USHL Cedar Rapids RoughRiders

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Published on March 20, 2006 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders News Release


The RoughRiders went 1-1-1 last week. The Riders defeated the Indiana Ice 4-2 last Tuesday in Indianapolis. Last Friday the Riders earned one point for a 2-1 shootout loss to Tri-City, a defeat that ended the Riders' four game winning streak. The Riders suffered a 4-3 loss to Lincoln last Saturday, a defeat that ended the Riders' five game unbeaten streak.

The Riders finished the weekend tied with the Des Moines Buccaneers for first place in the United States Hockey League's East Division. Should the two teams finish tied for place, the Riders would be seeded first in the division for the Clark Cup playoffs by virtue of having won their regular season series with Des Moines.

With last Tuesday's win, the Riders clinched home ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs- the Riders can finish no worse than second in the division.

Rider goaltender Al Stalock, who has gone 27-12-3 this season, is one victory away from breaking the club record for most wins in a single season.

Rider forward Chad Costello (30-45-75) is now tied for the league point scoring lead with Des Moines' Trevor Lewis. Costello is tied for second in the league in assists and tied for third in goals. Teammate Ted Purcell leads the league in assists and ranks third in points.

The Stampede also went 1-1-1 last week. After a 4-3 loss to Lincoln last Tuesday, Sioux Falls rebounded with a 3-2 win at Sioux City last Friday before pocketing one point for a 4-3 shootout loss at Tri-City last Saturday.

On March 10, Sioux Falls clinched the first Anderson Cup (regular season) title in team history with a 3-2 overtime win at Omaha.

The Stampede will face Tri-City, which last weekend clinched the fourth and final West Division playoff berth, in the opening round of the post-season.

With last Friday's win over the Musketeers, the Stampede set a new club record for most wins in one season (41).

The Stampede has gone 7-9-1 in its last 17 games after suffering just four regulation losses over its first 40 games.

Sioux Falls is unbeaten in regulation in its last four road games (3-0-1). On the season, the Stampede has the league's best away record (21-6-2) and, like the Riders, has a better record on the road than at home.

No team gives up fewer goals than Sioux Falls. The Stampede surrenders and average of just 2.3 goals per game. The goaltending duo of Alex Kangas and John Murray has been at the heart of Sioux Falls' success. Murray ranks second in the league in goals against average (2.14), while Kangas ranks third in goals against average (2.16). The two are tied for second in save percentage (.929). Sioux Falls' Andreas Nodl (28-29-57) is tied for fifth in the league in goals and ranks sixth in points.

The Steel has gone 2-12-2 over its last 16 games, a skid that resulted in Chicago falling well out of playoff contention. The Steel has righted the ship to some extent in recent days, going 2-2-1 in five games since the end of a twelve game losing streak. Chicago played just once last weekend, suffering a 4-3 overtime loss last Friday at Indiana. The Steel will host Indiana tomorrow night. The Steel is unbeaten in regulation (2-0-2) in its last four road games. In contrast, Chicago has lost eight straight home games. The Steel has not won in Bensenville since defeating Waterloo 5-2 on January 20.

The Steel is the only team in the league that averages better than four goals against per game (4.1). Chicago also ranks second to last in goals scored per contest (2.8).

Chicago is also saddled with the worst penalty killing in the USHL (76.6 percent).

Former Rider Nate Perkovich (28-23-51) is Chicago's top scorer and is tied for fifth in the league in goals.

PLAYOFF PICTURE

If the RoughRiders finish first in the East Division they will face either the Indiana Ice or Waterloo Black Hawks in the first round. The Ice is two points ahead of the Black Hawks in the race for the fourth and final playoff spot in the east after defeating Waterloo 5-4 yesterday. Both teams have three games remaining.

If the Riders finish second they will meet the Green Bay Gamblers, who will finish third in the division, in round one.

The Riders will have home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. If they win the division, the Riders will also (should they advance) have home ice advantage in round two.

Check out the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders Statistics

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United States Hockey League Stories from March 20, 2006


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.

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