2-Waterloo vs 3-Cedar Rapids

Of the playoff matchups this year, I think this one will be the most intense of them all. Last year was the first time these two heated rivals played in the post-season, and it ended with Waterloo handily beating Cedar Rapids in their 1 game series. Now, they are set for a best of 5 series with each other. This series should be really exciting. The fans will be ready to go and you can bet Young Arena will be packed for their home games and the CRIA will hopefully be quite full for the Riders' home games. The Black Hawks have won the last two meetings between these teams, both in Waterloo. The Hawks come into the playoffs playing some great hockey, while Cedar Rapids has been sub par as of late. I think you can throw all that out the window, because when these two teams get together, everyone is out there giving it their all. This series means so much to the players, fans, and city (more so in Waterloo's case :P) and will undoubtedly will be the most intense series. If you can, be sure to keep an eye on this series and maybe even buy a B2 broadcast, because it's sure not to disappoint.

Here is a rundown of the meetings between these two teams during the regular season.

     11/02/07    Waterloo 3 at Cedar Rapids 2 SO 
    11/22/07    Cedar Rapids 2 at Waterloo 1 SO 
    11/23/07    Waterloo 1 at Cedar Rapids 4    
    12/08/07    Waterloo 2 at Cedar Rapids 6    
    12/31/07    Cedar Rapids 1 at Waterloo 4    
    01/04/08    Waterloo 3 at Cedar Rapids 5    
    02/29/08    Cedar Rapids 2 at Waterloo 3 SO 
    04/05/08    Cedar Rapids 2 at Waterloo 3 OT  

Rundown of player scoring in this series. First Cedar Rapids, then Waterloo.

Cedar Rapids:
Casey Wellman - 5 goals, 3 assists.
Ian Slater - 2 goals, 3 assists.
Matt Donovan - 1 goal, 4 assists.
Kyle Flanagan - 5 assists.
Bryce Aneloski - 2 goals, 2 assists.
David Boehm - 2 goals, 2 assists.
Mike Seidel - 2 goals, 2 assists.
Doug Jones - 1 goal, 3 assists.
Matt Tomassoni - 4 assists
Ben Lynch - 2 goals, 1 assist.
Scott Mathis - 2 goals, 1 assist.
Tyler Thompson - 2 goals, 1 assist.
Nick Oddo - 3 assists.
Dean Chelios - 1 goal, 1 assist.
Chris Wideman - 2 assists.
Garret Vermeersch - 2 assists.
Vince Mihalek - 1 goal.
Robin Bergman - 1 assist.


Waterloo:
Brett Olson - 5 goals, 6 assists.
Blake Kessel - 2 goals, 5 assists.
Billy Maday - 1 goal, 6 assists.
Chad Billins - 2 goals, 3 assists.
Drew MacKenzie - 2 goals, 1 assist.
Nick Larson - 1 goal, 2 assists.
Paul Weisgarber - 2 goals.
Michael Fink - 1 goal, 1 assist.
Brock Montpetit - 1 goal, 1 assist.
Brett Beebe - 2 assists.
John Lee - 1 assist.
Keegan Meuer - 1 assist.
Scott Pavelski - 1 assist.
Joe Howe - 1 assist.

Goalie stats in this series are next. Cedar Rapids followed by Waterloo.

Cedar Rapids:
Brady Hjelle - 7 GP, 3-1-3, 15 GA, 2.06 GAA, 0 Shutouts, .936 sv%
Kent Patterson - 1 GP, 1-0-0, 3 GA, 3.00 GAA, 0 Shutouts, .864 sv%


Waterloo:
Matt DiGirolamo - 6 GP, 2-2-1, 15 GA, 3.04 GAA, 0 Shutouts, .880 sv%
Joe Howe - 4 GP, 2-1-0, 6 GA, 1.79 GAA, 0 Shutouts, .932 sv%

Pre-game articles from the Cedar Rapids Gazette.