Too many penalties help lead to RoughRiders’ loss

CEDAR RAPIDS - Hockey games aren't won or lost in the first period, but they can sure set a tone. Ask the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders.

They got down a pair of goals and never could quite come all the way back in a 4-2 loss to Sioux Falls before 2,533 fans at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena.

The reason for the early hole was easy to spot: the inability to stay out of the penalty box. Cedar Rapids took four minors in the first period and was short-handed seven times overall in the game.

Not a recipe for success.

'That was real important,” said RoughRiders Coach Mark Carlson. 'You have to deserve to win, and it's hard to deserve to win when you take that many penalties.”

The thing is one of the trademarks of Carlson's teams over the years here has been staying disciplined. The RoughRiders (5-2-1, 11 standings points) are annually among the least-penalized clubs in the United States Hockey League.

That hasn't been the case in the early going of the 2015-16 season. Cedar Rapids ranks fourth in the league in penalty minutes.

Saturday it was undisciplined penalties like elbowing and boarding and checking from behind that were prevalent.

'Without getting into all of the individual penalties tonight, we're just taking too many penalties, period,” Carlson said. 'We need to get that corrected. That's the bottom line. And we'll get it corrected.”

Daniel Warpecha wristed a shot past Riders goaltender Ben Blacker with 3:40 left in the first period for a 1-0 Sioux Falls lead. Collin Peters created separation for the Stampede with a power-play goal two minutes later.

He took a beautiful blind pass from teammate Jack Becker at the side of the net for a tap in.

Ross Colton scored on the power play for Cedar Rapids 2:57 into the second period to make it a 2-1 game. The Riders had four consecutive man advantages of their own in the second.

Amazing how referees calls seem to even up.

Jack Suter scored at the 11:10 mark of the second as Sioux Falls assumed another two-goal lead of 3-1. Justin Cole poked home a rebound on a scramble in front of Sioux Falls goalie Ales Stezka (a Minnesota Wild NHL draft pick) for a power-play goal five minutes into the third period.

But the Riders could never tied it up, despite having nearly a full minute of possession time in the Sioux Falls zone with Blacker out for an extra attacker down the stretch. Parker Tuomie finally broke free for an empty netter with 16.9 seconds left for the final Stampede dagger.

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