice head coach on January 25. Bowkus joined the Indiana staff at the start of the season as an assistant after coaching in the California Wave youth program for eight years. As a player, Bowkus skated briefly for the USHL's Sioux City Musketeers before spending four seasons (1984-88) with the Saskatoon Blades of the major junior Western Hockey League.
HISTORY
Ted Purcell totaled a club record 137 points in his two seasons with the Riders. He had 52 assists this season- a team single season record. He is the first Rider to reach 50 assists in one season.
Chad Costello set club single season records with 30 goals and 75 points.
Al Stalock set club records for wins (28) and saves (1511) in one season, eclipsing the old records set by Bobby Goepfert, who went 27-16-5 and made 1445 saves in 2001-02.
Phil Axtell set a new Rider record with 14 power play goals this season. Gerry Hickey established the old record of 13 power play goals in 1999-2000.
The Riders as a team also set a new club power play goal record (66) this season, surpassing the old mark of 64 set last year.
This season was the Riders' third straight 30-win campaign and also the fifth time in the last six years that the Riders have picked up at least 30 victories.
The Riders have gone 42-13-5 on the road between this season and last.
The Riders and Ice also met in the opening round last spring. Cedar Rapids defeated Indiana three games to none.
In fact, this is the third straight year the Riders have squared off with the Indiana/Danville organization in round one. The Danville Wings eliminated Cedar Rapids three games to one in the spring of 2004 before moving to Indiana following that season.
Only two players involved in this series also took the ice in the Cedar Rapids-Danville series two years ago. Todd McIlrath is now in his third season with Danville/Indiana, while Nik Sellers, who was a Danville teammate of McIlrath's two seasons ago, now skates for the Riders.
This marks the Riders' sixth straight trip to the playoffs. They are, along with the Omaha Lancers, one of just two teams who have reached the post-season each of the last half dozen years. The Riders have advanced at least as far as the Clark Cup semi-finals/East Division finals three of the last four years.
The RoughRiders last season won the Clark Cup, a share of the Anderson Cup and the East Division championship- all firsts in club history. The Riders went 42-13-5 during the regular season- the best record in team history.
The RoughRiders last season set new team records for wins (42), points (89), road wins (24), goals scored (229), power play goals scored (64) and fewest goals against (157).
The Riders last season also set new United States Hockey League records for most road wins and longest road winning streak (13 straight from November 9 through February 11).
Last season marked the first time the Riders have won 40 or more games.
The Ice has now qualified for the Clark Cup playoffs each of its three years in the USHL. Danville jumped from the North American Hockey League to the USHL following the 2002-03 season.
COLLEGE COMMITMENTS
Cedar Rapids (13)
Phil Axtell (Michigan Tech), Jacob Cepis (Bowling Green), Chad Costello (Northeastern), Ryan Gunderson (Minnesota State-Mankato), Ray Kaunisto (Northern Michigan), Steven Kaunisto (Lake Superior State), Andy Miele (Miami of Ohio), Ted Purcell (Maine), Nik Sellers (Lake Superior State), Alex Stalock (Minnesota-Duluth), Gary Steffes (Miami of Ohio), David Strathman (Northeastern), Kevin Wehrs (Minnesota)
Indiana (12)
Jon Ammerman (St. Cloud State), Nik Bailen (Bowling Green), Eddie Del Grosso (Nebraska-Omaha), Brian Gifford (Denver), Steve Jakiel (Michigan), John Kemp (Nebraska-Omaha), Lucas Klimek (Nebraska-Omaha), Todd McIlrath (Bowling Green), Eric Olimb (Nebraska-Omaha), Ryan Peckskamp (St. Cloud State), Garrett Roe (St. Cloud State), Jay Sprague (Michigan State)
NHL DRAFT PICKS
Cedar Rapids Year Round Overall Team
Sergei Kolosov 2004 5th 151 Detroit
Alex Stalock 2005 4th 112 San Jose
Pat McGann 2005 7th 223 Dallas
Chicago Year Round Overall Team
Brian Gifford 2004 3rd 85 Pittsburgh
NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING MID-SEASON RANKINGS
North American Skaters
Cedar Rapids Rank
Ray Kaunisto 124
Sean Dolan 145
Gary Steffes 209
ROUGHRIDER ALUMNI
Division I GP G A PTS
Justin Abdelkader (Michigan State/freshman) 44 10 12 22
P.J. Atherton (Minnesota/senior) 41 1 6 7
Todd Bentley (Alabama-Huntsville/senior) 25 8 6 14
Casey Bickley (Army/junior) 35 6 11 17
James Brannigan (Colorado College/sophomore) 34 2 6 8
Jamie Carroll (Providence/junior) 36 9 11 20
