An old cliche is that a two-goal lead is the most dangerous lead in hockey.
For the third straight Indiana Ice game, a team rallied from a two-goal third-period lead -- last weekend, the Ice lost one and rallied back from a two-goal deficit, but dropped both games. Friday in Cedar Rapids, the Ice built a quick two-goal lead, then saw the RoughRiders tie the game in the closing minutes.
But this time, Cody Gyllyng and Daniil Tarasov scored in the shootout and Jon Gillies stopped both Riders shooters to deliver a 3-2 victory on the road.
The Ice improved to 3-0-0 against Cedar Rapids this year and 8-3-2 on the season in total. The Ice are the only visiting team to win in the Cedar Rapids rink -- winning the season opener in OT and now Friday's victory.
All of the scoring happened in the third, as Gillies stopped 15 shots and CR's Matt McNeely stopped 21 Ice missives through two periods. The Ice killed two penalties, the Riders one in the first 40.
With the Ice on their second power play thanks to a high-sticking minor to CR's Blake Butzow, Tarasov buried a shot to give the Ice a 1-0 lead at 4:47 of the third on assists from Ryan Obuchowski and Robbie Baillargeon -- the latter extending his scoring streak to five games with the helper. It was Tarasov's ninth goal of the year in 13 games.
Just 19 seconds later, Ice defenseman Ian Spencer scored from Emil Romig.
But Cedar Rapids stormed back, scoring twice in the final five minutes, first on a rebound goal by Nathan Widman with 4:29 to play and then on a tally by Anders Schultz 2:06 later.
That set up OT, where both teams got 2 shots. Gillies stopped Stu Wilson and Riley Bourbonnais, while Tarasov and Gyllyng scored for the Ice.
The Ice welcomed Sean Kuraly back to the lineup after he spent two weeks representing the United States and the USHL in the World Junior A Challenge. They played without forward Drew Smolczynski, who was serving a one-game suspension, and will be eligible to return to the lineup Saturday at Waterloo.
The victory keeps the Ice in a third-place tie with Youngstown at 18 points, one back of second-place Dubuque. Green Bay leads the division with 22 points.
3 stars
1. Daniil Tarasov (Ice) goal, GWG in shootout
2. Anders Schultz (CR), game-tying goal
3. Gerald Mayhew (CR), 2 assists
Next up: at Waterloo (Saturday, 8 p.m.)
Showing posts with label Cedar Rapids Roughriders. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cedar Rapids Roughriders. Show all posts
Friday, November 18, 2011
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Game 13: Ice at Cedar Rapids
The Ice head to the road to face two Hawkeye foes this weekend -- the
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders on Friday, then they'll head to Waterloo to
meet the Black Hawks on Saturday night.
Both games will drop the puck at 8 p.m.
The Ice and RoughRiders are in a three-way logjam for third place in the USHL's Eastern Conference, each with 16 points (tied with Youngstown). They're all four points back of Green Bay and three points behind Dubuque -- the two defending Clark Cup finalists.
Cedar Rapids -- which seems to be a perennial Ice playoff foe -- has three players with double-digit points in Gerald Mayhew, Nick Saracino and Austin Ortega. Last year, the Riders won the Anderson Cup -- the USHL regular-season title -- largely behind their goaltending. The Riders have two veteran netminders in Jake Hildebrand -- who was acquired from Sioux City -- and Matt McNeeley.
The Ice are coming in on an 0-1-2 streak, having dropped two 5-4 heartbreakers at the Coliseum last weekend. On Friday, the Ice led 4-2 in the third, but saw Green Bay rally to win it in OT. On Saturday, the Ice rallied to tie Muskegon, but then allowed the GWG late in the third. The Ice will be playing without Drew Smolczynski, who will be serving a one-game suspension. He will return for the Waterloo game Saturday night.
Tale of the Tape
Tonight's game (Friday, Nov. 18, 2011)
Indiana Ice (7-3-2, T3rd, USHL East)
at
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (7-3-2, T3rd, USHL East)
7:05 p.m., Pepsi Coliseum, Indianapolis, IN
Broadcast: ushl.fasthockey.com
Season series: Ice lead 2-0
Nov. 4 (at Pepsi Coliseum): Ice 5-1: Daniil Tarasov 2G/A, Jacob Fallon G/2A; Alex Barron & Emil Romig 2A; Jon Gillies 26sv (Ice); Nick Saracino G (CR).
