RoughRiders-Indiana Game 2

CEDAR RAPIDS - It was announced as someone else's goal, but Mike Seidel doesn't care. His team won.

Seidel tipped in a point shot from near the left blueline by defenseman Matt Donovan 1:01 into overtime to give the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders a 3-2 win over the Indiana Ice in a terrific Game 2 of this best-of-5 first-round USHL playoff series.

It's on to Indianapolis for Wednesday night's Game 3 all tied at 1-1. That's thanks to Seidel, not teammate Kyle Flanagan, who got the accolades of the 1,841 on hand after being announced as the game-winning goal scorer.

Flanagan, who had both Cedar Rapids goals in regulation, wasn't even on the ice.

"No, I didn't hear it," Seidel said with a smile in a boisterous home locker room.

Does he care?

"Absolutely not," he said.

The winning goal came after a good RoughRiders' cycle in the Indiana zone. Scott Winkler made a pass along the boards to Donovan out deep. He threw it at the net, with Seidel - skating in front from the left side - getting his stick on it and deflecting it high to the glove side past Indiana goalie Brett Bennett.

"I just tried to get to the net," Seidel said. "Dunny made a great shot."

"I said from the (conclusion) of the game last night that we'd be fine," RoughRiders head coach Mark Carlson said. "It's all in the way we approach things. We stayed on an even keel all night."

Stanislav Galiev scored a power-play goal with 6:11 left in the third period to tie the game and send it to extra time. The 17-year-old Russian sensation banked a puck from the side of the goal off of RoughRiders goaltender Mike Johnson.

Johnson, who was pulled after allowing four first-period goals in Friday night's 7-2 RoughRiders' loss, rebounded with a strong Game 2. He made a handful of crucial saves, robbing Mike Cichy with a glove save on a 2-on-1 backhander in the second period and a sprawling spread-eagle one on Shane Berschbach in the third.

"We made the decision to start him last night," said Carlson. "It was an easy decision to make. He came out and played very well."

Indiana's Brent Gwidt hit the post with a shot from the left faceoff circle after maneuvering past Riders rearguard Donovan. Shots on goal in regulation were 36-23 in favor of the RoughRiders. Galiev had both Indiana goals.

Indiana had the better of the early play, getting two power plays, as a result. The Ice cashed in with Galiev pushing home a rebound at 7:43 after Johnson made an original good save on a shot from the crease by Brandon Richardson.

The Riders were able to tie it at 1-1, however, less than two minutes later by converting on a lengthy 5-on-3 man advantage. That was unlike Friday night's Game 1, when Cedar Rapids couldn't score on a first-period 5-on-3.

Flanagan ripped a wrist shot from the low circle high to the stick side of Bennett and into the net. The Riders had another 5-on-3 power play late in the first period - this one for 43 seconds - but couldn't convert. Tobias Nilsson-Roos had Bennett beaten on a right-wing rush late in the 5-on-4 part of the advantage but hit the goal post with a blistering wrist shot.

The end of the first period proved that it is playoff time. A scramble in front of the Indiana net at the buzzer ended with lots of pushing and shoving. Before you knew it, there was decidedly more pushing, shoving and posturing as both teams' benches emptied to center ice instead of greeting their respective goaltenders.

Eventually order was restored, but not without RoughRiders forward Eric Robinson getting a roughing minor that put Indiana on the power play to start the second period. Riders defenseman Bryce Aneloski and Indiana defenseman Joe Hartman were sent to the box for 14 minutes each (a roughing double-minor and 10-minute misconduct.

Cedar Rapids was able to kill that, as well as another Ice power play five minutes into the second. In fact, the Riders had the best opportunity to score, with Flanagan's wrister on a 3-on-1 short-handed rush being stopped by Bennett.

Flanagan got his revenge midway through the period, however. After a turnover in the Ice zone, Mike Seidel fed him with a cross-ice pass to the slot, with Flanagan letting go with another blistering wrist shot that squeezed through Bennett's armpit area and into the net for a 2-1 Riders lead, their first of this series.

Both teams had chances the rest of the period, but the goalies were strong. Johnson, for instance, robbed Mike Cichy, Indiana's leading scorer, with a glove save on a 2-on-1 backhand from in front.

Cedar Rapids held a 26-15 shots edge after two periods.

The RoughRiders had to kill off another Indiana power play early in the third period. They weren't so lucky later later in the third, when Robinson went off for a late hooking call. Cedar Rapids did have a power play of its own with 5:50 to go but could get nothing going.