Corridor Cross Checks: The first edition for 2023-24

CEDAR RAPIDS — Rudy Guimond is a National Hockey League draft pick, and he showed why Saturday.

The first-year Cedar Rapids RoughRiders goaltender made 39 saves to help his club earn a 2-1 win over the Des Moines Buccaneers at Urbandale. It salvaged the weekend for the Riders, who fell the previous night at home to Des Moines, 7-2.

Guimond is an 18-year-old Quebec resident who was taken by the Detroit Red Wings in the sixth round of this past summer’s NHL Draft. He is a Yale University commit.

“It was a good, gutsy road win,” said RoughRiders Coach Mark Carlson. “We’ve just got to sharpen up some things where we make it hard on ourselves sometimes, for sure. It’s part of being a (younger club). We’re gaining experience, we’re learning, it was nice to get a response on Saturday. We’re going to get better every day.”

Cedar Rapids is 3-5-1 in the early going of the United States Hockey League season. This is a very inexperienced group, especially from a forward standpoint.

The top 13 point-getters from last season moved on. Carlson has worked a few trades in the early going of the season to find the right mix of players.

Forward Jack Larrigan was acquired from the USHL’s Lincoln Stars, Amine Hajibi from the Green Bay Gamblers and Garrett Drotts from the Sioux Falls Stampede. Hajibi has a goal and five assists in six games for C.R.

“We just felt that we had some opportunities to acquire some guys that can really help us, and they all have,” Carlson said. “Every guy that we brought in here has (helped).”

Iowa Heartlanders

The Heartlanders dropped their first two games, both at home to the Rapid City Rush last week.

Iowa lost its opener this past Thursday night, 4-2. The Heartlanders fell behind 3-1 after the first period, but outshot the Rush the next two periods by a combined margin of 29-8.

Forward Jesse Jacques had both Iowa goals.

Rapid City won the Friday night game at Xtream Arena, 4-3, in overtime. Jarrod Gourley scored 1:20 into the extra session to win it for the Rush.

Pavel Novak had two goals for Iowa. He’s a Minnesota Wild draft pick who did not play at all last season while being treated for Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

Attendance for the Friday night game was an encouraging 2,734. The Heartlanders finished last in the ECHL in attendance last season.

This week

The Heartlanders hit the road for the first time, playing a pair of games this weekend at Wichita, Kan., against the Wichita Thunder.

Opening faceoff Saturday night is 7:05. Then it’s a 4:05 puck drop Sunday afternoon.

The next home game is Wednesday, Nov. 8, against the Kalamazoo Wings.

The RoughRiders play twice at home this weekend. It’s the Des Moines Buccaneers the opponent Friday night at 7:05.

Saturday night the Tri-City Storm come to ImOn Ice for another 7:05 game.

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