Corridor Cross Checks: Cedar Rapids RoughRiders have a “rainout”

CEDAR RAPIDS — There was a rainout of a local sporting event this past weekend. Of a hockey game, believe it or not.

The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders had their USHL game at ImOn Ice against the Madison Capitols postponed Friday night because of the high threat of severe thunderstorms in Eastern Iowa.

That threat, of course, came to fruition, with several tornadoes in the area, including one that did significant damage in Coralville. The USHL game between Green Bay and Dubuque at Dubuque also was postponed that night.

The league did not want Madison and Green Bay potentially driving into the storms on the way to Iowa.

Winter storms annually postpone league games, but this was the first time in RoughRiders history a game was postponed because of the threat of tornadoes. Of course, Cedar Rapids is especially sensitive to severe summer-type weather considering the 2020 derecho that severely damaged ImOn Ice, leading to the RoughRiders sitting out the 2020-21 season.

The Madison-Cedar Rapids game will be made up April 18. The RoughRiders did play twice over the weekend, losing at Madison, 6-3, Saturday night and winning Sunday afternoon at home over Des Moines, 5-3.

Dylan Hryckowian had his 25th goal this season in the Madison loss. Ryan Walsh had a hat trick against Des Moines, with Zaccharya Wisdom (his 28th) and Ryan O’Connell also scoring goals.

Walsh has 28 goals and 44 assists in 54 games, as he chases the RoughRiders club record for points in a season. His 72 are four behind Chad Costello (2005-06).

Cedar Rapids is 26-21-4-4 for 60 standings points, in a tie with Dubuque for fifth place in the USHL’s Eastern Conference. They are seven points ahead of Muskegon for the final two available playoff spots in the division and four points behind Green Bay for fourth place.

The third and fourth-place teams in each division will host a best-of-three, first-round playoff series against the fifth and sixth-place teams. The top two teams in each division have first-round playoff byes.

The RoughRiders are on the road this weekend, with games Friday and Saturday nights against the United States National Team Development Program’s U17 (or younger) team.

The Iowa Heartlanders

Fear The Deer!

The Iowa Heartlanders won three road games this past weekend. In order, it was 3-1 at Toledo, 4-1 at Kalamazoo and 5-4 at Fort Wayne.

The Fort Wayne win was especially special, as Iowa scored three times in the final 6:46 to come from behind. Jake Durflinger had two of the goals in that stretch, including the winner with 3:06 to go.

Tommy Parrottino had the other goal in the flurry, which came in a span of just 3:40.

Durflinger also had a goal (an empty netter) in the victory over Kalamazoo. Hunter Jones made 31 saves for the win in net.

Jones had 32 saves in the win at Toledo. Durflinger and Parrottino again had goals.

Durflinger has nine goals this season, with four coming over the weekend. The Heartlanders are 20-33-13-1 for 54 standings points as they fight to get out of the cellar in the ECHL’s Central Division, just three points behind sixth-place Wheeling.

Iowa has been eliminated from playoff contention. It plays two more road games this weekend: Friday night at Wheeling and Saturday at Indy.

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