Corridor Cross Checks: The power in the USHL is in the Eastern Conference so far

CEDAR RAPIDS - So you want to know how much better the Eastern Conference of the United States Hockey League is this hockey season than the Western Conference.

Here it is in black and white. With straight-up numbers.

The eight Eastern Conference teams have compiled a record of 46-11-5 so far in games against the eight Western Conference clubs. Only Team USA (the United States National Team Development Program) doesn’t have a winning record against the West.

The Program is 1-3-2 in its cross-conference games. Take it out of the equation, and the East has dominated the West to the tune of 45-8-3.

The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders are 8-1 against Western clubs, the only loss coming in late October at Sioux Falls, 4-2. Cedar Rapids picked up two more wins this past week, specifically rival Waterloo by scores of 5-1 Thanksgiving night and 3-2 Sunday night.

That latter game originally was scheduled for Saturday night at ImOn Ice Arena but was pushed back by Saturday’s heavy snow in Eastern Iowa.

Dubuque has a perfect 10-0 record against Western Conference opponents thus far, yet is 5-7-1 against the East. Muskegon is 6-0 against the West.

The Lumberjacks have a USHL-best 36 standings points, with Youngstown next with 32. Sioux Falls leads the Western Conference with 31 points, the same total as Green Bay and Dubuque, which are tied for third place in the East.

Cedar Rapids is 13-5-0-2 for 30 standings points, which is in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. The RoughRiders have three games in hand on Green Bay and two each on Youngstown, Dubuque and Muskegon.

Connor Davis had two goals for the Riders in the Thanksgiving game at Waterloo. Sullivan Miller, Justin Graf and Thomas Corneillie each had one.

Nick Romeo had two goals Sunday and Henry Lechner one. Ryan Cameron won both games in goal and is on a six-game win streak.

Cedar Rapids a three-in-three weekend upcoming. It plays Friday night at Chicago, Saturday night at Dubuque and Sunday afternoon at home against Madison (4:05 p.m. opening faceoff).

The club will be without Cameron, Graf and forward David Bosco, who will be participating in the World Junior ‘A’ Challenge in Quebec, Canada.

Iowa Heartlanders

It was three games against Central Division rival Bloomington this past week for the Heartlanders.

Iowa lost Thanksgiving Eve at Xtream Arena to the Bison, 4-3, in overtime. It was an especially galling defeat considering the Heartlanders built a 3-0 lead on first-period goals from Max Patterson, Thomas Stewart and Isaac Johnson.

Two nights later, Iowa got overtime revenge, 3-2, at Bloomington. Matthew Sop won it 4:25 into the extra session.

The teams returned Sunday to Xtream Arena, with Bloomington winning handily, 5-1.

The Heartlanders are 7-10-2-0 for 16 standings points. That places them in sixth place of seven teams in the ECHL’s Central Division.

Iowa has just one game this week, that being Wednesday night on the road against the Kansas City Mavericks.

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