Jeff Johnson

The United States Hockey League takes a week and a half off every Christmas, giving everyone a chance to get a break and recharge. The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders go into their break fresh off a pair of weekend wins against the Chicago Steel.

Six-foot-9 senior forward Davis Kern is a returning first-team all-state boys’ basketball player who has signed to play collegiately at South Dakota State. It was his Linn-Mar teammates, especially Payson Nietert and Trey Wright, who drove the offensive bus Friday night in a 69-59 win at Cedar Rapids Prairie.

The Vinton-Shellsburg boys’ basketball team went 1-21 last season. It won just three games each thre two seasons before that. But despite having no seniors on the roster, these Vikings are off to a 4-0 start.

Andrew McLean hopped in his car and drove 16 hours to the Corridor when he found out earlier this ECHL season that he’d been traded from Norfolk to the Iowa Heartlanders. He was that excited. The Heartlanders are excited to have the defenseman.

It’s believed that North Linn’s boys’ basketball team hasn’t lost a home game since 2014, a streak that was in jeopardy throughout Tuesday night’s game against Alburnett. But the Lynx rallied from 13 points back and pulled out a 54-50 victory.

The Iowa Heartlanders are on a five-game win streak going into a pair of big games this week at home against the Toledo Walleye. Iowa is four points back of Toledo for first place in the ECHL’s Central Division.

Former Iowa Hawkeyes tight end Scott Chandler came back to the state after a career in the National Football League. His first season as head coach at Iowa City Liberty saw the Lightning finish 10-2 and advance to the Class 5A state playoff semifinals.

This Linn-Mar boys’ basketball team should be one of the best teams in the Mississippi Valley Conference this season. The Lions notched a solid early season non-conference victory Saturday afternoon over Waukee, 68-60.

Cedar Rapids Jefferson head boys’ basketball coach Wes Burns has a deteriorating back issue. He’s supposed to take it easy, but he didn’t on the sideline Friday night. Jeff lost a home game to Davenport North, 68-50.

Cedar Rapids Xavier’s boys’ basketball team didn’t have its season opener until Thursday night. Most teams in the state got theirs in either Monday or Tuesday. But the late start made no matter, as the Saints beat Iowa City High, 62-49.

Marion’s boys’ basketball team, which has several new pieces, led the majority of it season opener Tuesday night against Waverly-Shell Rock, but the Go-Hawks rallied late, forced overtime and won, 63-60.

There are six freshmen on the Cedar Rapids Washington varsity boys’ basketball roster this season. Three of them start, as does a sophomore. Another frosh came off the bench Monday night in Wash’s 59-55 season-opening win over Mount Pleasant.

A.J. Reyelts of the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders was honored Monday as the United States Hockey League’s Goalie of the Week. The 18-year-old Minnesota resident’s mother and father both played hockey in college and his older brother plays junior hockey in the NAHL as a forward, which is how A.J. got started as a goaltender.

Cedar Rapids Kennedy senior boys’ basketball guard Trey McKowen is a returning first-team all-stater. He plays for his father, Jon, who is Kennedy’s head coach. He’ll play college ball for his uncle, Brooks, at Upper Iowa. His grandpa, Marty, is a hall of fame coach who is about to begin his 42nd season at Wapsie Valley

Here is a quick synopsis of the conferences in the Gazette area and a prediction for each winner.