C.R. RoughRiders blown out at Dubuque, Anderson Cup has to wait

DUBUQUE — The Anderson Cup will be coming to Cedar Rapids. Whether it stays there after Saturday remains to be seen.

There was no clinching of anything Friday night for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, who were blown out by Dubuque, 10-2, before 2,813 fans at Mystique Ice Center.

This was a rare off night for the Riders, who still remain atop the United States Hockey League standings by a comfortable margin. Or at least a semi-comfortable margin.

The short of it is one win in their remaining three regular-season games allows them to capture the Anderson for most standings points and home-ice advantage in the upcoming Clark Cup playoffs. They can even get to that point without a win, depending on what Eastern Conference mates Dubuque and Green Bay do in their remaining four regular-season games, including one Sunday against each other.

Cedar Rapids has 81 points (on a 38-14-5 record) to 74 for Dubuque and 75 for Green Bay. Bloomington actually is in second place overall and in the East with 76 standings points but has only three regular-season games remaining.

The RoughRiders and Fighting Saints meet again Saturday night at 7:05 at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena. Word is the Anderson Cup was in the house here Friday, though someone will have to drive it down Highway 151.

'Not really,' Riders Coach Mark Carlson said, when asked if he felt his team did anything well. 'You've got a 60-game season, and you have some good games and you have some that aren't as good. You just move on to the next one, just like we always do.'

The worst period of the season doomed Cedar Rapids right off the bat, as Dubuque scored six times in the first for a 6-1 lead. Ben Blacker arguably has been the USHL's best goaltender this season, but he had no chance here, the victim of some unfortunate puck bounces and plain old superior play by the opponent.

Dubuque had so much more noticeable energy and jump. The Fighting Saints' first-period avalanche included goals from six different players: defenseman Casey Johnson and forwards Gordie Green, Michael O'Leary, Zach Solow, Evan Smith and Colin Thiesen.

And keep in mind Blacker made a blocker save of a Brett Boeing penalty shot midway through the period.

Zack LaRocque took over for Blacker at the start of the second period and played the rest of the way in just his sixth game, his first since Feb. 6. Dubuque ended up outshooting Cedar Rapids, 37-20, the basically two-to-one margin an accurate reflection of the game.

Hugh McGing had C.R.'s first goal and assisted on its second. That one came from Ross Colton, his 32nd of the season, which is the second-best goal-scoring season in club history. Jacob Cepis had 34 in the 2006-07 season.

'They played extremely well, and we didn't play well, and that's what happens sometimes in this league,' Carlson said.

Cedar Rapids also allowed 10 goals in a Jan. 2 loss at Green Bay. The next-most goals allowed in a game was six to Youngstown on Feb. 19.

Both of those losses were followed by win streaks of at least five games.

l Comments: (319) 398-8259; jeff.johnson@thegazette.com