3 Riders will miss first playoff game

Forwards Stephen Collins and Nick Lappin and goaltender Cody Campbell will sit out Game 1 of the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders' best-of-5 USHL playoff series with Indiana because of game misconducts received in the team's penultimate regular-season game last weekend against Youngstown.

Collins, Lappin and Campbell all were involved in fights at the end of the second period of a 4-1 loss, receiving fighting majors and game misconducts. The game misconducts automatically carry two-game suspensions.

A game misconduct given to RoughRiders forward Jordan DiGiando after a five-minute boarding major was rescinded by the league.

Cedar Rapids had a local kid from Youngstown serve as an emergency backup to Troy Grosenick for its Saturday game against the Phantoms. As of late Monday afternoon, Riders head coach/general manager Mark Carlson had yet to find an emergency goalie for Game 1 against Indiana, which is Wednesday night at The Stable.

Collins had eight goals and seven assists in 40 regular-season games, Lappin four goals and four assists in 35. Campbell went 10-4-1 after being acquired in a trade from the Fargo Force, with a 1.90 goals against average and .933 saves percentage.

"It doesn't really affect us, you know?" Carlson said of the suspensions.