Oct. 1 (at CR): Ice 4-3, OT. Daniil Tarasov 2G, GWG, Matthew Krug 2A, Jon Gillies 30 sv (Ice); Matt McNeeley 34sv (CR)
Tale of the Tape
Ice (7-3-2, t3rd USHL East)
Head coach: Kyle Wallack
GF: 48 (2nd). GA: 35 (t6th)
PP: 32.6% (1st). PK: 87.9 % (4th) PIM: 251 (13th)
OT/SO record: 1-1 OT, 0-1 SO
Road record: 4-1-1
Leading scorers: Daniil Tarasov (8-11-19), Jacob Fallon (7-8-15), Robbie Baillargeon (6-5-11, 6 points last 4 games), Alex Barron (1-10-11), Sean Kuraly (4-7-11, will not dress).
Leading +/-: Daniil Tarasov (+8), Alex Barron (+8)
Leading PIM: Daniil Tarasov (39), R.J. Boyd (26)
Leading goaltender: Jon Gillies (6-2-2, 2.27 GAA, .919sv%, 1 SHO), Dalton Izyk (1-1-0, 4.46 GAA, .869 sv%)
Last 5: 1-2-2 Last 10: 5-3-2
Last 5
11/13: vs. Muskegon (L 4-5)
11/12: vs. Green Bay (OTL 4-5)
11/5: at Youngstown (SOL 3-4)
11/4: vs. Cedar Rapids (W 5-1)
10/29: vs. Waterloo (L 3-4)
RoughRiders (7-3-2, T3rd, USHL East)
Head coach: Mark Carlson
GF: 43 (t5th). GA: 35 (t6th)
PP: 15.1% (8th). PK: 84.6% (9th) PIM: 171 (3rd)
OT/SO record:0-2 OT, 1-0 SO
Home record: 3-0-1
Leading scorers: Gerald Mayhew (9-3-12), Nick Saracino (3-9-12), Austin Ortega (7-3-10)
Leading +/-: Nick Saracino (+11), Gerald Mayhew (+8)
Leading PIM: Preston Hodge (33)
Leading goaltender: Jake Hildebrand (5-2-1, 2.72 GAA, .912 sv%); Matt McNeely (2-1-1, 3.21 GAA, .893 sv%)
Last 5: 3-2-0 Last 10: 6-3-1
Ice next 5 games
11/19: at Waterloo
11/23: at Green Bay
11/25: vs. Sioux City
11/26: vs. Fargo
12/2: vs. Dubuque
Both games will drop the puck at 8 p.m.
The Ice and RoughRiders are in a three-way logjam for third place in the USHL's Eastern Conference, each with 16 points (tied with Youngstown). They're all four points back of Green Bay and three points behind Dubuque -- the two defending Clark Cup finalists.
Cedar Rapids -- which seems to be a perennial Ice playoff foe -- has three players with double-digit points in Gerald Mayhew, Nick Saracino and Austin Ortega. Last year, the Riders won the Anderson Cup -- the USHL regular-season title -- largely behind their goaltending. The Riders have two veteran netminders in Jake Hildebrand -- who was acquired from Sioux City -- and Matt McNeeley.
The Ice are coming in on an 0-1-2 streak, having dropped two 5-4 heartbreakers at the Coliseum last weekend. On Friday, the Ice led 4-2 in the third, but saw Green Bay rally to win it in OT. On Saturday, the Ice rallied to tie Muskegon, but then allowed the GWG late in the third. The Ice will be playing without Drew Smolczynski, who will be serving a one-game suspension. He will return for the Waterloo game Saturday night.
Tale of the Tape
Tonight's game (Friday, Nov. 18, 2011)
Indiana Ice (7-3-2, T3rd, USHL East)
at
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (7-3-2, T3rd, USHL East)
7:05 p.m., Pepsi Coliseum, Indianapolis, IN
Broadcast: ushl.fasthockey.com
Season series: Ice lead 2-0
Nov. 4 (at Pepsi Coliseum): Ice 5-1: Daniil Tarasov 2G/A, Jacob Fallon G/2A; Alex Barron & Emil Romig 2A; Jon Gillies 26sv (Ice); Nick Saracino G (CR).
Oct. 1 (at CR): Ice 4-3, OT. Daniil Tarasov 2G, GWG, Matthew Krug 2A, Jon Gillies 30 sv (Ice); Matt McNeeley 34sv (CR)
Tale of the Tape
Ice (7-3-2, t3rd USHL East)
Head coach: Kyle Wallack
GF: 48 (2nd). GA: 35 (t6th)
PP: 32.6% (1st). PK: 87.9 % (4th) PIM: 251 (13th)
OT/SO record: 1-1 OT, 0-1 SO
Road record: 4-1-1
Leading scorers: Daniil Tarasov (8-11-19), Jacob Fallon (7-8-15), Robbie Baillargeon (6-5-11, 6 points last 4 games), Alex Barron (1-10-11), Sean Kuraly (4-7-11, will not dress).
