Sometimes the RoughRiders do some line dancing

CEDAR RAPIDS - Mark Carlson is always quick with a line ... change.

The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders head coach has been known to tinker with his forwards a lot during his 15 seasons. There have been times he has grouped three guys who have never even practiced together.

There is a method to what appears to be madness. It's all done in an attempt to give his team its best chance at a win.

"A line needs to have a little bit of everything," said Carlson, whose team beat Muskegon, 3-2, on Corey Petrash's overtime goal Friday night at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena. "You want guys who can make plays. Every line needs grit and toughness. Ideally, you'd like to have a great shooter."

There is more to it, of course, than just raw ingredients. Some players might have more energy or "jump" than others in a particular game, which might necessitate more ice time or a change in linemates.

Injuries always wreak havoc with pairings. At the United States Hockey League level, the majority of players can play multiple positions, which leads to more and varied lines.

"There is a feel to it," Carlson said. "You are trying to feel who is really going that night and whose talents really kind of go together.

"Chemistry is really important. You want to find guys that enjoy playing with each other and whose skills match up well."

Carlson said he'll even double shift players who really have things going in a particular game. He said he remembered doing that with center Chase Watson back in the early days of the franchise to help win a playoff series against Topeka.

The coach doesn't think he has one forward line that's together right now that is clearly outperforming the others. That's actually a good thing considering the depth this RoughRiders team has.

"It depends on the year how much I'll juggle lines," Carlson said. "I haven't mixed lines up that much this year. The players may not feel that, but we really haven't. Our biggest issue has been injuries. That has forced us to do it some."

The Riders improved to 12-3-1. Jack Rowe scored in the first period for them and Judd Peterson in the second.

Cedar Rapids outshot Muskegon by a substantial 48-21 margin. Danny Tirone got the win in net.

This was the only game of the weekend for the Riders, who play their annual Thanksgiving night game at Waterloo on Thursday.

Here is the official gamesheet: