The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders capped off a 15 goal weekend with a six goal effort to earn the sweep over the previously streaking Fargo Force. For Fargo, it was the first time they had been swept since Halloween weekend at home against the Youngstown Phantoms. Cedar Rapids used six different goal scorers to win, 6-3, one night after they scored nine times against the Force. The nine goals allowed is the franchise record for Fargo.
On Saturday night, Cedar Rapids started the scoring at 5:02 of the first period when David Boehm beat Force goalie Ryan Massa to make it 1-0. Fargo captain Chase Grant answered back in the middle of the period. Grant made a nifty move in tight and was able to score to even the game at 1-1. Nate Condon and Corey Leivermann picked up assists on the play.
Fargo had a defensive lapse early in the second period. Just 20 seconds into the middle frame, Derek DeBlois came in all alone on Massa with the Force defense nowhere in sight. DeBlois made no mistake on the breakaway and his goal put the RoughRiders back in front. Peter Sakaris scored in the back half of the period for Cedar Rapids to make it 3-1 after two periods of play.
Bemidji, Minn. Native Zach Lehrke scored early in the third period to push the Cedar Rapids lead to 4-1. Massa mishandled the puck behind the Fargo net and it snuck out front where Lehrke was waiting to fire it into a yawning net. It was a bit of a homecoming for Lehrke, who grew up just a couple of hours away from Fargo.
The Force started the comeback 32 seconds after the Lehrke goal. Johnnie Searfoss found the back of the net after being set up by Colten St. Clair and Nicholas Romanick to cut the deficit to 4-2. With 10:36 on the clock in the third period, Captain Grant scored his second goal of the game to pull the Force within one. The goal came unassisted after Grant picked off a pass and flew in on a clean breakaway.
Eric Robinson smashed the comeback hopes when he tapped home a rebound with 2:19 remaining in the game. Boehm blasted a shot on goal on the power play, but the rebound ended up right on Robinson’s tape and in the back of the net.
After the Robinson goal, Massa skated directly to the bench and the force put an extra attacker on the ice for the ensuing faceoff. Less than a minute later, Sam Warning put the game on ice with an empty net goal. Massa returned to the net for Fargo and the Force finished out the 6-3 loss.
Massa, who was yanked after the first period on Friday night after letting in four goals on 13 shots, stopped 33 of 38 shots in the loss on Saturday. Troy Grosenick stopped 21 of 24 shots to pick up the win one night after allowing six goals on 22 shots.
The Fargo Force will look to get back in the win column on Saturday, February 20 against the Indiana Ice in a rematch of the 2009 Clark Cup Finals. The puck is set to drop at 8:05 p.m. The two teams will hit the ice again on Sunday, February 21 at 4:05 p.m. Both games will be played at the Urban Plains Center in Fargo, N.D.
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