Leading +/-: Daniil Tarasov (+8), Alex Barron (+8)
Leading PIM: Daniil Tarasov (39), R.J. Boyd (26)
Leading goaltender: Jon Gillies (6-2-2, 2.27 GAA, .919sv%, 1 SHO), Dalton Izyk (1-1-0, 4.46 GAA, .869 sv%)
Last 5: 1-2-2 Last 10: 5-3-2
Last 5
11/13: vs. Muskegon (L 4-5)
11/12: vs. Green Bay (OTL 4-5)
11/5: at Youngstown (SOL 3-4)
11/4: vs. Cedar Rapids (W 5-1)
10/29: vs. Waterloo (L 3-4)
RoughRiders (7-3-2, T3rd, USHL East)
Head coach: Mark Carlson
GF: 43 (t5th). GA: 35 (t6th)
PP: 15.1% (8th). PK: 84.6% (9th) PIM: 171 (3rd)
OT/SO record:0-2 OT, 1-0 SO
Home record: 3-0-1
Leading scorers: Gerald Mayhew (9-3-12), Nick Saracino (3-9-12), Austin Ortega (7-3-10)
Leading +/-: Nick Saracino (+11), Gerald Mayhew (+8)
Leading PIM: Preston Hodge (33)
Leading goaltender: Jake Hildebrand (5-2-1, 2.72 GAA, .912 sv%); Matt McNeely (2-1-1, 3.21 GAA, .893 sv%)
Last 5: 3-2-0 Last 10: 6-3-1
Ice next 5 games
11/19: at Waterloo
11/23: at Green Bay
11/25: vs. Sioux City
11/26: vs. Fargo
12/2: vs. Dubuque
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Ice beat Riders 5-1
Daniil Tarasov scored twice and added an assist, and his line didn't miss a beat with a new linemate Friday night in a 5-1 victory over the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders.
The Tarasov-Jacob Fallon-Sean Kuraly line has been one of the USHL's most dangerous during the early part of the year. With Kuraly representing the United States at the World Junior A Challenge -- which will begin Saturday and go through Nov. 13 -- Emil Romig filled his spot. Romig had two assists, and the combination was a plus-4 on the night -- Tarasov turned out a plus-3. Fallon had a goal and two assists and a +4 rating. Defenseman Ryan Obuchowski, who scored the game's first goal, was also a plus-4.
Obuchowski scored 5:59 into the game on assists from Fallon and Tarasov. The line struck again 2:59 later with Tarasov's first goal, assisted by Fallon and Alex Barron.
Tarasov now has 17 points in nine games. Fallon's 3-point night put him in double figures with a 6-6-12 line so far in nine games.
Romig had the first assist on both second-period goals -- by Fallon and Tarasov -- that made it a 4-0 game going into the third. Barron had the second assist on Tarasov's tally to give him two for the night and nine for the year.
After a Riders goal 40 seconds into the third, Robbie Baillargeon set the final margin at 5:11, assisted by Ice veterans Christian Hilbrich and Cody Bradley.
The Ice only had one power-play opportunity, and that came at the 9:40 mark of the third when they already led 5-1. The Ice also killed off all three Cedar Rapids man-advantage situations.
The game got chippy late, as Tarasov and defenseman Joe Fiala tangled with CR's Blake Butzow and Tanner Pond -- all receiving fighting majors -- while Fallon and CR's Preston Hodge got game misconducts for cross checking and checking from behind, respectively, on the same play with 5:29 left.
Jon Gillies made 26 saves in net for the Ice, who are now 7-2-0 and travel to Youngstown tonight.
Three stars
1. Daniil Tarasov (Ice). 2 goals, assist, +3, 6 shots
2. Jacob Fallon (Ice), 1 goal, 2 assists, +4
3. Emil Romig (Ice), 2 assists, +4
The Tarasov-Jacob Fallon-Sean Kuraly line has been one of the USHL's most dangerous during the early part of the year. With Kuraly representing the United States at the World Junior A Challenge -- which will begin Saturday and go through Nov. 13 -- Emil Romig filled his spot. Romig had two assists, and the combination was a plus-4 on the night -- Tarasov turned out a plus-3. Fallon had a goal and two assists and a +4 rating. Defenseman Ryan Obuchowski, who scored the game's first goal, was also a plus-4.
Obuchowski scored 5:59 into the game on assists from Fallon and Tarasov. The line struck again 2:59 later with Tarasov's first goal, assisted by Fallon and Alex Barron.
Tarasov now has 17 points in nine games. Fallon's 3-point night put him in double figures with a 6-6-12 line so far in nine games.
Romig had the first assist on both second-period goals -- by Fallon and Tarasov -- that made it a 4-0 game going into the third. Barron had the second assist on Tarasov's tally to give him two for the night and nine for the year.
After a Riders goal 40 seconds into the third, Robbie Baillargeon set the final margin at 5:11, assisted by Ice veterans Christian Hilbrich and Cody Bradley.
