Lehrke scoring goals, winning faceoffs

CEDAR RAPIDS - Zach Lehrke didn't know how to answer the question.

“Hey, what do you say about draws?” the Cedar Rapids RoughRider shouted at teammates as he got razzed in the Riders' locker room after practice Thursday.

Lehrke was a little stumped when asked what makes a good faceoff man. The second-year forward from Park Rapids, Minn., is probably the best on this club.

“Just practice. Keep practicing,” Lehrke said. “It's hand-eye coordination, I guess.”

“Reflexes,” a teammate added.

“Anticipation?” he was asked.

Lehrke nodded his head in agreement at both.

“Everybody is good at draws here, so they're a lot harder to win,” he said. “In high school, it was pretty easy to win them just because the players weren't as skilled.

“They're important. You win the draw, you get the puck.”

Lehrke has found himself with the puck a lot as a member of the Riders' top line and on the power play. The added ice time has helped him more than double his goal total from last season (11) and nearly double his point total.

He is tied with defenseman Bryce Aneloski for the team lead with 31 points in 32 games. Lehrke has a team-high three game-winning goals and is second with a plus-minus rating of plus-10.

A Minnesota State-Mankato commitment, he has a brother, Tyler, at Bemidji State who played in the USHL for Green Bay.

“I thought I'd have a good year,” Lehrke said. “Just more confidence. And I've improved. I think my shot has gotten a lot better. I worked on it hard this summer.”

RoughRiders Coach Mark Carlson said he saw this breakout coming.

“I thought he would, yeah,” Carlson said. “Just because of the ability he had. I saw him play in the Select-17 festival before we drafted him. I just thought he was a real good player. He's made the normal progression, I think, getting acclimated to the league.

“He's really a valuable player for us.”

And don't forget those faceoffs. Carlson said Lehrke's stature (5-foot-7) could help explain his prowess there. You know, closer to the ice.

“I don't know,” Lehrke said modestly. “I've been winning some, I guess. I just try to win every draw. It doesn't happen every night.”