Costello hurt, Riders lose in shootout (w/video)

CEDAR RAPIDS - The crutches sitting next to him at his locker stall Sunday night were an ominous sign. Cedar Rapids RoughRiders captain Jeff Costello has an injured right knee, though he hopes not too injured.

“The doctor just checked it, and he thinks I just tweaked it,” Costello said after his RoughRiders had their bid for a 3-for-3 weekend ended via a 2-1 shootout loss to Green Bay at The Stable. “It's like my lateral collateral ligament or something like that. He said to stay off of it and he'd re-examine it.”

Costello has fought through injuries all USHL season, including a prior one to his right knee. This re-injury occurred late in the third period when he and Green Bay's Reed Seckel went knee to knee on a collision near the Riders' bench.

An incensed Riders Coach Mark Carlson screamed at the two game referees about the hit. Seckel was given a five-minute tripping penalty and game misconduct.

“I'll have to see the tape first,” Carlson said, when asked to comment.

“I think it was just one of those bad-timing plays where I was coming in vulnerable and he was coming in playing the body,” Costello said. “It's unfortunate we went knee to knee, but it's part of the game. I don't think it was malicious. That's just how the chips fell tonight.”

The thing about Seckel's penalty was that it helped Green Bay (14-5-3, 31 points) tie the game. The Gamblers, on the man-up at the time, wound up with a 4-on-3 power play a short time later.

All that open ice led to Ludwig Karlsson's goal from the slot with 4:05 left. Derek DeBlois scored with 9.6 seconds left in the second to put Cedar Rapids up 1-0.

The Riders had a power play the final 2:26 of regulation and first 23 seconds of overtime, with defenseman Bryce Aneloski hitting the post on an OT shot that the goal light was turned on for and the goal judge insisted postgame went in. The referees never talked to him about it, and Green Bay won the shootout, 3-0.

Cedar Rapids (11-9-2, 24 points) ended a five-game losing streak with a 6-4 home win Friday night against Sioux Falls and won Saturday night at Des Moines, 8-2.

"I think we're making progress," Carlson said. "Any time you get five out of six points, you've got to be fairly happy. Six out of six would have been better. But, you know, we're making progress."

Below is video of the shootout. The shooters, in order, were Anders Lee (Green Bay), Zach Lehrke (Cedar Rapids), Sam Alfieri (Green Bay), Cason Hohmann (Cedar Rapids), Ryan Furne (Green Bay) and Eric Robinson (Cedar Rapids). The goalies were Ryan McKay for Green Bay and Troy Grosenick for Cedar Rapids.

Notice Grosenick trip and fall as he comes out initially on the third attempt.