An overtime thriller: Conor Lovett’s goal gives Cedar Rapids RoughRiders huge 1-0 win over Madison

CEDAR RAPIDS — Tight, defensive, hard fought, both teams having to earn every inch of ice. Dramatic, overtime, drama.

In other words, the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders and Madison Capitols played a playoff game Friday night at ImOn Ice, a couple weeks ahead of time.

Conor Lovett of the Riders won it, backhanding his own rebound just 19 seconds into overtime for a 1-0 win. A 1-0 win that pulls the RoughRiders (28-28-2-1) into a fifth-place tie in the USHL’s Eastern Conference with Madison at 59 standings points each.

The top six teams in each conference get into the playoffs. Both C.R. and Madison pulled two points up ahead of Team USA, which sits in seventh with 57 standings point but a game in hand on each of them.

Madison and Cedar Rapids go back at it Saturday night in Wisconsin.

“Good hockey game,” said RoughRiders Coach Mark Carlson. “I thought it was just a battle between two teams really getting after it.”

“Yeah, it was a very hard-nosed game” Shoudy said. “Obviously it was 0-0 going to overtime, and those are playoff games. Lots of defense ... Now on to the next one.”

Madison had 24 shots to C.R.’s 22 through regulation. The Capitols had a near goal very late in the second period negated after video review when officials ruled the entire puck had not crossed the goal line behind RoughRiders netminder Bruno Bruveris, who eventually secured the puck beneath him.

Madison went with two forwards and a defenseman to start overtime, while Carlson countered with forward Lovett and defensemen Shoudy and Eric Pohlkamp. Madison won the faceoff and got a shot off that Bruveris saved, the puck picked up in the slot by Shoudy and skated down the ice down the left boards.

Pohlkamp sprinted slightly behind him toward the middle, while Lovett tried to play catch up with them on right wing.

“I saw them turning it up ice, and I figured I could beat my guy and make it a 3-on-2,” Lovett said.

Which he did. Shoudy made a cross-ice pass to Lovett, who cut toward the net and got off a shot in front that Madison goalie Simon Latkoczy made a save on, with the puck landing right back on Lovett’s stick. With Latkoczy down and out, he calmly roofed a backhander for the winner.

“We were in the D zone, and the shot came and the rebound came out to the slot,” Shoudy said. “I just took it, and I thought we could beat their guys up the ice. Out of the corner of my eye as we were coming into the zone, I saw that Lovy was flying, so I just thought ‘Get the puck to him.’”

“We were pretty confident going into overtime,” Lovett said. “We need wins right now, and I think everyone was just determined. We really wanted that one.”

Expect another gritty, playoff-like game again Saturday night.

“That’s exactly what it felt like tonight,” Lovett said. “We were saying it during the game, too. Great game defensively, both teams. Same for the goalies, too, especially Bruno. He won us the game.”

Here is the official gamesheet.

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