Dubuque ends RoughRiders’ win streak at 10

CEDAR RAPIDS – They weren't going to win the rest of ‘em.

As well as they've played the first quarter of the United States Hockey League season, the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders were bound to have a game where they didn't play their best hockey and weren't able to overcome that. Saturday night turned out to be that game.

Dubuque scored twice early in the third period and ended the Riders' 10-game win streak, 2-1, before 2,367 fans at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena. They'll have to settle for tying the franchise record in that department, at least for now.

It's Dubuque that actually has the USHL's longest active win streak of eight in a row.

'Credit them, they played well,” said Riders Coach Mark Carlson. 'Credit them for sure. We just didn't play well tonight.”

Defenseman Clark Kuster's well-placed snap shot from just inside the blue line went past screened Dubuque goalie Jacob Nehana and gave Cedar Rapids a 1-0 lead a minute into the second period. That's the way the game stayed until a fateful three-and-a-half minute stretch of the third.

Defenseman Blake Hillman wristed a shot over the glove of Riders goalie Ben Blacker's glove 39 seconds into the period to tie it. J.D. Dudek then hopped on a loose puck at the side of the net during a scramble in the Cedar Rapids end and put his club ahead for good with 15:59 left.

Blacker shouldn't be blamed for the loss, as he was especially brilliant in a first period that saw his team outshot, 19-3. The Fighting Saints were clearly better in the third as well, posting a 12-3 shots on goal edge.

'We just turned over too many pucks. Way too many pucks,” Carlson said. 'That was a big part of the story.”

'They just played better as a team than we did,” said Kuster. 'Obviously we turned the puck over a lot tonight. We've got to play better as a team. That's it.”

The RoughRiders embark on a four-game road trip, with two games next week against the United States National Team Development Program. They still lead the USHL with 26 standings points on a 13-2 record.

They still have not trailed in any game this season after two periods. Both losses have been by 2-1 scores.

So many great things have happened that one little blip shouldn't take away from them.

'We just take it day by day,” Kuster said. 'We're going to have to get better Monday and move forward.”

'You can't live in the past in this league,” Carlson said. 'It's day by day. You're as good as your last game. That's what it is. You focus on getting ready for the next one.”

Nehama, by the way, improved to 10-0 with the win. Dubuque avenged a loss here in the season opener in October.

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