C.R. RoughRiders goalie Zack LaRocque will serve his country

CEDAR RAPIDS — In this day and age of world tumult and uncertainty, Zach LaRocque still decided the military path was the right path to take.

The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders goaltender committed recently to continue playing hockey at the Air Force Academy. The soon-to-turn 20-year old has more familiarity with it than most, considering he's from Arvada, Colo., a suburb of Denver and a relatively short drive to Colorado Springs.

'The military is something I've always thought about,' said LaRocque, the tough-luck loser Saturday night in a 1-0 defeat to the Madison Capitols at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena. 'I'm so close to the Academy, it's kind of home for me. When I went down there to visit, the coaches welcomed me. I just felt at home there. I loved everything about it there, on top of their great academics. I kind of like the future aspect. It's a great school, and I'm super excited.'

LaRocque made 18 saves, allowing the only goal of the game just 52 seconds in, when Madison's Kamil Sadocha backhanded one from the side of the net over his shoulder. He said it was an attempt he'd love to have back.

A taller kid at 6-foot-2, it's sort of difficult to imagine him fitting into a cockpit. But he said aviation isn't for certain the thing he'll pursue at Air Force.

'Not necessarily,' he said. 'But when I think about it, it's definitely something that I could get into. Also, I could be doing something totally different than flying planes.'

Cedar Rapids (5-28-2) appeared to outplay its opponent but could not find a way to get anything past Madison goaltender Dryden McKay. There were chances, including four power plays, but McKay was on top of his game, swallowing pucks and not allowing any rebounds.

Perhaps the Riders' best opportunity to score came midway through the third period, when Marc McLaughin threw a perfect pass across the crease to Jason Polin. But with the net gaping, Polin's shot went wide to the far side of the net, where McKay was stationed.

Cedar Rapids beat the United States National Team Development Program on Friday night, 6-3. It's been a difficult season, but there is no question this mix of players has been very competitive.

'I think we've played well here for the last couple of weeks,' said Riders Coach Mark Carlson. 'We had our chances tonight, we just didn't capitalize on them. We hit a couple of pipes, I think, had a couple of other ones we just didn't bury. But there have been a lot of positives with the way we've played here the last few weeks.'

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