Greg Collins (New Hampshire/freshman) 39 5 1 6
Ray Eichenlaub (Miami of Ohio/freshman) 39 4 9 13
Joey Gasparini (Vermont/senior) 28 0 2 2
Tony Gill (Notre Dame/senior) 21 0 1 1
Jon Grabarek (Wayne State/freshman) 34 7 6 12
Jordy Hart (Merrimack/sophomore) 22 1 0 1
Bryan Horan (Providence/junior) 33 1 8 9
Tyler Howells (Michigan State/junior) 45 10 24 34
Kyle Larman (Bentley/junior) 37 1 2 3
Billy Loupee (Miami of Ohio/freshman) 9 1 1 2
Shane Lovdahl (Alaska-Anchorage/freshman) 30 4 9 13
Alec Martinez (Miami of Ohio/freshman) 39 3 8 11
Ryan Mayhew (Bentley/junior) 31 5 5 10
Nate Meyers (Providence/senior) 30 6 9 15
Zach Miskovic (St. Lawrence/freshman) 40 1 15 16
Sean Muncy (Brown/freshman) 19 0 2 2
Brandon Naurato (Michigan/freshman) 31 7 3 10
Danny O'Brien (Massachusetts-Lowell/senior) 36 14 13 27
Ted O'Leary (Denver/senior) 38 0 0 0
Matt Olinger (Wisconsin/junior) 40 0 1 1
Zach Pearson (Ferris State/junior) 40 6 20 26
Derek Peltier (Minnesota/sophomore) 41 1 17 18
Brian Pouliot (New Hampshire/sophomore) 19 2 6 8
Rob Ricci (Merrimack/freshman) 34 10 16 26
Chris Snavely (Michigan State/junior) 30 1 5 6
Brandon Svendsen (Bowling Green/freshman) 38 10 9 19
Alexander Valentin (Renssalaer/senior) 18 1 5 6
Shawn Vinz (New Hampshire/junior) 26 0 1 1
Matt Vokes (Brown/freshman) 30 4 8 12
Chase Watson (Providence/junior) 36 6 27 33
GP W-L-T GAA SV% SO
Joe Fallon (Vermont/sophomore) 33 14-13-5 2.02 .907 6
Bobby Goepfert (St. Cloud State/junior) 38 20-14-4 2.47 .925 3
Matt Kelly (Wayne State/senior) 19 4-10-3 4.33 .871 0
Dan Tormey (Minnesota State-Mankato/freshman) 31 14-13-4 2.83 .902 2
Professional GP G A PTS +/-
Steve Burgess (Charlotte/ECHL) 53 0 7 7 -5
Dave Carpentier (Fort Wayne/UHL) 47 10 10 20 +9
Rico Fatticci (Roanoke/UHL) 46 2 5 7 -24
Mike Manley (Kalamazoo/UHL) 37 17 14 31 +14
Dave Moss (Omaha/AHL) 63 21 27 48 --
Danny O'Brien (South Carolina/ECHL) 6 1 4 5 +1
Highlights
Matt Olinger and the Wisconsin Badgers yesterday advanced to the NCAA Frozen Four with a 1-0 triple overtime win over Cornell...Danny O'Brien scored his first professional goal last Friday in the South Carolina Stingrays' 4-3 shootout loss to the Florida Everblades. O'Brien signed with the ECHL's Stingrays after completing his senior season at Massachusetts-Lowell.
ROUGHRIDERS ROSTER
Kevin Wehrs (shoulder) returned to the Rider line-up last Friday against Chicago after missing eight games.
Phil Axtell returned to the line-up last Tuesday against Sioux Falls after a five game absence. Axtell was suspended for four games by the USHL after being assessed a five minute major penalty for charging and a game misconduct during the Riders' March 7 game against the Indiana Ice. Axtell was also suspended for one additional game by the RoughRiders.
UPCOMING EVENTS The time of the RoughRiders' 2006 year-end banquet has been changed to today at 11:00AM. The Banquet, which will be held at the El Kahir Shine Club at 1400 Blairs Ferry NE, was originally scheduled for this evening. However, the time of the banquet was changed because the Riders leave for Indianapolis this afternoon.
TICKETS
Tickets for the Riders' first two home playoff games are on sale at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena ticket office. Tickets can be purchased over the phone at (319) 261-4625, in person at the ice arena or on line 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. Playoff ticket prices range from $8 to $18.
ON THE AIR
RoughRiders regular season and playoff games are broadcast on AM-1360 The Fan in Cedar Rapids. Courtesy of B2 Networks, free audio webcasts of Riders games will also be available at www.roughridershockey.com. Brian Lavelle provides play-by-play.
The RoughRiders and B2 have also teamed up to offer pay-per-view video webcasts of all RoughRiders games except those played in Indiana. Fans can click on the "Watch RoughRiders' Games Live" icon at www.roughridershockey.com to watch and listen to the game. 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.
Real time game updates for all USHL action are available on line at www.pointstreak.com/prostats.
United States Hockey League Stories from March 27, 2006
- RoughRiders' Stalock named USHL goaltender of the year, all-USHL first team - Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
- USHL announces year end awards - USHL
- Cedar Rapids RoughRiders Weekly Update - Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
- Here come the playoffs! - Sioux Falls Stampede
- Coming In - Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
- Thomas heading to NHL - Tri-City Storm
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
