Series preview: Chicago Steel vs. Cedar Rapids RoughRiders

  

EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS
(best-of-five)

GAME 1 – CEDAR RAPIDS AT CHICAGO          Saturday, April 20, at 7:05 p.m.
GAME 2 – CEDAR RAPIDS AT CHICAGO          Sunday, April 21, at 5:05 p.m.
GAME 3 – CHICAGO AT CEDAR RAPIDS          Tuesday, April 23, at 7:05 p.m.
GAME 4 – CHICAGO AT CEDAR RAPIDS          Wednesday, April 24, at 7:05 p.m. (if necessary)
GAME 5 – CEDAR RAPIDS AT CHICAGO          Saturday, April 27, at 7:05 p.m. (if necessary)

The Chicago Steel face off against the Cedar Rapid RoughRiders in the best-of-five series in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Chicago earned a first-round bye with a second-place finish in the conference. Cedar Rapids swept Team USA this past week in a best-of-three series to advance to the semifinals.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

CHICAGO:
Nick Abruzzese: The crafty forward finished first in the USHL this season in scoring (29 goals, 51 assists, 80 points) and mans the top-line center position. Aburzzese also tied for the team lead in shorthanded goals (two) and led the team with 21 power play goals. Abruzzese plays an important role on offense, defense and special teams. The Harvard University commit also maintained a 25.7 shooting percentage on the season.

Robert Mastrosimone: The East Islap, New York, native led the Steel in goals (31) and finished second on the team in points (80). Mastrosimone was second on the team in power play goals with seven and lead the team in shots (161). Mastrosimone also tied Abruzzese in shorthanded goals with two. The Boston University commit will need to continue his excellent offensive production against a stingy RoughRider defense and goaltending.

Matteo Pietroniro: The team captain logs a ton of ice time for the Steel and had an excellent season finishing with 18 goals, 31 assists and 49 points. Pietroniro lead the team with 102 penalty minutes and was second in power play assists (14). Those that have watched the Steel this season can make an argument that Matteo is the heartbeat of the team on the backend. Pietroniro can really shut down the Cedar Rapid attack, which is average at best.

Josiah Slavin: The Chicago Blackhawks’ seventh round draft pick in 2018 was an excellent mid-season pickup by General Manager Ryan Hardy. Slavin has been a great addition to the Steel power play as a net front presence. Slavin finished the season with 24 goals and 27 assist with Chicago and Lincoln. His scoring touch brings a great second wave behind Abruzzese and Mastrosimone.

CEDAR RAPIDS:
Jason Polin: Polin scored five goals in two games in the first round against Team USA. During the regular season, the Western Michigan University commit scored 30 goals and 20 assists, good enough for second overall on the Cedar Rapids roster.

Nathan Smith: Smith lead the team with 53 points (18 goals, 35 assists) for a team-best .90 points per game. The center also led the team with 12 power play goals while tying with Polin for the team lead with five game-winning goals.

Liam Walsh: The Merrimack College commit finished third on the team with 21 goals to go along with his 21 assists. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound winger tied for the team lead (Polin) with two shorthanded goals and brings an excellent piece to Polin and Smith on the wing.

Will Zmolek: Zmolek led all RoughRider defenseman in points with 26 (four goals, 22 assists). The 6-foot-3, 191-pound Bemidji State commit also lead the team in penalty minutes with 107. Zmolek can be argued to be Pietroniro lite. Zmolek will log plenty of ice time for Cedar Rapids.

Blake Pietila: The Cedar Rapids goaltender had an excellent season and was arguably the team’s best player this season. The Michigan Tech commit finished 30–13–3–1 with a 2.30 goals against average and excellent 0.912 save percentage. Look for Pietila to try and keep his team in the series with his top-notch skills in the crease.

