A day with the RoughRiders (video/photos)

CEDAR RAPIDS - They call it Barnstormin.'

Hop on the bus, drive to an opposing team's arena (or barn, in hockey parlance), play a game, hop back on the bus and drive home. It's all done in a matter of hours.

The majority of road trips for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders are of the Barmstormin' variety. It's much more cost effective than footing a hotel bill for 25 people for a night.

This particular trek could be called the Riders' easiest but also their most difficult. It's only about an hour to Waterloo. That's the good part.

But any game against the rival Black Hawks, particularly at noisy Young Arena, is a daunting task.

"Waterloo and Lincoln," said RoughRiders winger Zach Lehrke, when asked the most difficult places in the USHL to play. 

"It's always fun to play in Young Arena," added Riders captain Jeff Costello.

I was allowed to make this late-season journey with the team, the proverbial "fly on the wall" for a day, riding the bus, sitting in on team meetings and experiencing what a typical Barmstormin' tour is like.

Here's what I observed.

3:15 p.m. - This is when RoughRiders players are supposed to be at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena. The bus has yet to pull into the parking lot, but you've got to pack your gear.

The first room on the left as you enter the Riders locker room is the equipment room. Equipment manager Matt Degel has been hard at work for a couple of hours already, making sure player uniforms and other apparel have been washed and dried and all of the other road-trip essentials are ready.

The Riders take a big green equipment trunk with them that carries everything a hockey team might need: glue, wax, extra shoe laces, a portable blow dryer and skate sharpener ... you name it. Degel is just finishing sharpening skate blades as players file in.

"Eleven pairs today," he says. "Before a Friday game, I'll do more. I did 18 or 19 pairs last night."

3:30 p.m. - It doesn't take long for guys to pack their gear. Considering it's Game 57 of 60, that's old habit, by now.

Each player has his own personal bag in which to put his skates, pads and helmet. All uniform tops are packed together in a separate bag, as are sticks.

About 15 players pass the time after packing by sitting on couches in the locker room lounge area and watching women's college gymnastics on TV.

These are 17 to 20-year-old males, after all.

"This is my favorite competition," one player says to his teammates, as a gymnast gets ready for her dismount from the pommel horse. "Oh, she nailed it!"

3:40 p.m. - "The bus is here!" shouts Degel, which sets everyone into motion.

There is a pecking order when it comes to road trips. Simply put, rookies load and unload the bus.

"It's just like picking up pucks after practice," explains Costello, a second-year player.

Veterans rule "on" the bus, too. They get first choice of seats.

"If the rookies have to double up, so be it," Costello said.

Denny Trachta of Cedar Rapids has been the team's primary bus driver all season, including this trip. He scheduled a golf vacation to Alabama and will miss the team's 11-hour trip to Youngstown, Ohio, to end the regular season.

He's not disappointed.

"They're a great group," Trachta said. "After a win, they'll make me honk the horn twice. They won't stop hollering at me until I do. They're good kids, all of them. For them to come this far away from home to play hockey is amazing to me."

 

3:50 p.m. - After the bus is loaded, everyone re-assembles in the locker room for a short team meeting. Every eye is intently focused on head coach/general manager Mark Carlson, who has posted that night's lineup on a nearby bulletin board.

"You've done a hell of a job so far," he says to his team, pointing out it it is locked into second place in the USHL's East Division, which means that night's game is meaningless from a standings standpoint.

"But none of that stuff matters," Carlson said. "Because we play for that game anyway, right?"

The team applauds after Carlson is finished speaking.

4 p.m. - Everyone hits the bus, which features four seats per aisle, two on each side. Carlson is in the front row to the right by himself, with virtually everyone else doubled up. Assistant coach Kevin Brooks, trainer Leo Miller, Degel and his assistant Jacob O'Connor also sit in the first couple of rows, with players behind them.

I sit to the left of Carlson, with no one next to me. I'm embarrassed by that.

There is little conversation on the hour-long trip, with players either napping or listening to their IPods. Televisions on the bus are turned off.

Movies are played on longer rides. No time for that here.

4:50 p.m. - The bus pulls into Young Arena, which is located in downtown Waterloo. The main parking lot is already full, with several Black Hawks fans tailgating in the warm weather.

A young boy of about 6 or 7 sits on the cement stairway at the front entrance of Young Arena and notices the RoughRiders pull up. He immediately stands, gives the thumbs-down sign and boos.

The RoughRiders are amused.

"No place I'd rather be," Carlson says.

"Ol' Young Arena, boys!" shouts Riders defenseman Bryce Aneloski, as the team files out of the bus and carries its gear into the arena. "I've had a lot of good nights in this barn. About to have another one."

5 p.m. - The visitor's locker room at Young Arena is actually two locker rooms, with a toilet and shower area in between. Coaches have their own bordering dressing room.

