USHL Cedar Rapids RoughRiders

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January 2, 2008 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders News Release


Headlines

Back with a Bang: The Riders returned from the United States Hockey League's 12-day holiday break with a pair of wins over the Ohio Junior Blue Jackets last weekend in Columbus. The Riders scored 11 goals in the two games against the Blue Jackets.

Unhappy New Year: Monday night's 4-1 loss to the Black Hawks was the Riders' second New Year's Eve loss in Waterloo in as many seasons. The Riders fell 3-2 at Young Arena on December 31, 2006. The Riders are now 3-2-0 all-time on New Year's Eve.

Too Close for Comfort: With Monday night's win the third place Black Hawks pulled within one point of the second place Riders in the East Division standings. The Riders do have one game in hand on the Black Hawks. The Riders are five points behind the division-leading Indiana Ice, on whom the Riders also have a game in hand.

One Is the Loneliest Number: The RoughRiders Monday night were held to a single goal for just the second time this season. The Riders also scored just once in a November 30 loss in Sioux City.

Thompson's Tops: Tyler Thompson was named RBK Hockey United States Hockey League Offensive Player of the Week for the period ending last Saturday. In the Riders' two games against Ohio last weekend, Thompson scored three goals and collected three assists while posting a plus/minus rating of +5. On the season Thompson leads the team in goals (11) and plus/minus (+13) and is tied for second in points (24).

Helper History: Ben Lynch tied a team record by collecting four assists in last Saturday night's win in Ohio. Riders players had recorded four assists in one game six times previously- most recently on January 27, 2006 when Ted Purcell notched four helpers in a 5-0 win over Green Bay.

Three for Four: Heading into last weekend's series with Ohio, no RoughRider had recorded four points in a game this season- then three Riders- Mike Seidel last Friday and Lynch and Thompson last Saturday- did the trick against the Blue Jackets. Seidel had one goal and three assists in the series opener. One night later Lynch piled up his four assists while Thompson scored two goals of his own and assisted on two others.

Oddo? Oh Yes!: Nick Oddo has scored four goals and totaled five points in his last five games.

Jonesing: Doug Jones (7-18-25) remains the Riders' leader in points and assists. He is one point ahead of Thompson (11-13-24) and Seidel (8-16-24) in the team point scoring race. Jones ranks ninth in the USHL in assists.

Hjelle Roll Halted: Brady Hjelle suffered the loss in goal Monday night in Waterloo. The defeat ended Hjelle's three game winning streak. Hjelle remains the league leader in save percentage (.931) wins (14), and minutes played (1205:06) and ranks fourth in goals against average (2.29)

Home Sweet Home: The RoughRiders return to the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena for a pair of games this weekend after playing four straight on the road. The Riders were last in action on home ice on December 14 when they defeated Green Bay 4-1 to extend their home winning streak to seven straight games. On the season the Riders are 11-1-1 at the ice arena and are tied with the Indiana Ice for the best home record in the league.

D-Fense!: The RoughRiders have given up four goals in each of their last two games and in three of their last four outings and now rank second in the league in goals allowed per game (2.5) after leading the league much of the season.

Extra Special: The RoughRiders have converted 20.5 percent of their power plays- they are the only team in the league to have met with success on better than 20 percent of their man advantages.

Eastern Promises: The RoughRiders last weekend started a stretch that will see them play nine straight games against East Division opponents. The Riders will not meet a foe from the West Division until they host the Sioux Falls Stampede on January 19. The Riders have gone 11-2-1 against the east this season.

Ins and Outs: Paul Phillips (shoulder) has missed the Riders' last four games. Kyle Flanagan (flu) sat out last Saturday's game at Ohio before returning to the lineup Monday night in Waterloo.

Alumni Spotlight: Miami (Ohio) sophomore forward Gary Steffes (2004-06) scored the winning goal with 1:38 left in the third period last Saturday night as the top-ranked Red Hawks edged host Ohio State 3-2 in the final of the Ohio Hockey Classic in Columbus. On the season Steffes has scored five goals and totaled 11 points in 20 games. He is, along with Pat Cannone, Ray Eichenlaub, Billy Loupee, Alec Martinez and Tommy Wingels, one of six former Riders skating for Miami.

Scouting Report

Waterloo: The Black Hawks have won five of their last six games...The Hawks downed the Riders Monday night after splitting a pair of games against West Division opposition over the weekend. Waterloo edged Lincoln 3-2 last Friday night on home ice before falling 5-1 one night later in Sioux City... the Hawks lead the league in penalty killing (87.3 percent)...Waterloo has allowed an average of just 2.8 goals per game- fourth fewest in the league...Blake Kessel (11-12-23) leads not only the Hawks but also all USHL defensemen in both goals and points...Billy Maday (5-17-22) leads Waterloo forwards in points...Brett Olson is the only Hawk averaging at least a point per game. He has totaled 16 points (six goals, ten assists) in 15 games after missing Waterloo's first 11 games with a shoulder injury...Kessel, Olson and Maday have accounted for seven of the eight goals and 14 of the 19 points recorded by the Hawks in three games since the holiday break...First year Waterloo goaltender Joe Howe ranks third in the league in goals against average (2.27) and sixth in save percentage (.912). Howe has won three straight games....The RoughRiders have gone 3-1-1 against Waterloo this season. All-time they have gone 29-25-5 against the Black Hawks.

Green Bay: The Gamblers are winless (0-2-1) in their last three games. Green Bay was swept by the Chicago Steel in a home-and-home series last weekend, falling 6-3 last Friday on home ice and suffering a 6-4 defeat last Saturday night in Bensenville, Illinois. On Monday night the Gamblers did earn one point for a 7-6 shootout loss to Indiana at the Resch Center... The Gamblers allow an average of 3.9 goals per game, second most in the league and have surrendered 19 in goals in just their last three games...C.J. Lee (12-7-19) leads the Gamblers in goals and points. Lee has scored five goals in his last four games and seven in his last seven outings...The RoughRiders have gone 2-0-0 against the Gamblers this season. All-time they have gone 34-16-3 against the Gamblers and have posted a 20-7-1 record in home games against Green Bay.

Promotions

Swiss Valley Farms Cowbell Night: The first 2,000 fans through the doors for the RoughRiders' game against the Waterloo Black Hawks this Friday will receive free RoughRiders cowbells courtesy of Swiss Valley Farms.

SpongeBob SquarePants: Nickolodeon's SpongeBob SquarePants will make his much anticipated return to the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena this Saturday night when the RoughRiders take on the Green Bay Gamblers at 7:05. The star of both his own long-running animated television show and the 2004 SpongeBob SquarePants movie, SpongeBob is known for getting himself and his best friend Patrick the Starfish into all sorts of wacky predicaments.

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.

Catch the Coach: The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders' Coach's Show with Mark Carlson returns to the airwaves tonight at 6:00PM on AM-1360 The Fan. The half hour show will be broadcast live from Union Station on 16th Avenue SW in Cedar Rapids each week through the end of the RoughRiders' regular season. RoughRiders Coach and General Manager Mark Carlson and RoughRiders radio broadcaster Brian Lavelle will be joined by Riders players each week on the Coach's Show.

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.

Check out the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders Statistics



United States Hockey League Stories from January 2, 2008


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