Dubuque, IA – The Dubuque Fighting Saints (2-3-0-0, 4 pts) lost a 5-4 contest to the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (6-0-0-0, 12 pts) on Saturday night. 

Despite leading by multiple goals twice, the Fighting Saints couldn't hold their lead in their home opener. Cedar Rapids scored the final three goals of the game, erasing a 4-2 Saints lead.

After Melvin Ekman (4) and Max Lind (2) scored less than three minutes apart late in the second period, the Saints led by two for the second time in the matchup. Dubuque opened the scoring for the first time since Sept. 18 against Tri-City with two first-period goals by David Thomasson (2) and Arsienii Voroteliak (1). 

Despite the early lead, Dubuque allowed a shorthanded goal in the final seconds of the first period to send the game into the first intermission at 2-1.

A second goal by the Riders at 11:37 of the second period tied the game before Ekman and Lind put the Saints back ahead by two.

The Saints couldn't find the net again after that, allowing three-straight RoughRiders goals the rest of the way. Jackson Fox scored his second of the game on the power play with just 16 seconds left in the second period.

The RoughRiders tied the game early in the third with Ruben Westerling's second goal of the season before David Bosco scored the game-winner at 9:00 of the final frame.

Dubuque outshot the RoughRiders 15-4 in the first period, but was outshot 19-14 after that. Overall, the Saints outshot the Riders 23-19 in the contest. Each team scored a shorthanded goal in the game, while the RoughRiders scored the lone power-play goal over six chances.

The Fighting Saints return to play on Friday at home against the Youngstown Phantoms.