Cedar Rapids RoughRiders fall late in Game 2

PLYMOUTH, Mich. — There will be another game in this series.

Kristian Epperson’s goal with 3:06 left gave the United States National Team Development Program’s U17 team the lead en route to a 6-4 win over the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders in Game 2 of a best-of-3 first-round United States Hockey League playoff series.

A winner-take-all Game 3 is Wednesday night at 6 at USA Hockey Arena.

Epperson’s winning goal came after Team USA’s Lucas Van Vliet stole a puck from a RoughRiders defenseman just inside the C.R. offensive zone, setting up an ersatz 2-on-1 break. With Cedar Rapids goalie Bruno Bruveris out of his net to narrow down Van Vliet’s shooting angle, Van Vliet instead threw a perfect pass to Opperson, who had barely beaten his check down ice, depositing the puck into an open net.

An empty-net goal in the final minute provided the final margin.

The RoughRiders rallied twice in this game. The Program scored the only goal of the first period, but a Jacob Kraft power-play goal and Ryan Walsh even-strength goal put C.R. ahead in the second period, 2-1, only to have Team USA tie it late in the period.

Two Brenden McMorrow goals put Team USA back ahead, 4-2, 4:52 into the third period. But Jack Musa and Walsh (who had two goals and an assist in the game) tied things back up with goals a minute apart, the latter with 5:41 to go.

Cedar Rapids outshot Team USA, 28-23, in the game, though Team USA owned a 13-5 shots edge in the third period.

The winner of this series will play a best-of-3 second-round series at Youngstown that begins Friday night. Youngstown and Chicago had first-round byes in the Eastern Conference by finishing second and first, respectively, in the regular season.

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