The Ice only had one power-play opportunity, and that came at the 9:40 mark of the third when they already led 5-1. The Ice also killed off all three Cedar Rapids man-advantage situations.
The game got chippy late, as Tarasov and defenseman Joe Fiala tangled with CR's Blake Butzow and Tanner Pond -- all receiving fighting majors -- while Fallon and CR's Preston Hodge got game misconducts for cross checking and checking from behind, respectively, on the same play with 5:29 left.
Jon Gillies made 26 saves in net for the Ice, who are now 7-2-0 and travel to Youngstown tonight.
Three stars
1. Daniil Tarasov (Ice). 2 goals, assist, +3, 6 shots
2. Jacob Fallon (Ice), 1 goal, 2 assists, +4
3. Emil Romig (Ice), 2 assists, +4
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Game 1: Ice 4, Riders 3, OT
Daniil Tarasov started the season right where he left off.
Tarasov scored two goals -- including the game-winner 2:50 into overtime -- to give the Indiana Ice a 4-3 victory over the defending Anderson Cup champion Cedar Rapids RoughRiders Saturday night.
Sean Kuraly assisted on Tarasov's overtime goal that clinched the victory.
It didn't look like the Ice would need overtime early. They built a 3-0 lead midway through the third period, but the RoughRiders battled back to tie the game. With 1:12 left, Preston Hodge scored a power play goal to make it 3-2. Then, with the goaltender pulled, Jacob Barber scored just 35 seconds later to send the game to OT and get the Riders what would turn out to be a standings point.
The game featured defense for much of the first two periods -- a duel between the Ice's Jon Gillies and the Riders' Matt McNeeley. Tarasov's power play goal at 6:35 of the second period was the only scoring between the two teams, as Gillies stopped 23 shots and McNeeley stopped 15 in the opening two frames. Kuraly and Cody Bradley assisted on the goal.
The third was a different story.
Just 2:23 in, Jacob Fallon -- in his first game back with the Ice after a partial season in college hockey -- cashed in a feed from Alex Barron to make it 2-0. Robert Polosello scored his first USHL goal on an assist from Christian Hilbrich with 9:54 left to give the Ice what looked to be an insurmountable three-goal edge. Riley Bourbonnais scored for Cedar Rapids exactly one minute later. The Ice had a power play with Nolan Zajac in the box with 4:05 left, but instead took back-to-back penalties 21 seconds apart, which gave Cedar Rapids 43 seconds of 5-on-3 when Zajac came out of the box. Ten seconds after the first penalty expired -- and 10 seconds before the power play would come to an end --
The Ice penalty kill was otherwise very sharp, killing off two 5-on-3s in the second period that lasted 46 and 55 seconds, respectively. The Ice spent much of the last half of the second period shorthanded. They also had to kill off a five-minute fighting major to R.J. Boyd in the first period. In all, the Ice were 7-for-8 on the penalty kill. The Ice power play converted two of its four chances.
The Ice were successful despite playing much of the opening night short two defensemen, as Boyd was given a game misconduct in the first period for an instigator penalty, and Joe Fiala was sent off midway through the second due to a spearing penalty.
Gillies made 30 saves in the victory.
Three stars
1. Daniil Tarasov (Ice). 2 goals, 7 shots including game-winner.
2. Jacob Barber (CR), game-tying goal, 4 shots
3. Sean Kuraly (Ice), 2 assists
USHL boxscore
indianaice.com game story
Next week
Friday 10/7: at Team USA U17, 7 p.m.
Saturday 10/8: at Team USA U17, 7 p.m.
*-The two games in the Ann Arbor Ice Cube will feature the Ice against the U17 NTDP team. The U17s went 1-0-1 over the weekend, beating Youngstown 10-3 and then falling to Chicago in a shootout 3-2. These two will be the first of three games against the U17 squad. The home opener will be Oct. 15 against the U17s.
Tarasov scored two goals -- including the game-winner 2:50 into overtime -- to give the Indiana Ice a 4-3 victory over the defending Anderson Cup champion Cedar Rapids RoughRiders Saturday night.
Sean Kuraly assisted on Tarasov's overtime goal that clinched the victory.
It didn't look like the Ice would need overtime early. They built a 3-0 lead midway through the third period, but the RoughRiders battled back to tie the game. With 1:12 left, Preston Hodge scored a power play goal to make it 3-2. Then, with the goaltender pulled, Jacob Barber scored just 35 seconds later to send the game to OT and get the Riders what would turn out to be a standings point.
The game featured defense for much of the first two periods -- a duel between the Ice's Jon Gillies and the Riders' Matt McNeeley. Tarasov's power play goal at 6:35 of the second period was the only scoring between the two teams, as Gillies stopped 23 shots and McNeeley stopped 15 in the opening two frames. Kuraly and Cody Bradley assisted on the goal.
