Jeff Johnson

The United States National Team Development Program’s U17 team got a late goal and an ensuing empty netter to beat the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, 6-4, Tuesday night in Game 2 of a first-round United States Hockey League playoff series.

Five players scored goals and six recorded assists, as the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders won Game 1 of their first-round USHL playoff series Monday night over the USNTDP’s U17 squad, 5-2.

A look at how former Eastern Iowa high school and University of Iowa baseball players are faring in affiliated professional baseball in late April.

The Iowa Heartlanders failed to make the ECHL’s Kelly Cup playoffs in their second year of existence. They finished last in the league in attendance. But Head Coach/General Manager Derek Damon is excited for the franchise’s future on and off the ice.

Ryan Walsh of the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders had modest goals this season as a first-year player. The forward simply wanted to earn ice time. What he has accomplished instead is the club’s record for most points in a season.

The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders officially qualified for the United States Hockey League playoffs with a win this past Friday night over Youngstown. The Iowa Heartlanders had their ECHL season conclude with a pair of wins over Wheeling.

Utility player Ben Ross of the Cedar Rapids Kernels has taken the road less traveled to get to professional baseball. Extremely small coming out of high school, he ended up at NCAA Division II Notre Dame College in Ohio before being drafted by the Minnesota Twins and signing with them.

A look at where former Eastern Iowa high school and University of Iowa baseball players are in affiliated professional baseball to begin the 2023 season.

Sixteen boys’ basketball teams, most of them from the Mississippi Valley Conference and Central Iowa Metro League, will participate in the inaugural MVC-CIML Showdown. It’s a two-date event in January, with teams playing at an undetermined site in the Des Moines area and a full day of games at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids.

Cedar Rapids Kernels outfielder Emmanuel Rodriguez is considered one of the top minor league prospects in the Minnesota Twins system. The 20-year-old had a breakout 2022 season shortened by a knee injury. He hopes to stay healthy this season, play every day and continue his progress toward the major leagues. His walk-off grand slam gave the Kernels a win Tuesday night in their home opener.

The Cedar Rapids Kernels won their fourth straight game to begin the 2023 Midwest League season Tuesday night, getting a walk-off grand slam from Emmanuel Rodriguez to beat Quad Cities, 8-4, at Veterans Memorial Stadium

Among the $3.34 million worth of renovations to Veterans Memorial Stadium, the home of the Cedar Rapids Kernels, are larger clubhouses, an annex building with hitting cages and weight training areas.

Mount Vernon graduate Keaton Kutcher contemplated joining the Illinois men’s basketball program as a walk-on after his all-state prep career. He ended up at South Dakota for two years, but will transfer to play for the Illini.

Cedar Rapids Prairie graduate Corbin Day was a part-time teacher at Cedar Rapids Kennedy High School two years ago. Now he finds himself as hitting coach for the Cedar Rapids Kernels professional baseball team.

Iowa Hawkeyes first baseman Brennen Dorighi didn’t play much his first two seasons of college baseball at Wofford College in South Carolina. Fourteen games, to be exact. Now the grad transfer leads Iowa in batting average.