RoughRiders Weekly
Published on December 2, 2008 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders News Release
This Weekend
Friday, December 5, 7:05PM
Cedar Rapids Ice Arena
Omaha Lancers vs. Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
Saturday, December 6, 7:05PM
Cedar Rapids Ice Arena
Tri-City vs. Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
Last Week
Thursday, November 27
Waterloo 5 Cedar Rapids 4
Friday, November 28
Waterloo 2 Cedar Rapids 1
Saturday, November 29
Cedar Rapids 9 Des Moines 2
At a Glance
Cedar Rapids 13-5-0, 26 points 2nd place East Division Tri-City 13-5-0, 26 points 2nd place West Division
Omaha 6-14-0, 12 points 6h place West Division
Coach/GM: Mark Carlson
Coach/GM: Bliss Littler
Coach: Tom Rudrud
Headlines Rebound: The RoughRiders bounced back from back-to-back one goal losses to Waterloo with their biggest offensive outburst of the season in last Saturday's win over Des Moines.
Cloud Nine: The Riders came within one goal of setting a team record and established a season high for most goals in one game in last Saturday's 9-2 defeat of the Buccaneers. The Riders now lead the league in goal scoring. Cedar Rapids averages four goals per game.
Record Breaker: Kyle Flanagan (5-18-23) last Saturday set new team records for most points (6) and most assists (5) in a single game and also established USHL season highs for points, assists and plus/minus rating (+6) rating in one game. He breaks the previous club marks of five points and four assists in one game, both standards set on multiple occasions. On the season Flanagan now ranks second in the league in assists and fourth in points.
Low Five: The Riders surrendered five goals last Friday night- the only time they've given up more than three goals in a game this season. On year the Riders average a league best two goals against per game.
P.K. O.K.: The RoughRiders are the only team in the league topping 90 percent (90.1) in penalty killing efficiency.
Mighty Mike: Mike Seidel (10-15-25) has recorded two points in three of his last four games and ranks second in the league in point scoring, is tied for fourth in assists and ranks eighth in goals.
Between the Pipes: Rider goaltender Mike Johnson last Saturday night stopped 19 Des Moines shots while becoming the second USHL goaltender to reach 10 wins. Johnson leads the league in goals against average (2.01) and shutouts (2) and ranks second in wins and save percentage (.925).
Ins and Outs: Forwards Tobias Nilsson-Roos (hernia) and Greg Burke (shoulder) both missed the Riders' last three games. Defenseman Derik Johnson has been sent to the Penticton Vees of the British Columbia Hockey League for the remainder of the season. Johnson will remain on the RoughRiders' affiliate list.
Alumni Spotlight: Forward Justin Abdelkader (2004-2005) helped the American Hockey League's Grand Rapids Griffins to a 3-0-1 record in a stretch of four games in five days that ended Sunday. Abdelkader scored one goal and picked up two assists while posting a plus/minus rating of +4 over the four games. On the season Abdelkader (9-5-14) is tied for the team goal scoring lead. Among his Grand Rapids teammates is former Rider defenseman Sergei Kolosov (2005-2007).
Tenth Anniversary Tidbit: The RoughRiders set the club record for most goals in one game on October 13, 2006 when they routed the Chicago Steel 10-3 in Bensenville, Illinois. Jacob Cepis's hat trick keyed the Rider attack. Brett Dickinson (1-2-3), Rob Bordson (0-3-3), Tommy Wingels (0-3-3) and Andy Miele (1-2-3) also enjoyed three point nights. Richard Bachman, who would be traded to the Riders the following month in a deal that sent Miele to the Steel, gave up the first five Cedar Rapids goals. Rob Madore, who was briefly a Rider backup goaltender in 2005-06 (though he did not see any game action), surrendered the last five goals.
Scouting Report Omaha: The Lancers played three games in four nights last week, rebounding from a 5-4 loss last Wednesday at Tri-City by putting together back-to-back wins. Omaha won 6-4 in Des Moines on Thanksgiving night and returned home to edge Sioux City 3-2 last Saturday...This Friday's contest will be the Lancers' fifth road game in their last six overall...Pat Mullane (12-9-21) is tied for second in the league in goals and is tied for sixth in points...Louis Leblanc (9-10-19) is tied for ninth in goals and points...Ben Arnt (6-11-17) was named USHL Offensive Player of the Week after scoring four goals and totaling seven points in Omaha's three games last week. Arndt is also in the midst of a five game point scoring streak (5-5-10)...Jeff Teglia (6-4-2, 3.08, .898) has carried the bulk of the Lancers' goaltending work load. Teglia has suffered just one regulation loss in his last five starts (3-1-1)...The RoughRiders won their first meeting of the year with the Lancers 5-2 on October 25 in Cedar Rapids. The Riders have gone 13-23-4 all time against Omaha, while the Lancers have posted a 27-8-5 mark against Cedar Rapids. The Riders have gone 8-12-3 at home against the Lancers.
Tri-City: The Storm fell to Lincoln 4-1 last Saturday after downing the Lancers last Wednesday...Tri-City has lost four of its last five games...the Storm has gone just 2-7-0 on the road this season and has lost seven of its last eight away games...Tri-City has lost its first ten games against East Division opponents...The Storm ranks second to last in the league in goals against (4.7 per game), on the power play (12.4 percent) and on the penalty kill (78.6 percent) and ranks tenth in goal scoring (2.9 per game)...Anthony DeCenzo (9-8-17), Eli Zuck (6-11-17) and Mike Cichy (6-11-17) are tied for the team point scoring lead...In the first meeting of the season between the two teams, the RoughRiders trounced the Storm in Kearney, Nebraska 8-1 on October 18. All time the Riders have gone 17-15-4 against the Storm, while Tri-City has posted a 19-15-2 record against Cedar Rapids. The Riders have gone 8-7-2 at home against the Storm.
Community Emerson Elementary Fastworks: RoughRiders will visit the Fastworks program at Emerson Elementary on Monday evening, December 8 at 6:15PM.
Salvation Army Christmas Toy Shop: Riders players will distribute toys at the former EconoFoods at 1800 51st Street NE from 8:30AM to 12:45PM on Wednesday, December 17. The Christmas Toy Shop is a partnership between Toys for Tots and The Salvation Army which provides holiday toys for children in need up to 17 years of age.
Promotions Teddy Bear Toss Presented by Bank of the West: The RoughRiders host their sixth 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 Tri-City. The first 750 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.
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.
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 2, 2008
- Storm Defenseman Commits to College - Tri-City Storm
- RoughRiders Weekly - Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
- Musketeer E-News: "Tis the Season" Edition - Sioux City Musketeers
- Waterloo Black Hawks Weekly - Waterloo Black Hawks
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