The third was a different story.
Just 2:23 in, Jacob Fallon -- in his first game back with the Ice after a partial season in college hockey -- cashed in a feed from Alex Barron to make it 2-0. Robert Polosello scored his first USHL goal on an assist from Christian Hilbrich with 9:54 left to give the Ice what looked to be an insurmountable three-goal edge. Riley Bourbonnais scored for Cedar Rapids exactly one minute later. The Ice had a power play with Nolan Zajac in the box with 4:05 left, but instead took back-to-back penalties 21 seconds apart, which gave Cedar Rapids 43 seconds of 5-on-3 when Zajac came out of the box. Ten seconds after the first penalty expired -- and 10 seconds before the power play would come to an end --
The Ice penalty kill was otherwise very sharp, killing off two 5-on-3s in the second period that lasted 46 and 55 seconds, respectively. The Ice spent much of the last half of the second period shorthanded. They also had to kill off a five-minute fighting major to R.J. Boyd in the first period. In all, the Ice were 7-for-8 on the penalty kill. The Ice power play converted two of its four chances.
The Ice were successful despite playing much of the opening night short two defensemen, as Boyd was given a game misconduct in the first period for an instigator penalty, and Joe Fiala was sent off midway through the second due to a spearing penalty.
Gillies made 30 saves in the victory.
Three stars
1. Daniil Tarasov (Ice). 2 goals, 7 shots including game-winner.
2. Jacob Barber (CR), game-tying goal, 4 shots
3. Sean Kuraly (Ice), 2 assists
USHL boxscore
indianaice.com game story
Next week
Friday 10/7: at Team USA U17, 7 p.m.
Saturday 10/8: at Team USA U17, 7 p.m.
*-The two games in the Ann Arbor Ice Cube will feature the Ice against the U17 NTDP team. The U17s went 1-0-1 over the weekend, beating Youngstown 10-3 and then falling to Chicago in a shootout 3-2. These two will be the first of three games against the U17 squad. The home opener will be Oct. 15 against the U17s.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
It's opening night!
The Ice open their season tonight against the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders.
After going 5-1 in the preseason schedule, the Ice have some potent offensive players back, including 2011 USHL goal scoring leader Daniil Tarasov and San Jose Sharks draft pick Sean Kuraly. Robert Polosello was a juggernaut in the offensive end during the preseason, as well. On defense, the Ice are experienced with Ryan Obuchowski, Ian Spencer, Alexander Kuqali and Florida Panthers draft pick R.J. Boyd anchoring the blueline. Jon Gillies -- one of the top 1994-born goalies in the country -- is back to tend net. He holds the team record for consecutive shutout minutes.
Tonight's game
Indiana Ice (0-0-0)
at
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (0-0-0)
8:05 p.m., Cedar Rapids Ice Arena
Broadcast: ushl.fasthockey.com
Tale of the Tape (2010-11 stats)
Ice (37-19-4 in 2010-11)
Head coach: Kyle Wallack
GF: 237 (1st). GA: 166 (6th)
PP: 21.7% (1st). PK: 85.8% (7th)
Road record: 18-10-2
Leading returning scorers: Daniil Tarasov (37-38-75), Sean Kuraly (8-21-29), Cody Bradley (11-9-20)
Leading returning +/-: Daniil Tarasov (+34), Alex Barron (+24)
Leading returning PIM: Daniil Tarasov (46)
RoughRiders (42-12-6 in 2010-11, Anderson Cup champions)
Head coach: Mark Carlson
GF: 212 (2nd). GA: 151 (3rd)
PP: 15.7% (10th). PK: 87.2% (5th)
Home record: 25-2-3
Leading returning scorers: Nolan Zajac (3-27-30), Nick Saracino (7-18-25), Stu Wilson (12-12-24).
Leading returning +/-: Nolan Zajac (+15)
Leading returning PIM: Tanner Pond (88)
Ice next 5 games
Friday 10/7: at Team USA U17, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday 10/8: at Team USA U17, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday 10/15: vs. TEAM USA U17, 7:05 p.m.
Friday 10/21: at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday 10/22: at Lincoln, 7:05 p.m.
After going 5-1 in the preseason schedule, the Ice have some potent offensive players back, including 2011 USHL goal scoring leader Daniil Tarasov and San Jose Sharks draft pick Sean Kuraly. Robert Polosello was a juggernaut in the offensive end during the preseason, as well. On defense, the Ice are experienced with Ryan Obuchowski, Ian Spencer, Alexander Kuqali and Florida Panthers draft pick R.J. Boyd anchoring the blueline. Jon Gillies -- one of the top 1994-born goalies in the country -- is back to tend net. He holds the team record for consecutive shutout minutes.
