Roughriders weekly
Published on December 3, 2007 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders News Release
Headlines Snowed Out: Last Saturday's scheduled game between the RoughRiders and Green Bay Gamblers was postponed due to inclement weather. Tickets for the originally scheduled game can be exchanged for any RoughRiders home game the rest of the season except for the Riders' December 8 and January 4 games against Waterloo. Exchanges can be made at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena ticket office.
Back-to-Back Bumps in the Road: The Riders have suffered back-to-back regulation losses for the first time since December 16 and December 17, 2006. Last Saturday's 4-1 setback at Sioux City came on the heels of a 3-2 loss at Indiana one week earlier.
Second to One: The Indiana Ice won a pair of games last weekend to move past the RoughRiders and take a three point lead over Cedar Rapids in the race for first place in the United States Hockey League's East Division. The Riders are one point ahead of the third place Waterloo Black Hawks.
Home Sweet Home: The RoughRiders this Friday night will open a three-game home stand. The Riders have won four straight home games and are 8-1-1 on home ice this season.
The Hjelle's Still Good: Rider goaltender Brady Hjelle has lost back-to-back starts for the first time this season. Hjelle took the loss last Saturday night in Sioux City despite making 38 saves. On the season, Hjelle leads the league in save percentage (.938), wins (11) and minutes played (965:32), is tied for the league lead in shutouts (1) and ranks third in goals against average (2.24).
D-Fense!: The RoughRiders have given up fewer goals (42) than any other team in the league. The Riders allow an average of just 2.3 per game.
(Almost) Keeping Up with the Jones: Second year forward Doug Jones (5-14-19) is the Riders' top point producer, just ahead of fellow veterans Mike Seidel (6-10-16), Tyler Thompson (7-8-15) and David Boehm (6-9-15). Jones is tied for fifth in the league in assists.
Extra Special: The Riders are the only team in the USHL to have connected on better than 20 percent of its power play opportunities this season. Cedar Rapids scored on 21.8 percent of its advantages. The Riders also rank second in penalty killing (87.1 percent).
Alumni Spotlight: Jamie Carroll (2003-04) of the International Hockey League's Port Huron Icehawks is tied for the IHL lead in goals (12) and points (21). Carroll scored twice last Saturday night as the league-leading Icehawks won their fifth straight game, downing the Flint Generals 5-4. The former Rider captain is in his first professional season after completing his collegiate career at Providence last year.
Scouting Report Sioux Falls: The Stampede suffered back-to-back losses on home ice last weekend. Sioux Falls fell to Tri-City 4-3 last Friday night and lost to Chicago 4-1 the following evening...The Stampede had won three straight games before last weekend...Nick Dineen (12-9-21) and former RoughRider David Grun (6-15-21) are tied for eighth in the league in point scoring. Dineen ranks third in goals, while Grun ranks for fourth in assists...Stampede coach Kevin Hartzell's son Eric splits time in the Sioux Falls goal with veteran netminder Max Strang. Hartzell took the loss last Friday against Tri-City, a defeat that ended his four game winning streak...The Stampede is the reigning Clark Cup champion. Sioux Falls last season took home the title for the first time in team history...The Riders swept their four-game season series with Sioux Falls last year. All-time they have gone 16-16-5 against the Stampede and have posted a 7-9-2 record at home against Sioux Falls.
Waterloo: The Black Hawks suffered shootout defeats last Friday against Ohio (3-2) and last Saturday against Indiana (4-3), earning two points for the weekend. Waterloo has been beaten in regulation just once in its last dozen games (8-1-3)- a loss that came in Cedar Rapids on November 23. On the other hand, the Hawks have won just one of their last five games (1-1-3)...Seven of the Black Hawks' last 12 games have gone to the shootout...The Black Hawks have given up 48 goals, third fewest in the league...The Hawks lead the league in penalty killing (88.3)...Paul Weisgarber (4-8-12), Brock Montpetit (4-8-12) and Billy Maday (2-10-12) are tied for the team point scoring lead...defenseman Blake Kessell (7-4-11) is the only Black Hawk who has scored more than four goals. He leads USHL defensemen in goal scoring...Matthew DiGirolamo leads goaltenders in goals against average (2.08) and ranks fifth in save percentage (.915), wins (11) and minutes played (751)...The RoughRiders have gone 2-1-0 against Waterloo this season. All-time they have gone 28-25-4 against the Black Hawks.
Promotions Teddy Bear Toss Presented by Bank of the West: The RoughRiders host their fifth annual Teddy Bear Toss presented by Bank of the West this Saturday night. Fans will throw teddy bears onto the ice following the Riders' first goal in their game against Waterloo. The first 1,000 fans through the doors this Saturday night will receive a free teddy bear, courtesy of Bank of the West. All of the stuffed animals thrown onto the ice will go directly to the Christmas Toy Shop, a partnership between Toys for Tots and The Salvation Army which provides holiday toys for children in need up to 17 years of age. The two groups annually serve hundreds of families and thousands of children in the Cedar Rapids area. The Jaycees and the United States Marine Corps coordinate the Cedar Rapids area Toys for Tots program.
RoughRiders/Iowa-Iowa State Doubleheader: The Hawkeye-Cyclone rivalry will take to the ice as the Iowa and Iowa State hockey teams collide at 3:30PM this Saturday at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena. The Riders' match-up with Waterloo will follow at 7:05PM.
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.
Be Flexible: The RoughRiders are again this season offering the Flex Plan, which enables fans to purchase books of ten ticket vouchers that can be redeemed in any quantity for any regular season home game during normal box office hours. Fans who purchase the flex plan receive a significant discount ($21 off game day ticket prices) and can still enjoy the games of their choice in the seats they want.
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 December 3, 2007
- RoughRider alum Miskovic named ECAC player of the week - Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
- Roughriders weekly - Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
- Junior Blue Jackets Announce Teddy Bear Toss Saturday - Ohio Junior Blue Jackets
- Buccaneers weekly - Des Moines Buccaneers
- Steel Victorious On The Road - Chicago Steel
- Stampede Host Lincoln Wednesday at the Sioux Falls Arena - Sioux Falls Stampede
- Ice Seize First Place In East After Two-Win Weekend - Indiana Ice
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