Cedar Rapids RoughRiders

The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders are a Tier 1 junior ice hockey team playing in the East Division of the United States Hockey League (USHL). Before moving to Cedar Rapids in 1999, the team was based in Mason City, where they were known as the North Iowa Huskies. The RoughRiders' new name was chosen in a contest, where a local teacher at Roosevelt Middle School in Cedar Rapids submitted Roughriders, as it was the school's mascot.

The RoughRiders' home ice is the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena.

2002-2003
The 2002-2003 Cedar Rapids Roughriders finished in second place in the East Division with a 27-26-7 record for a total of 61 points. In the quarterfinals of the USHL playoffs, the Roughriders beat Topeka 3 games to 1. In the semifinals, Cedar Rapids was swept 3-0 by Lincoln.

2003-2004
The 2003-2004 Cedar Rapids Roughriders finished in second place in the East Division with a 34-23-2 record for a total of 71 points. In the quarterfinals of the USHL playoffs, the Roughriders lost to Danville 3 games to 1.

2004-2005
The 2004-05 season was an important one in the team's history. The Roughriders finished first in the East Division with a record of 42 wins, 13 losses, and 5 overtime losses, for 89 points in the standings. They tied the West Division champions Omaha Lancers for the regular season overall title, the Anderson Cup.

After three-game sweeps against the Indiana Ice and Chicago Steel, the Roughriders lost their first game against the Sioux City Musketeers, 2-1, on May 1. After splitting games in Sioux City, the Roughriders finally defeated Sioux City at home on May 9, 4-1, to win their first USHL championship, the Clark Cup, and therefore, their first Tier 1 national championship in American junior hockey. Goaltender Alex Stalock took most valuable player honors for the series.

In postseason awards, Roughriders coach Mark Carlson was named Coach of the Year, and two Roughriders were named to the All-USHL second team.

2005-2006
By the end of the regular season, the Roughriders had won the Eastern Division on goal differential against the Des Moines Buccaneers, while both compiled 33 wins, 21 losses, and 6 overtime losses. Also, the Roughriders clinched the Corridor Cup against the Waterloo Black Hawks.

The Roughriders won a division semifinal against the Indiana Ice, defeating them 3 games to 2, before bowing to eventual Clark Cup champion Des Moines in a three-game sweep.

Roughriders player Chad Costello finished on top of the league scoring race with 76 points, and teammate Ted Purcell finished on top of the assists list with 52.

2006-2007
In the first round, they comprehensively destroyed the Junior Blue Jackets in a four-game sweep by scores of 8-0, 1-0, 5-1 and 5-2. But the thirteen day break between series cost the Riders as they lost both their round-robin games and were knocked out of the USHL playoffs, the last loss being to, of all teams, Waterloo.

2007-2008
The 2007-2008 edition of the Roughriders finished in third place in the East Division with a 33-22-5 record. The Roughriders were lead in net with Brady Hjelle. The Roughriders were swept out of the play-offs in the first round by the Waterloo Black Hawks.

2008-2009
The 2008-2009 Cedar Rapids Roughriders finished in second place in the East Division with a 38-17-5 record for a total of 81 points. The Roughriders lost in the 1st round of the playoffs to eventual Clark Cup champion Indiana 3 games to 2.

2009-2010
The 2009-2010 Cedar Rapids Roughriders finished in second place in the East Division with a 38-19-3 record for a total of 79 points. The Roughriders lost to Indiana in the 1st round of the playoffs 3 games to 2 just as they did the year before.

2010-2011
In 2010-2011, the Cedar Rapids Roughriders finished in first place in the East Division with a 42-12-6 record for a total of 90 points, capturing their second Anderson Cup. In the playoffs, the Roughriders beat Muskegon in the quarterfinals 3 games to 1, but lost in the conference semifinals to Green Bay 3-1.

2011-2012
The 2011-2012 Cedar Rapids Roughriders finished in fifth place in the East Division with a 27-21-12 record for a total of 66 points. The Roughriders lost to Youngstown 2-0 in the qualifying round of the USHL playoffs.

Season-by-season record
Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OL = Overtime Losses, SL = Shootout Losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, Pts = Points