The lease for the ECHL’s Iowa Heartlanders at Xtream Arena in Coralville runs out at the end of this season. Team president Matt Getz said he is confident in an extension and excited about an uptick in home attendance since Christmas.
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders head coach/general manager/president Mark Carlson is two wins shy of tying and three from breaking the United States Hockey League’s career coaching victories record. The Riders play three games this weekend.
Forward Gavin Hain was a draft pick of the Philadelphia Flyers who signed an ECHL contract with the Iowa Heartlanders in September. But he’s spent most of this hockey season in the American Hockey League with the Iowa Wild. He’s back in Coralville ... for now.
The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders scored three goals in the third period to rally past Sioux City, 4-3, Sunday afternoon at ImOn Ice. The Riders won two of three games in a three-in-three weekend, playing three different goaltenders.
The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders have played terrific hockey on the road this USHL season, accumulating 21 of a possible 32 standings points. But they’ve won just three times at home in 18 games, tied for the fewest in the league.
Drew DeRidder signed with the Iowa Heartlanders in the offseason despite knowing he’d begin the ECHL season as the club’s third goaltender. He finally is getting an opportunity to play and is making the most of it.
Defenseman Colin Grable is the captain of this season’s Cedar Rapids RoughRiders team. He will turn 21 next week, making him the oldest player on the team and one of the oldest in the United States Hockey League.
Hunter Lellig is from Waterloo, played junior hockey for his hometown Waterloo Black Hawks. After five years of college hockey, he is playing professionally back home with the Iowa Heartlanders of the ECHL.
Forward Jack Larrigan has played over 140 regular-season games in the USHL. He has played for three teams, the latest the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, where he has excelled.
As the new year rapidly approaches, it seems the perfect time to reflect on the the Corridor’s two hockey clubs have done so far this season. Here’s a look at how the Iowa Heartlanders and Cedar Rapids RoughRIders have fared and what their goals should be heading into 2024.
Iowa forward has degree in kinesology, but wants to keep hockey option open, too
Forward Amine Hajibi has been productive for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders since being acquired in an early season trade from the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers. Born in Montreal, the 18-year-old forward spends time each summer in Morocco, where his parents are from and where he lived as a youth.
The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders have picked up just one win at home so far this United States Hockey League season. The club has a chance to right that ship with two home games this weekend. The Iowa Heartlanders secured one win last weekend on a three-for-three road trip.
The Iowa Heartlanders played four ECHL games in five days last week, in three different cities. But they beat Kalamazoo and Wheeling and lost to Fort Wayne in a shootout, picking up five of a possible eight standings points. Meanwhile, the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders lost twice in their annual Thanksgiving home and home against Waterloo, one in overtime.
Former NHL player Adam Johnson died in late October when his throat was accidentally slashed by the skate of an opposing player in a professional hockey game in England. Since that tragedy, whether players of all ages should wear protective neck guards has become a hot topic.
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