NOTES:

  • Chicago holds a 19–10–2–0 record at home this season at Fox Valley Arena. Cedar Rapids has recorded a 35–6–2–1 record at home. Chicago will want to make sure not to lose home ice advantage in the first two games. The RoughRiders are tough at home.
  • Something has got to give. Chicago finished the season with a league best 3.92 goals per game, second best in the USHL. The RoughRiders are also second in the league with a 2.60 goals against average. The series is a clear example of offense versus defense.
  • Special teams: The Steel finished second in the USHL with a 24.6 percentage success rate with the man advantage. Cedar Rapids power play scores at a 17.7 percentage rate. Chicago’s penalty kill is 12th in the league at 78.6 while the RoughRiders are eighth in the league shorthanded at 80.7 percent.

Center Ice Forums Series preview: Chicago Steel vs. Cedar Rapids RoughRiders

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  • #12776
    Ray Napientek
    Keymaster

    EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS (best-of-five) GAME 1 – CEDAR RAPIDS AT CHICAGO          Saturday, April 20, at 7:05 p.m. GAME 2 – CEDAR RAPIDS AT CHICA
    [To continue reading full article, click here: Series preview: Chicago Steel vs. Cedar Rapids RoughRiders]

    #12777
    Mister Ricochet
    Participant

    Alright, Ray!   Nice work, sir………..

    A  Jrs roster turns over every yr for the most part but there are two USHL franchises that have an identity beyond the players and Cedar Rapids is one of them.  Coach Mark Carlson has been their only coach in their 19 yr history, is only one of two coaches to have 600 USHL wins (PK O’Handley of Waterloo the other) and is part owner of the club.  Simply said he is an institution.

    When a long time fan of the league plays Cedar Rapids they are playing Mark Carlson.  This guy used to ice the fastest team in the league, had a top offense yr in and yr and was always at the top of his conference as his 600 wins will attest but things have changed.  His club has missed the playoffs for 3 straight yrs and he now ices a more stout and less high octane group. ………. Not smart enough to know but wonder if the league has caught up to Carlson as it has improved to be a top jr league on earth but Carlson didn’t get dumb all of a sudden.   His group will be prepared, coached up and it’s just a matter of executing.

    His group will stand the Steel up, get in their faces and make em earn ice and will be backstopped by Blake Pietila who backed up Isiah Seville for the USA in the Ivan Hlinka tournament.

    Yes the Steel are 3-1-1 vs CR this yr but 3 of those were one goal games and 2 went to OT.   So this looks to be a really tight series that has the look of going 5 games.

    As you point out Ray the Steel score and the Riders stop teams from scoring.  Playing the Steel it seems you need to score 4 to win as they average around there and give up about that amount, which brings me to the #1 key to the series, Steel goaltending.

    Adam Robbins is their undisputed #1 for better or worse the kid will play.  Only 7 goalies have had more games.    Of all USHL goalies who had at least 1,200+ minutes in the 17 team league Robbins ranks TWENTY FOURTH in save percentage humming along at an .874 clip!!

    His last 3 games he has sported a save percentage of .733, .762 and .783 (at least he’s improving)!!!   Don’t have to be a hockey genius to know unless your group scores 6-7-8 goals you ain’t gonna win with goaltending like that and you ain’t gonna do that vs a Carlson group with any regularity if at all.

    Now Moore is more or less mandated to start Robbins.   My question is if the kid is digging pucks out of his net will he go to #2 Herbst.   So to me it all starts with Robbins and if he stinks will coach make the change and if he does will it be too late.  To me coach has to walk a fine line, a line that may cost this fantastic roster and offense the series.

    Now #2 Herbst doesn’t have a much better save percentage than Robbins but it is this fan’s opinion he takes the difficult starts to shelter Robbins.   He gets the starts vs top teams like his last 2 games vs 1 seed in the East Muskegon and 2 seed in the West Waterloo and 5 games vs Team USA.   His last 2 games were against Waterloo and Muskegon, he got the wins and put up .973 and .955 save percentage allowing 1 goal in each game.

    So to my eye it all starts in the Steel net and how coach navigates that.   Not much room for error as these two clubs were only separated by 1 point in the regular season.

     

     

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