RoughRiders in the dance, await partner

CEDAR RAPIDS – They know they're in the dance, but they don't know who their partner is going to be, yet.

Another two weeks will determine where the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders finish in the USHL standings and who their first-round playoff opponent will be. There is still work to do.

But let's give this club the proper props for just being a part of the postseason again. Cedar Rapids has been a playoff team in 14 of its 16 years.

'I've told everyone on our team that I think it's a special thing to qualify for the playoffs in this league,” said RoughRiders Coach Mark Carlson. 'The last couple of years, it's been less than 50 percent of the teams that have made it. Really, any year (it's special). This league is so hard, players are so good. I have such respect for the players and the coaching staffs. It's a battle from late August to mid-March to qualify, so I'm really proud of our guys.”

His guys are proud of themselves.

'It's definitely exciting,” said forward Andrew Gaus. 'It is a goal that we set out for the beginning of the season. I remember our very first practice, Coach telling us that our goals, in order, were to clinch a playoff spot and then do some damage in the dance.”

The RoughRiders are 36-17-0 going into their home game Friday night against Waterloo. Saturday brings a road game at Dubuque.

Their 72 standings points place them in second place in the Eastern Conference, five points back of a Youngstown team that is on a USHL record-breaking 17-game win streak. The last time the Phantoms lost was January 30 and 31, to the RoughRiders.

'It actually feels like forever ago,” Gaus said. 'I think I speak for a lot of the guys when I say I wish we played them again in the regular season. That would be fun, to try and be the team to end a streak like that.

'It's impressive. I think it shows they are doing a lot of things well. I think it excites our group because it's the team we want to beat and the team we're going to have to beat if we want to get to where we eventually want to go.”

Dubuque and Muskegon are tied for third place in the East, six points back of the Riders. The top four teams in each division qualify for the playoffs, with the top two securing first-round home-ice advantage.

Tri-City and Sioux City have clinched playoff spots in the Western Conference.

'Yeah, definitely the next step is to get home ice,” Gaus said.

'We have seven games left, and our goal is to make sure we go out there and play well every night the rest of the way,” Carlson said. 'That's how we are approaching it. If we do that, then we'll take care of business.”

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