After further review, the goal stands

CEDAR RAPIDS – In this case, 'the process” was successfully completed. Or something like that.

No offense to the NFL there.

If you didn't know, they have video review capabilities on disputed goals at some rinks in the United States Hockey League. It took one to help determine that Hugh McGing did, in fact, score in the second period to put the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders ahead of Green Bay for good Saturday night at a sold-out Cedar Rapids Ice Arena.

McGing's backhand shot on a 2-on-1, odd-man rush roofed into the net just as Green Bay goalie Kevin Reich inadvertenly kicked it off its moorings. Officials looked a brief time at video provided by a camera that's mounted on the Ice Arena ceiling and looks directly down on the net.

According to penalty box workers, they ruled that the net became dislodged before the puck went in. But since it would have gone in without the net coming undone, it was a good goal.

The Riders won, 4-1.

'I honestly had no idea they were reviewing it,” McGing said. 'I thought it was a goal right from the start. I didn't think they would even review it.”

McGing and Cal Burke scored less than two minutes apart to give the Riders a weekend sweep of their Eastern Conference rival. Cedar Rapids continues to lead the USHL in standings points, with 52 on a rather gaudy 26-8-0 record.

The RoughRiders host Youngstown for a pair of games next weekend, the first of four straight meetings against the Phantoms. The other two are the following week in Ohio.

'I thought it was a really good effort by us,” Riders Coach Mark Carlson said. 'I thought we played a real solid 60 minutes. We got down there, 1-0, because of a lack of discipline. But we just kind of hung in and kept battling. I like our game. I thought we got contributions from a lot of people.”

Cedar Rapids outshot Green by a substantial margin of 13-4 in the first period, but Reich stood tall. The German was a wall last postseason in helping Dubuque eliminate the Riders in a first-round series.

Marc Michaelis, also from Germany, scored a power-play goal 45 seconds into the second period to put Green Bay (13-17-4) on top. Burke tied it with his 13th goal of the season at the 13:52 mark, Cal on the spot, if you will, with a rebound of a shot from Adam Gaudette off a faceoff that Reich made a pad save on.

It was a good week for Burke, who was a late replacement for injured teammate Erik Foley at this past Tuesday's USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Dubuque. He scored a goal there.

McGing's winner came after Andrew Gaus threw him a perfect saucer pass over the stick of a Green Bay defender. It was the eighth goal of the season for the 16-year-old, who played left wing a lot on the top forward line that also consists of center Andrew Oglevie and right-winger Jiri Fronk.

Foley is the normal left wing there but is out after suffering a concussion by smacking the goal post on a play in a game last Saturday.

'My line was just backchecking there,” McGing said. 'Somehow (defenseman) Mitch Reinke was able to get the puck off their guy's stick, and he made a great pass to Gaus, who was flying down the ice. So I took off, it was a 2-on-1, and he made the perfect pass. I went backhand, and it ended up going in.”

Fronk nabbed his league-leading 22nd goal seven minutes into the third period, with Oglevie and McGing gaining assists. Ross Colton made it a 4-1 game on a goal with 3:20 to go.

Ryan Larkin didn't have a ton of work in net for Cedar Rapids but was solid with 19 saves. The RoughRiders outshot the Gamblers, 36-20.

Green Bay had a second second-period goal by Sam Miletic disallowed because Larkin was knocked down and out of the play after being bumped into by a Gamblers player. The two referees and two linesmen conferred before waving off the goal, saying the offending Green Bay player made inadvertent contact in the crease with Larkin, which should have immediately stopped play.

FIRST STAR – Hugh McGing (RoughRiders): Go-ahead goal late in the second period. Also had an assist.

SECOND STAR – Cal Burke (RoughRiders): Also a goal-and-assist night.

THIRD STAR – Adam Gaudette (RoughRiders): Solid game with a pair of assists.

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