Game played on 2/5/2025.
General Game Notes: Neutral Zone scouted Cedar Rapids at Dubuque in a USHL Wednesday night matchup. In a tightly contested game, the Fighting Saints earned the way to a 3-1 win. Liam Beerman provided stellar goaltending for the home team, brushing aside 32 of 33 shots. Dubuque scored very early in the game to lead 1-0. After that, it was Cedar Rapids that provided most of the offense. The Fighting Saints brought pressure consistent defensive pressure, so the RoughRiders shots-on advantage did not truly reflect a huge advantage in high-chance scoring opportunities. The Dubuque total team defense and Beerman’s goalkeeping kept Cedar Rapids from scoring more than once.
Amine Hajibi (LW, L, 6’1″, 185, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, 05/05/2005, Northeastern)
Game Rating
B
1 Viewing
Comments: Amine Hajibi seems to approach the game as power-forward style winger. The 2005-born Northeastern commit consistently pushed the play up the ice. Hajibi has a well-filled in frame and carries the puck well, keeping his back to the opponents. He lacks top end speed but gets ahead with a quick first step when on the attack. Multiple times he carried the puck through the neutral zone, shifting gears and angling past opponents. He was successful at this, but struggled when hanging back, missing on outlet passes. Hajibi is a developing forward who keeps the ice slanted towards the attack zone when carrying the puck, but will need to pick and choose his passes better to maximize his potential as a driver of offense.
Jason Musa (F, L, 5’8″, 143, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, 05/09/2007, UMass Amherst)
Game Rating
B+
1 Viewing
Comments: Jason Musa is a young winger who flashed skill at times tonight. The young (2007 born) UMass commit is small, but is not one to get pushed around. The diminutive Floridian somehow consistently stays up when going along the boards and taking contact. Musa is speedy and accelerates very well. He outskated everyone midway through the game to get to the puck first on a dump and chase from center ice. He had a few shots on net but needs to work on shot placement and get under the puck. Musa is a developing, speedy young winger for USHL Cedar Rapids.
Grant Young (C, R, 5’9″, 180, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, 03/22/2006, Harvard)
Game Rating
A-
1 Viewing
Comments: Grant Young is a two-way forward who made several plays tonight. The 2006-born Harvard commit is a busy skater. He is agile, but with good strength and balance. Young out-works bigger opponents. On multiple occasions he was able to wrangle the puck away from larger Fighting Saints skaters. Young attacks the puck-carrier in all three zones. At one point tonight while challenging for the puck, he was being hooked from behind but still fought through it to force a turnover. Young had an assist on #17Seidel’s goal, firing the puck on net which left his teammate a healthy rebound to knock in. Playing Center, he struggled with getting many faceoff wins tonight. Young is a promising, well-rounded player whose effort showed in tonight’s loss.
Bobby Williams (D, R, 6’3″, 210, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, 07/17/2007)
Game Rating
B
1 Viewing
Comments: Bobby Williams is a developing defenseman for USHL Cedar Rapids. He big-bodies teenager did well to try and shut down the Dubuque attack. He back-skates well enough to hold the angle against the opposing forwards. Williams uses his reach to affect the opponents shooting with a defensive stick-poke. He uses his size to protect the net front – or at least consistently tries to. He has the right idea for what his role should be, but was unable to push aside the Dubuque forwards consistently. Williams is a young (2007 born) uncommitted defense-first blueliner who is worth keeping an eye in the future on as he fills into his sizeable, athletic frame.
Simon Seidl (RW, R, 5’10”, 183, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, 07/04/2006)
Game Rating
B+
1 Viewing
Comments: Simon Seidl is a young winger for Cedar Rapids who had the RoughRiders’ lone goal tonight. The 2006-born German skater scored in the first period. Seidl was waiting for a rebound, and snuck it in just as the powerplay had expired. Seidl worked his way to the net front throughout the night. He pushes to get to the edge of the crease, and was annoying to the Dubuque defense. He lacks high-end speed but covers open ice efficiently. Seidl is an uncommitted forward for USHL Cedar Rapids; He is a heads-up winger who knows where he needs to be on offense.
Noel Ohgren (RW, R, 5’11”, 170, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, 09/05/2006)
Game Rating
B+
1 Viewing
Comments: Noel Ohgren is a hard-working forward who plays two-way hockey. The 2006-born Swedish winger plays is an effective and purposeful shot blocker on defense. When on the attack, Ohgren shows strong balance, holding his own in front of the net. He featured on the powerplay unit, with sharp fast passes. A highlight play for Ohgren was pushing over an opponent to win an offensive zone turnover. He had one shot that did not bother the Dubuque goalie and it would have been nice to see Ohgren pull the trigger more willingly. Ohgren is an uncommitted winger who plays a team-friendly style of hockey.
