USHL Cedar Rapids RoughRiders

Riders Win One for the "Ipper"

Published on October 15, 2022 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders News Release


What a week. What a game.

Let's start with the week.

As usual, our game week preparation from the office aspect is quite a task: ticket sales, intermission preparation, sponsorship recognition, media preparation, script writing, account balances, and so much more. This week, sadly, that flurry was silenced as we received news of the passing of team owner Tony Sdao's Mother. You see, Coach Carlson, his wife Tammy, and the Sdao have been closely knit since 1999, so this is family. It wasn't moments after wiping the first set of tears that our longtime Athletic Trainer/Equipment Manager and team MVP, Chris Ipson, informed us of his mother's loss. Grief-stricken, our office continued knowing that the "game" must go on. Thinking and working through tears, our keyboard clicks again halted when Chris Ipson informed us that his Father had joined his Mother just two days later. Words escape us as we lean on each other to get through these times and hope that our "family" is comforted by the strength of our RoughRiders family. We just needed a better ending to our week, which brings us to...what a game.

What a game it was. Our first Dupaco Cowbell Cup game vs. a cross-town rival, the Waterloo Black Hawks. Looking just at the score sheet, you didn't need to watch the game to know that it HAD to have been a battle. Zero's at the end of the first period and no penalties. In the second period at 3:58, we saw the first light of the lamp by Zaccharya Wisdom with an assist by Andy Moore with a power play goal. Waterloo took an opportunity and scored, bringing the score to 1-1 in the second, but not before Dylan Hryckowian buried one at 16:58, with a beautiful assist from Zaccharya Wisdom to close out the second.

Third period, another power play opportunity for the RoughRiders put them in the lead as Brendan Fitzgerald scored with help from his teammates Zaccharya Wisdom and Connor Smith, putting the Riders at a 3-1 advantage. That didn't stop the Black Hawks as they let the RoughRiders know they were here to play, scoring and tightening up the RoughRiders lead 3-2. The Black Hawks looking to tie the game, pulled the goalie to have the man advantage. In the final few ticks, the RoughRiders managed an open net goal and finalized this exciting game with a 4-2 win and a heartfelt win for this organization who rallied on and off the ice to...win one for the "Ipper."

The RoughRiders will take on Green Bay on October 21st for the 'Riders For Fighters" breast cancer awareness game. Tickets can be found on our website.

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United States Hockey League Stories from October 15, 2022


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