Tonight's game
Indiana Ice (0-0-0)
at
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (0-0-0)
8:05 p.m., Cedar Rapids Ice Arena
Broadcast: ushl.fasthockey.com
Tale of the Tape (2010-11 stats)
Ice (37-19-4 in 2010-11)
Head coach: Kyle Wallack
GF: 237 (1st). GA: 166 (6th)
PP: 21.7% (1st). PK: 85.8% (7th)
Road record: 18-10-2
Leading returning scorers: Daniil Tarasov (37-38-75), Sean Kuraly (8-21-29), Cody Bradley (11-9-20)
Leading returning +/-: Daniil Tarasov (+34), Alex Barron (+24)
Leading returning PIM: Daniil Tarasov (46)
RoughRiders (42-12-6 in 2010-11, Anderson Cup champions)
Head coach: Mark Carlson
GF: 212 (2nd). GA: 151 (3rd)
PP: 15.7% (10th). PK: 87.2% (5th)
Home record: 25-2-3
Leading returning scorers: Nolan Zajac (3-27-30), Nick Saracino (7-18-25), Stu Wilson (12-12-24).
Leading returning +/-: Nolan Zajac (+15)
Leading returning PIM: Tanner Pond (88)
Ice next 5 games
Friday 10/7: at Team USA U17, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday 10/8: at Team USA U17, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday 10/15: vs. TEAM USA U17, 7:05 p.m.
Friday 10/21: at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday 10/22: at Lincoln, 7:05 p.m.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Cedar Rapids wins, USHL semis set
Anderson Cup champion Cedar Rapids beat Muskegon 7-3 tonight to clinch its division semifinal series -- the only series in the round that went beyond three games. The Riders scored four third-period goals to break it open, with Justin Kovacs' game-winner coming 24 seconds into the period, and Sam Warning adding two more goals in the frame.
So, that sets the USHL division finals:
East: (1) Cedar Rapids vs. (2) Green Bay
West: (1) Dubuque vs. (3) Sioux Falls
Action should be getting underway shortly. While the Ice were eliminated on Saturday night in a thrilling OT game, the race for the Clark Cup will be an entertaining one among four really strong teams.
So, that sets the USHL division finals:
East: (1) Cedar Rapids vs. (2) Green Bay
West: (1) Dubuque vs. (3) Sioux Falls
Action should be getting underway shortly. While the Ice were eliminated on Saturday night in a thrilling OT game, the race for the Clark Cup will be an entertaining one among four really strong teams.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Greatest playoff games #9: Ice 7, Cedar Rapids 6, 2009
As the Ice prepare for their second-round series against Green Bay and the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin in the NHL, we continue our countdown of the 10 greatest playoff games in Indianapolis hockey history.
Of Indianapolis' eight championship teams, some -- notably the 1950 Capitals, 1983 Checkers and 1990 Ice -- dominated the postseason and never really came close to letting their grip slide on a series. Others had to survive some hair-raising moments just to survive.
The 2009 Ice were one of those teams. They had finished third in the USHL's East Division -- matter of fact, the 2008 team was probably a more likely Clark Cup favorite, as it won the division title with a team led by future Washington Capitals mainstay John Carlson and NHL draft pick Garrett Roe. The 2009 Ice had solid goaltending with Brett Bennett and a fairly deep team, but it wouldn't have home-ice advantage in its first two playoff series, including the opening round against the Cedar Rapids Roughriders.
The teams had split the first four games of the best-of-5 in an epic series. Two of the games had gone to overtime. The Ice won the opener 7-2, but Cedar Rapids won back-to-back OT games to take a 2-1 lead in the series. Facing elimination, the Ice skated away from the Pepsi Coliseum with a 5-1 victory in Game 4.
That set the stage for Game 5 in Cedar Rapids -- a winner-take-all game on April 18, 2009. A crowd of 2,229 showed up for what they hoped would be a Roughrider victory.
They were pretty happy in the opening period. After CR's Mike Seidel and the Ice's Mike Cichy scored PPGs midway through the first, Kyle Flanagan and Tobias Nilsson-Roos scored two goals in the final five minutes of the period to put the Riders up 3-1. Flanagan's goal came just 26 seconds after Cichy tied the game.
This game would just get wilder. Trailing by two halfway through the game, Brandon Richardson -- who would total eight postseason goals -- begun the comeback by cashing in on assists from Cichy and Shane Berschbach with 7:54 left in the second. With 4:26 left, Ben Albertson converted an assist from Garrett Kennedy to tie the game. It took just 94 seconds for the Ice to take the lead, as their top line converted. Brent Gwidt cashed in on an assist from NHL prospect Stanislav Galiev.
