5-point night for Hugh McGing in C.R. RoughRiders’ 8-0 rout of Muskegon

CEDAR RAPIDS — Free Crazy Bread for everybody!!

The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders have a promotion in which Little Caesar's affords everyone in attendance at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena the opportunity for free Crazy Bread (the pizza chain's version of bread sticks) if the home team scores six goals in a game. That happened Wednesday night when the Riders smoked Muskegon, 8-0.

Cedar Rapids hit the six-goal mark in its first two home games way back in late September and early October, but this was the first time since. In fact, this was the most goals the Riders have scored in any game this season.

They increased their United States Hockey League-leading standings point total to 67, on a 32-12-3 record. It was quite a performance.

Bon appetit.

'I feel like we definitely clicked this game,' said Riders winger Hugh McGing. 'I don't know what it was. Our chemistry was just off the charts. When you're clicking, you can definitely feel it. You could tell in the first period. We were all going, making good passes. The second period, not so much. It kind of died down a little bit. Then the third period, I thought we were so energetic again. It just flowed through everyone.'

McGing finished the night with a goal, four assists and a plus-minus total of plus-five. All but four Riders were positive in the plus-minus category.

Cedar Rapids scored four times each in the first and third periods. Goaltender Ben Blacker made 23 saves for his fourth shutout of the season.

'I thought we had a really good start,' said Riders Coach Mark Carlson. 'I liked the way we made plays, our creativity. We went to sleep for a little bit, then we got excited and got going again and had a strong finish.'

The beauty of at least three of C.R.'s goals was striking.

Cal Burke finished off a tic-tac-toe passing play with linemates Ross Colton and McGing late in the first period. Another tic-tac-toe play midway through the third gave Matt Filipe his second goal of the night.

McGing and defenseman Taylor Brierley had the assists there.

Colton provided another 'wow' moment with a drive to the net and backhand centering pass for a McGing goal late in the first. It was hockey at its prettiest.

'I just thought we made some real good plays tonight,' Carlson said.

Filipe started the scoring six minutes into the game on a neat wraparound goal. Justin Cole's snipe from the circle (top left corner) made it 2-0, then McGing and Burke scored for a 4-0 edge.

Burke's second of the night made it 5-0 a minute into the third. Filipe and defenseman David Nemecek had goals 27 seconds apart for a lucky seven.

Sam Sternschein pounced on a power-play rebound with four minutes left for the final margin. The RoughRiders play Friday and Saturday nights in Ann Arbor, Mich., against the younger of two United States National Team Development Program teams.

Click on the 'Box' icon at top of this post to view the official gamesheet.

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