Articles Tagged: Cedar Rapids RoughRiders

Mark Carlson set went into Friday night’s home game at ImOn Ice against the Lincoln Stars with 778 regular-season victories in his amazing 26-year head coaching career. One more victory gave him the United States Hockey League’s all-time record, which he got Friday night when the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders beat Lincoln, 3-2. The 56-year-old sat down with The Gazette to talk about his career earlier this week. He’s not close to retiring, by the way.

Defenseman Guerin Slezak tore the ACL in his knee in a USHL playoff game last April for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. Last season’s captain (and this season’s presumed captain) is skating again after surgery and is eyeing a November return to the lineup.

Forward David Bosco had a tryout for the United States National Team Development Team last summer. He didn’t make the team, which has been a boon for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (and potential loss for The Program), for whom he had two goals and an assists last weekend at the USHL’s Fall Classic.

Kyle Rohrer scored with 7:37 remaining to give the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders a 3-2 win over the Des Moines Buccaneers in the United States Hockey League regular-season opener for both teams Friday afternoon at the USHL’s Fall Classic in suburban Pittsburgh.

The two words you heard most when asking around for a scouting report on the 2025-26 Cedar Rapids RoughRiders were “speed” and “depth.” The club begins the United States Hockey League regular season Friday against Des Moines at the league’s annual Fall Classic in suburban Pittsburgh.

The United States Hockey League has concluded the two phases of its 2025 draft. In Tuesday’s Phase II, the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders selected winger Cade Sherman of Rosemount High School in Minnesota. He’s the son of Matt Sherman, who started three years as the University of Iowa football team in the 1990s.

Muskegon scored four goals in the first period, and that’s all it needed to win the deciding Game 3 of a United States Hockey League playoff series against the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders.

The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders lost Game 1 of this United States Hockey League first-round series at Muskegon on a goal with just over a minute remaining Monday night. But they returned the favor Tuesday night in Game 2, as Heath Nelson scored with 59 seconds remaining for a come-from-behind 4-3 victory.

Vaclav Nestrasil scored a goal with 1:08 left as the Muskegon Lumberjacks beat the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, 2-1, Monday night in Game 1 of their United States Hockey League first-round playoff series.

It took until the regular-season finale for everyone Saturday night to determine who the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders would play in the first round of the United States Hockey League playoffs. It turned out to be the Muskegon Lumberjacks, with the teams meeting Monday, Tuesday and perhaps Wednesday nights in Michigan in a best-of-3 series.

The Iowa Heartlanders clinched a spot in the ECHL playoffs Sunday. Derek Damon has put together a successful team in his fourth season in the Corridor, his third as head coach and general manager. It has been hard work, for certain, but well worth it for the Maine native, whose ultimate goal is being a NHL general manager some day.

It has a whirlwind month for Mason Kraft. The 18-year-old forward won Minnesota’s prestigious Mr. Hockey award and helped Moorhead High School to its first state championship. Now he’s in town for the rest of this season and all of next as a member of the Cedar Rapids RoughRIders.

The Iowa Heartlanders have eight games remaining in the ECHL regular season, including seven at home. The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders have seven games left in the USHL regular season. Both clubs look are looking good for qualifying for the playoffs in their respective leagues.

The Iowa Heartlanders are in second place in the ECHL’s Central Division and looking very, very good for getting into the league’s playoffs. This has been the most successful season for the five-year club on the ice, without a doubt. How is has fared in one-goal games is the big reason for that.

Mark Carlson, the only coach the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders have had, broke the United States Hockey League record for most regular-season games coached when his team beat Waterloo, 3-0, Saturday night. Carlson is nine away from tying the league record for most USHL regular-season victories.