Suddenly, a bleak two-goal deficit was a 4-3 lead late in the second.
Briefly.
Nilsson-Roos scored just 44 seconds after Gwidt's goal to tie the game.
The Ice's Brett Bennett had carried the team much of the year. Mike Johnson had led a pretty solid Cedar Rapids attack. Whichever goaltender came up biggest in the third period would win.
But it belonged to the offenses. A heavyweight boxing match had broken out.
The Ice needed just 2:04 to build a two-goal lead, as Richardson put the visitors ahead with his second goal of the game -- assisted by Anthony Bitetto, who would become an Ice hero in the same rink in the same Game 5 situation a year later. Exactly one minute later, Richardson fed Will MacDonald for a goal.
Johnson stayed in net for Cedar Rapids. His team would come back. For the third time, an Ice goal was answered within a minute, thanks to Kyle Flanigan's tally.
Yet, the Ice kept trying to hold onto the lead. Finally, Seidel broke through -- assisted by Flanigan -- and with 8:37 left, the game was tied.
Who was going to be a hero? The game had already seen the lead swap hands twice, both teams rally from two-goal deficits, and two pretty good goaltenders getting shelled by great offenses who weren't willing to see their seasons end.
Torey Krug became the answer.
With 15 seconds left, a play started by Cichy ended up with the puck on Shane Berschbach's stick. Krug ended up poking the puck past Johnson. Suddenly, the scoreboard showed a 7-6 Ice lead and just a quarter of a minute left.
It wasn't an overtime goal, but it might as well have been. The final seconds ran out. The Ice had survived one of the wildest playoff series in recent USHL memory.
Krug had a pretty good day prior to the goal -- four shots, +3, but his blast was icing on the cake. It would be his only goal of the postseason, but he would have a big playoff with six assists.
Suddenly, Cedar Rapids' quest was over. Suddenly, the Ice were headed to Green Bay to take on the top-seeded Gamblers. The Ice would win that series in four games, and then go on to beat Fargo in four games to win the Clark Cup. The championship wouldn't have happened without Krug's heroics.
A lot of championship runs have the early "close shave." For the Ice, trailing by two goals in the first period of a clinching game, losing a two-goal lead in the third and rallying to hold on in the other team's building was the character test that sprung a championship run.
Boxscore: April 18, 2009 at Cedar Rapids Ice Arena
First period
CR-Seidel 2 (Rowe, Bergman), 13:21 (pp)
IND-Cichy 3 (Richardson), 15:28 (pp)
CR-Flanagan 5 (Costello), 15:54
CR-Nilsson-Roos 2 (Robinson), 18:48 (pp)
Penalties: Aneloski (C) high-sticking, 4:58; Blakey (I) hooking, 13:07; Aneloski (C) holding, 13:35; Blakey (I) interference, 17:10
Second period
IND-Richardson 3 (Cichy, Berschbach), 12:06
IND-Albertson 3 (Kennedy), 16:34
IND-Gwidt 4 (Galiev), 18:08
CR-Nilsson-Roos 3 (unassisted), 18:52
Penalties: Donovan (C) holding, 8:36
Third period
IND-Richardson 4 (Bitetto), 1:04
IND-MacDonald 1 (Richardson, Gwidt), 2:04
CR-Flanagan 6 (Lynch), 3:00
CR-Seidel 3 (Flanagan), 11:23
IND-Krug 1 (Berschbach, Cichy), 19:45
Penalties: none
Shots on goal: IND 14-17-8 -- 39 (Johnson 32 saves); CR 11-12-10 -- 33 (Bennett 27 saves)
Power play: IND 1-3, CR 2-2
Officials: R-Curtis Marouelli, L-Aaron Mills, Judson Ritter
Att.: 2,229
Of Indianapolis' eight championship teams, some -- notably the 1950 Capitals, 1983 Checkers and 1990 Ice -- dominated the postseason and never really came close to letting their grip slide on a series. Others had to survive some hair-raising moments just to survive.
The 2009 Ice were one of those teams. They had finished third in the USHL's East Division -- matter of fact, the 2008 team was probably a more likely Clark Cup favorite, as it won the division title with a team led by future Washington Capitals mainstay John Carlson and NHL draft pick Garrett Roe. The 2009 Ice had solid goaltending with Brett Bennett and a fairly deep team, but it wouldn't have home-ice advantage in its first two playoff series, including the opening round against the Cedar Rapids Roughriders.
The teams had split the first four games of the best-of-5 in an epic series. Two of the games had gone to overtime. The Ice won the opener 7-2, but Cedar Rapids won back-to-back OT games to take a 2-1 lead in the series. Facing elimination, the Ice skated away from the Pepsi Coliseum with a 5-1 victory in Game 4.
