Nemecek chips in offensively to help RoughRiders roll

CEDAR RAPIDS - He will never be confused with P.K. Subban, Bobby Orr or Paul Coffey. Check Google if you don't know those guys.

David Nemecek of the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders is the stereotypical defensive defenseman, uses his size, strength and overall hockey acumen to take care of his own end of the ice. Try and clear out the front of the net, always be in position and make the safe and smart play to get the puck out of your zone.

So how weird it was to see Nemecek be part of a 3-on-2 rush Saturday night in the second period of his team's 5-1 win over Des Moines at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena. He actually was leading the thing.

The 20-year-old resident of the Czech Republic apparently was just feeling his offensive oats. He scored his first goal as a RoughRider (his first point even) to highlight a game in which he had an uncharacteristic team-high five shots on goal and posted a team-best plus-minus rating of plus-three.

'You're trying to play offensive, aggressive hockey. Following the forwards, helping them out,” Nemecek said. 'Sticking to the gameplan, playing a gameplan game. It worked, it worked tonight, so you're happy for that.”

The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Nemecek was an 18th-round draft pick of the Riders in the second phase of the 2015 United States Hockey League draft. He has a lot of experience, representing his country regularly in world tournaments, playing two years of major junior hockey in Canada and last year in Finland, where he had one goal.

He matched that here with a long wrist shot past Des Moines goalie and countryman Jan Ruzicka after Jacob Hayhurst got him the puck by winning a faceoff.

'That's much more fun than being back there, blocking shots and defending,” Nemecek said with a smile. 'But that's my job, and I like my job.”

'I thought he played pretty well,” said Riders Coach Mark Carlson. 'He's a big, strong guy for us back there. He's helping keep the puck out of our end. That's the definition of a defensive defenseman ... It's his mobility and strength and size. He's able to take people off the puck.”

The RoughRiders (6-3-1, 13 standings points) broke their four-game losing streak emphatically, as Luke Morgan converted a perfect cross-ice centering feed from Cal Burke just 22 seconds in. It went equally well from there.

Justin Cole also scored in the first period, Nemecek got his goal in the second, and Matt Filipe and Jack Ahcan added tallies in the third. Ben Blacker made 31 stops to pick up the win in net, his shutout bid ending midway through the third period on a David Keefer deflection goal.

'I thought it was a pretty good effort,” Carlson said. 'I really liked some of our end-zone offense early, really liked our power-play goal (by Ahcan). Some guys are improving. But I thought we played better last night. We'll keep moving forward.”

Cedar Rapids plays Friday night at Bloomington, then returns home the following night to host Tri-City at approximately 7:15.

l Comments: (319) 398-8259; jeff.johnson@thegazette.com