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Cedar Rapids RoughRiders bamboozled again in extra time
Fall to Fargo, 2-1, Sunday in a shootout, are 0-7 in shootout/overtime games this season
Feb. 1, 2026 9:01 pm
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CEDAR RAPIDS - The good thing is they’ve put themselves in a position to win a lot of games.
You look at it in plain black-and-white terms, the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders have gathered standings points in exactly two-thirds of their United States Hockey League contests in 2025-26.
Not bad.
They have played competitive hockey most nights and picked up their fair share of victories. Again, that’s not bad.
But they still haven’t figured out that past-regulation puzzle. They are 0-7 in games that go to overtime and shootout, including 0-5 in that latter category after falling to Fargo, 2-1, Sunday at ImOn Ice Arena.
The law of averages says they’ll get at least a couple before the season ends. They have to.
“We put a lot of work into the overtime and shootouts in practice,” said RoughRiders forward Grant Young. “I think it’s just one of those things where once we start figuring it out, we’ll start to get those games. I’m not really worried about it. If we play good games and get to overtime that goes to 3-on-3 and the shootouts, those are a skills competition. The playoffs are different. It’s not really our biggest worry, but we work on it. It’s not good to drop all those games, but it is what it is.”
Kolin Sisson and Axel Lofgren were successful in the best-of-three shootout against RoughRiders goaltender Joseph Skidmore. Fargo goalie Ajay White stopped both attempts he faced.
“Not really concerned,” said RoughRiders Coach Mark Carlson. “We had an opportunity there late (in OT) where a puck just hopped over our stick. What can you do? That’s just the way it works sometimes.”
Lofgren had Fargo’s regulation goal, with Young countering with one very early in the second period. It was a most unique 2-on-0 short-hander, actually, with he and Nick Romeo breaking free after Young poked a puck away near the Cedar Rapids blueline.
“We’ve kind of been trying to be more aggressive on our kill, so we kind of executed that,” Young said. “I was able to get a stick on it, Romes was with me, gave it to him, and I thought he was actually going to shoot it. But he gave it back, and I was a little bit surprised. It was good to get that one.”
Cedar Rapids had a great opportunity to take the lead later in the period when it had a five-minute power play following a Fargo slew-footing penalty. Even more, another penalty gave the Riders a 5-on-3 PP in the middle of that five-minute span.
But they were unable to get a goal, and the game ended up in extra time. The RoughRiders went 1-1-1 in a grueling three-in-three weekend and 20-13-2-5 for 47 standings points overall, which places them in sixth place in an extremely tough Eastern Conference.
They are two points back of fifth and just nine back of second. Every point counts the rest of the way, for sure.
It’s a home-and-home this upcoming weekend with Dubuque: Friday night in the Key City and Saturday night at ImOn Ice.
“January to mid-February is kind of a grind-out part of the season,” Young said. “But the way we look at it, this is an opportunity to get ahead of other teams (in the standings). We come to work every day when other teams are kind of feeling the same way. We always say we have to improve on a lot of things. I think we’re trending in the right direction, we’re getting closer every day.”
Comments: (319)-398-8258, jeff.johnson@thegazette.com
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