The team's scratches this night - Jared Beers, Nick Lappin and Stu Wilson - unpack jerseys and hang them on individual hooks for the guys who are playing. A player connects his IPod to a small portable speaker and cranks the volume to near 10.

Time to get mentally ready.

"Pretty standard," says forward Jayson Megna of the accomodations. "I'd say the best in the league is Green Bay."

5:15 p.m. - It's called "Sewer Ball," and RoughRiders players congregate on the Young Arena concourse to play it.

They gather in a circle and pass a soccer ball via foot, head or body. If the ball hits the ground, someone is eliminated - either the passer or the passee.

It's a hand-eye coordination enhancer.

"Are we the best Sewer Ball team in the league?" RoughRider David Boehm asks at one point.

"No, Green Bay is," says a teammate.

"Seriously?" Boehm responds. "You've seen them play?"

The answer is yes. Serious stuff, this "Sewer Ball."

5:40 p.m. - While Carlson, Brooks and the team have another meeting to talk strategy, Beers, Lappin and Wilson sit in the Young Arena stands chatting. They won't be a part of this game.

Beers is injured, though he hopes to return for the playoffs. Lappin and Wilson are what they call "healthy scratches."

"Don't say it sucks. Coach hates that," said Wilson, whose father, Wayne, is head coach at Rochester Institute of Technology, a Cinderella participant in next week's NCAA "Frozen Four." "Just say it's disappointing."

The trio still have duties that are important. During the game, they keep individual statistics on things such as faceoffs, shots on goal, blocked shots and times hitting an opponent.

When you're a scratch for a home game, you have to wear a suit and tie as you sit in the stands. When you're on the road, it's just team sweat clothes.

At least there's that.

"It shows how good our team is," Lappin said of having to sit out.  "Anybody can play at any time."

6:30 p.m. - "Sewer Ball" is done, uniforms have been put on and sticks taped. It's time for pregame warmups.

The RoughRiders stand in the locker room hallway, not allowed to hit the ice until referee Boone Bruggman says it's OK. Players grow impatient waiting for him to appear.

"Here he comes," one finally says.

With a standing-room crowd filing in and music blaring on the PA system, the Riders enter the arena. A cascade of boos ensue.

In case you haven't heard, this is a rivalry.

"You gotta love it," said Brooks, a former RoughRiders player, as he inhales the charged atmosphere. "I could be standing on one side of the blue line here, screaming at a (teammate), and he couldn't hear you. Awesome."

Here's video of the team hitting the ice for the game:

7 p.m. - Game time.

While the RoughRiders have played well in Waterloo over the years, this is not one of those nights. The Black Hawks score twice midway through the first period and add another goal in the second.

In the coach's office, Carlson is amazingly calm between periods, looking at game stats, his lineup card and bouncing strategy ideas off Brooks.

"I still think we've had the better chances," he says at one point.

Carlson doesn't talk to the team until just before it is scheduled to hit the ice each period. His tone is firm but he never yells.

"Get one, then we go from there," he says between the second and third periods. "Let's go boys."

Here's video of game action from the RoughRiders' bench:

9:25 p.m. - The RoughRiders never get to one. They are shutout, 4-0, delighting the sellout crowd of 3,500.

To add insult to injury, a Black Hawks fan sitting behind the RoughRiders bench decides to heckle players in the closing seconds.

"Hey, Boehm!" he shouts. "I can't decide who's a bigger (wimp), you or Costello!"

It's a glum bunch as the game ends. A frustrated Costello literally hurtles himself through the locker room door.

Not a good night.

"They worked harder than we did. It's pretty simple," Carlson said. "Sometimes it's good to get a reminder of that."

(Here's a link to the game story: http://is.gd/baEny)

9:50 p.m. - While gear gets re-packed and Carlson and Brooks commiserate about the game, players shower and head back toward their bus. As usual, there's a plethora of RoughRiders fans/housing parents who made the trip to support their team.

It's always nice to see a friendly face, especially after you've been beaten.

Postgame meals await everyone on the bus. They're sandwiches from a local restaurant, The Other Place.

It's completely silent on the hour-ride home, with the exception of audible chewing. As we said, not a good night.

10:50 p.m. - The bus pulls into the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena parking lot and stops outside the back entrance. The door opens but no one leaves their seat.

After a short pause, Carlson stands up at the front of the bus for a few last words for his team. He reminds them about Sunday being their day off and to make sure they get rest.

He talks about RIT qualifying for the "Frozen Four" earlier that day and how West Virginia had upset Kentucky in the NCAA basketball tournament. They had to be tremendous team efforts, he said.

"You need to ask yourself 'Did I work hard enough for my team tonight?'" he said in conclusion.

He wishes his team safe travels home, and that's it. The bus empties, and the rookies start unloading gear back into the locker room.

This trip is officially over. But don't worry, there's another one on the horizon.

That's just the way it is in the USHL.