RoughRiders Skate Past Saints, 4-1
February 23, 2019 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Dubuque Fighting Saints News Release
Dubuque couldn't muster enough offense on Saturday night as the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders swept the weekend with a 4-1 win at home. The RoughRiders scored one goal in each of the first two periods and then potted two in the third, sealing the win with an empty-netter. Dubuque tallied midway through the third period but were unable to put anything else passed Blake Pietila.
-Pietila secured his 11th win since winter break and is now 11-3-0-1 since the teams resumed play after the holidays. Pietila wasn't overly busy through the first two periods, but he showed up big in the third, making a few huge saves.
-The RoughRiders received goals from Kyle Looft, Grant Silainoff, Jason Polin and Liam Walsh. Looft hit the stick of Cooper Haar late in the first period for a power play goal. Polin scored his 20th of the season early in the third.
-CR improved to 22-5 when scoring three goals or more this season. The defensive scheme from the RoughRiders was suffocating for most of the night.
-To the Saints credit, they battled in the third period, but it was too little too late once again. After the Feenstra goal, Haar and J.D. Greenway both had golden chances and Pietila turned them aside.
-Matthew Thiessen stood up to some intense pressure in the first two periods as CR outshot the Fighting Saints 17-3 through the first two periods. Thiessen stopped 19 shots in the game.
-"I thought we did well to fight back in the third period," said head coach Oliver David. "I'm proud of our guys for not quitting and getting a goal and pushing back in that last period."
-For the third time in the last four games against the RoughRiders, the Fighting Saints did not have a power play opportunity. Dubuque gave up one power play goal on three attempts as the RoughRiders cashed in a man up on the Looft goal.
-The end of the game featured an empty net goal, a huge hit and a near brawl as the teams came close to dropping the gloves multiple times. In what has been a chippy series during the month of February, the last 15 seconds featured some of the largest scrums.
-"I was proud of how our guys handled the situation at the end of the game and stayed on the bench," said David. "Those guys showed good restraint and really represented our club well."
-The Saints will take on the Chicago Steel next weekend in a home and home. It will be the first matchup of the season with Chicago when Dubuque plays them on Friday at Mystique Community Ice Center.
United States Hockey League Stories from February 23, 2019
- Wiener Dogs Race to Overtime Win Before Sellout Crowd - Sioux Falls Stampede
- Flying Aces Rise Above Gamblers with 3-1 Win - Central Illinois Flying Aces
- RoughRiders Skate Past Saints, 4-1 - Dubuque Fighting Saints
- Hawks Prevail with Four-Goal Finish - Waterloo Black Hawks
- Spetz Calms the Storm in 4-3 Overtime Win - Chicago Steel
- Stars Fall in Shootout to Force - Lincoln Stars
- Tri-City Falls in Overtime to Chicago 4-3 - Tri-City Storm
- Danil Gushchin's Hat Trick Rallies Muskegon Past Madison 5-3 - Muskegon Lumberjacks
- Big 2nd Period Isn't Enough To Carry Musketeers To Victory - Sioux City Musketeers
- Preview - Force at Stars - Lincoln Stars
- Gameday Preview: Storm Seek Back to Back Wins over Chicago - Tri-City Storm
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