Matthew Desiderio (D, L, 6’3″, 210, Dubuque Fighting Saints, 08/16/2005, Brown)
Game Rating
B+
1 Viewing
Comments: Matthew Desiderio is a tall, confident defender with a quick stick. The 2005-born Brown commit is calm and controlled with possession. He did not show great foot speed tonight, but did not have to skate his way out of trouble. Desiderio uses his size to stay between opponents and the edge of the crease. He clears pucks out from the net front on the penalty kill, using fast reactions to swipe away danger. He also tips the puck away from circling opponents with a long reach. He made a nice shot on net across his body, but otherwise did not add much to the Dubuque offense tonight. Desiderio is a defense-first blueliner who holds down his end of the ice.
James Mackey (D, L, 6’6″, 245, Dubuque Fighting Saints, 10/15/2005, Harvard)
Game Rating
A-
1 Viewing
Comments: James Mackey is a large, smart defenseman for Dubuque. The 2005-born Harvard commit plays with awareness. He is measured and smart while passing the puck. The big-bodies, burly defenseman bowls over opponents with controlled contact. He made a key interception to break up a developing 2-on-1 situation. Mackey is a rock of a defender for the USHL Fighting Saints and, while he didn’t appear on the scoresheet, was very impactful in keeping Cedar Rapids from having scoring chances tonight.
Charlie Arend (C, L, 5’11”, 186, Dubuque Fighting Saints, 01/10/2006, Ohio State)
Game Rating
B+
1 Viewing
Comments: Charles Arend is a work-hard forward for the Dubuque Fighting Saints. The 2006-born Ohio State commit repeatedly fought hard for the puck in the attack zone. He held drive possession time, never giving up on a loose puck while on offense. Arend holds the tightly while going through traffic. He is able to hold possession, and push through for a shot. Arend played Center and Left Wing tonight, finished about 50% on his faceoff draws. He had an assist on the empty-net goal to seal the game. Arend is a busy forward who brings his full effort when on offense.
Gavin Cornforth (RW, R, 5’9″, 154, Dubuque Fighting Saints, 12/15/2006, Boston College)
Game Rating
A-
1 Viewing
Comments: Gavin Cornforth is a crafty forward for USHL Dubuque. The 2006-born Boston College commit is a bit undersized, yet uses that to his advantage. Cornforth can dodge and cut past larger opponents when in the attack zone. His stick control and agile skating lead to numerous scoring chances. He executed a poke check to get an offensive zone turnover, which in turn lead to the Fighting Saints’ opening goal. Later in the game, Cornforth cut diagonally across ice with the puck for a forehand/backhand chance. Cornforth is a clever, offensively-minded winger for Dubuque.
Teddy Merrill (F, R, 6’0″, 182, Dubuque Fighting Saints, 05/08/2005, Colgate)
Game Rating
B+
1 Viewing
Comments: Teddy Merrill is a tough Center for Dubuque of the USHL. The 2005-born Colgate commit has broad shoulders and plays with grit. He digs the puck out of the corner, battling willingly and effectively. Merrill slices through the defense to bring the puck into the zone. However, he carries the puck a little loose and was stripped of the puck while looking for the pass. He was also caught on a legitimate, but not egregious, cross-checking penalty. Playing Center, he won the majority of his faceoff draws, including some key ones in the offensive zone. Merrill is a well-built forward who helps with winning possession. He may just need to be a little more responsible with the puck to maximize his potential.
Josh Giuliani (F, R, 6’1″, 174, Dubuque Fighting Saints, 06/11/2004, St. Thomas)
Game Rating
B
1 Viewing
Comments: Josh Giuliani is a veteran right winger for Dubuque of the USHL. The St. Thomas commit is a hard working, scrappy forward. He scrambles and fights to get the puck out of Dubuque’s end of the ice. Guiliani hustles with the puck up the ice. However, Cedar Rapids did a solid job of holding him up on zone entry. He had a goal on his only shot tonight, which proved to be the game-winner. In the second, Giuliani scored on a shot against the grain. He fired against his body beating the goalie glove side. Guiliani is an aging-out forward who grinded out a defensive effort while still scoring a tricky goal tonight.
Cooper Dennis (RW, R, 5’5″, 150, Dubuque Fighting Saints, 05/07/2007, Michigan)
Game Rating
B+
1 Viewing
Comments: Cooper Dennis is a developing winger for Dubuque who impressed a few times tonight with his skating ability. The young (2007 born) Michigan commit plays with hustle. He hurries on and off the ice. Dennis is tough to step when going through traffic, and can muscle his smaller frame through opponents when in pursuit. He turns sharp on his edges and can truly stop on a dime; His edge work was evident (although he did over-extend on the attack once and end up on his bum). Dennis is a sharp-skating young forward for the Fighting Saints.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images