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Corridor Cross Checks: Final regular-season week for C.R. RoughRiders, Iowa Heartlanders
Both hockey clubs have clinched playoff berths in their respective leagues
Apr. 7, 2025 2:10 pm, Updated: Apr. 7, 2025 6:46 pm
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CEDAR RAPIDS - Cue Kenny Loggins. Because this is it.
OK, that’s a reference to an old 1970s song. The younger crowd won’t understand it.
But the bottom line is this is the final week of the regular season for both the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders and Iowa Heartlanders. The playoffs are coming for both hockey clubs that represent the Corridor.
We know who the Heartlanders will play in the ECHL’s first round. We don’t have any idea who the RoughRiders will play in the USHL’s first round.
Let’s recap last week and looking ahead to this week and the week after that.
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
The RoughRiders clinched a postseason spot this past weekend despite winning just one of three games on the road.
That win came Sunday at Omaha, 4-2. Amine Hajibi had a pair of goals, hitting the 20-goal mark for the season.
Friday and Saturday nights were frustrating close losses.
Sioux City scored with 4:39 left in regulation to beat Cedar Rapids, 2-1, Saturday night. Defenseman Guerin Slezak had the only goal for C.R., which outshot its opponent by a substantial 35-16 margin.
Des Moines scored the first two goals Friday night and went on to a 3-2 win. Again the RoughRiders won the shots on goal total (36-28) without getting a result.
Hans-Martin Ulvebne and John McNelis had the RoughRiders goals.
Cedar Rapids is 26-29-2-3 for 57 standings points, which places it sixth in the eight-team Eastern Conference. It is one point back of fifth-place Green Bay.
Youngstown leads the conference with 82 points, followed so very closely by Madison (81), Dubuque (81) and Muskegon (80). The top two teams get first-round playoff byes, with the third and fourth-place finishers hosting the fifth and sixth-place finishers in a best-of-3 series next week.
The RoughRiders host Green Bay at 7:05 Friday night, then play Saturday night at Dubuque. Literally everything is up in the air playoffs wise, other than knowing Cedar Rapids will be on the road for the first round.
Iowa Heartlanders
While Cedar Rapids has no idea who its first-round opponent will be, the Heartlanders are certain they’ll be playing Fort Wayne first in the chase for the Kelly Cup.
Iowa went 1-2 this past weekend against the Norfolk Admirals at home: winning Friday night in overtime, 4-3, then losing Saturday night (1-0) and Sunday afternoon (5-3).
Jonny Sorenson had two goals Sunday for the Heartlanders. Norfolk scored 6:07 into Saturday’s game, with that being the only scoring.
Kelti Jeri-Leon had the OT winner Friday night, after Ryan McGuire tied the game for the Heartlanders with 4:40 left in regulation.
Iowa has a 34-23-7-4 record for 79 standings points, which places it firmly in third place in the ECHL’s Central Division. Toledo has clinched the division title, with Fort Wayne in second place (86 standings points).
Fourth place and the final playoff spot basically comes down to a race between Indy (70), Bloomington (66) and Kalamazoo (66), with Indy holding a huge hammer. The Fuel have a game in hand on the other two teams, playing four times this week to three times for the Bison and K-Wings.
The Heartlanders also play four times this week to conclude the regular season. Those games are Wednesday night (7 p.m.), Friday night (7) and Saturday night (6) at home against Cincinnati and Sunday at Kalamazoo.
Every playoff series in the ECHL is best of 7. Right now, Fort Wayne has home-ice advantage against Iowa.
Comments: (319)-398-8258, jeff.johnson@thegazette.com
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