That set the stage for Game 5 in Cedar Rapids -- a winner-take-all game on April 18, 2009. A crowd of 2,229 showed up for what they hoped would be a Roughrider victory.
They were pretty happy in the opening period. After CR's Mike Seidel and the Ice's Mike Cichy scored PPGs midway through the first, Kyle Flanagan and Tobias Nilsson-Roos scored two goals in the final five minutes of the period to put the Riders up 3-1. Flanagan's goal came just 26 seconds after Cichy tied the game.
This game would just get wilder. Trailing by two halfway through the game, Brandon Richardson -- who would total eight postseason goals -- begun the comeback by cashing in on assists from Cichy and Shane Berschbach with 7:54 left in the second. With 4:26 left, Ben Albertson converted an assist from Garrett Kennedy to tie the game. It took just 94 seconds for the Ice to take the lead, as their top line converted. Brent Gwidt cashed in on an assist from NHL prospect Stanislav Galiev.
Suddenly, a bleak two-goal deficit was a 4-3 lead late in the second.
Briefly.
Nilsson-Roos scored just 44 seconds after Gwidt's goal to tie the game.
The Ice's Brett Bennett had carried the team much of the year. Mike Johnson had led a pretty solid Cedar Rapids attack. Whichever goaltender came up biggest in the third period would win.
But it belonged to the offenses. A heavyweight boxing match had broken out.
The Ice needed just 2:04 to build a two-goal lead, as Richardson put the visitors ahead with his second goal of the game -- assisted by Anthony Bitetto, who would become an Ice hero in the same rink in the same Game 5 situation a year later. Exactly one minute later, Richardson fed Will MacDonald for a goal.
Johnson stayed in net for Cedar Rapids. His team would come back. For the third time, an Ice goal was answered within a minute, thanks to Kyle Flanigan's tally.
Yet, the Ice kept trying to hold onto the lead. Finally, Seidel broke through -- assisted by Flanigan -- and with 8:37 left, the game was tied.
Who was going to be a hero? The game had already seen the lead swap hands twice, both teams rally from two-goal deficits, and two pretty good goaltenders getting shelled by great offenses who weren't willing to see their seasons end.
Torey Krug became the answer.
With 15 seconds left, a play started by Cichy ended up with the puck on Shane Berschbach's stick. Krug ended up poking the puck past Johnson. Suddenly, the scoreboard showed a 7-6 Ice lead and just a quarter of a minute left.
It wasn't an overtime goal, but it might as well have been. The final seconds ran out. The Ice had survived one of the wildest playoff series in recent USHL memory.
Krug had a pretty good day prior to the goal -- four shots, +3, but his blast was icing on the cake. It would be his only goal of the postseason, but he would have a big playoff with six assists.
Suddenly, Cedar Rapids' quest was over. Suddenly, the Ice were headed to Green Bay to take on the top-seeded Gamblers. The Ice would win that series in four games, and then go on to beat Fargo in four games to win the Clark Cup. The championship wouldn't have happened without Krug's heroics.
A lot of championship runs have the early "close shave." For the Ice, trailing by two goals in the first period of a clinching game, losing a two-goal lead in the third and rallying to hold on in the other team's building was the character test that sprung a championship run.
Boxscore: April 18, 2009 at Cedar Rapids Ice Arena
| Indiana | 1 | 3 | 3 | --7 |
| Cedar Rapids | 3 | 1 | 2 | --6 |
CR-Seidel 2 (Rowe, Bergman), 13:21 (pp)
IND-Cichy 3 (Richardson), 15:28 (pp)
CR-Flanagan 5 (Costello), 15:54
CR-Nilsson-Roos 2 (Robinson), 18:48 (pp)
Penalties: Aneloski (C) high-sticking, 4:58; Blakey (I) hooking, 13:07; Aneloski (C) holding, 13:35; Blakey (I) interference, 17:10
Second period
IND-Richardson 3 (Cichy, Berschbach), 12:06
IND-Albertson 3 (Kennedy), 16:34
IND-Gwidt 4 (Galiev), 18:08
CR-Nilsson-Roos 3 (unassisted), 18:52
Penalties: Donovan (C) holding, 8:36
Third period
IND-Richardson 4 (Bitetto), 1:04
IND-MacDonald 1 (Richardson, Gwidt), 2:04
CR-Flanagan 6 (Lynch), 3:00
CR-Seidel 3 (Flanagan), 11:23
IND-Krug 1 (Berschbach, Cichy), 19:45
Penalties: none
Shots on goal: IND 14-17-8 -- 39 (Johnson 32 saves); CR 11-12-10 -- 33 (Bennett 27 saves)
Power play: IND 1-3, CR 2-2
Officials: R-Curtis Marouelli, L-Aaron Mills, Judson Ritter
Att.: 2,229
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