Cedar Rapids, IA – The Dubuque Fighting Saints (2-0-0-0, 4 pts) visit the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (2-0-0-0, 4 pts) on Saturday in their first Dupaco Cowbell Cup matchup of the season.
Here are five things to know ahead of the matchup:
1. Starting Strong
The Fighting Saints began the season with a pair of wins at the Fall Classic in Chicago last week, beating Lincoln and Tri-City to start the year.
Dubuque downed the Stars 6-3 in their first win of the season, led by a pair of goals from Kane Johnson. In the 4-3 win over Tri-City, the Saints and Storm traded goals before Joseph Covelluzzi put the Saints ahead in the third period.
2. Experience Excels
Returning players took charge in the win over Lincoln with Melvin Ekman and Johnson scoring, while veterans Travis Lefere and Kris Richards logged three points each.
Richards set a career-high with three points in the game, while Lefere tied a career mark. Ekman scored again in the win over Tri-City, logging his first power-play goal of the season.
3. Important Introductions
Olle Därth and Max Lind scored goals in their first USHL game against Lincoln, while David Blasiak and David Thomasson scored their first goals against Tri-City.
Därth, Lind and Thomasson each began the season with multi-point games over the first two contests. Därth and Lind each scored and assisted against Lincoln before Thomasson did the same against Tri-City.
4. Cowbell Cup
Saturday's game will be the first Cowbell Cup matchup of the year, with all games between the four Eastern-Iowa rivals counting toward the competition this season. The Saints have won seven-straight Cowbell Cup wins and 10 of the 15 overall titles.
With an imbalanced schedule, there is a new format for the 2026-27 season. The standings will be determined by each team's average points percentage against the other three opponents.
5. Riders Rolling
The Riders are off to a 2-0 start, helped by a defense that allowed just two goals at the Fall Classic. Returning All-Rookie 2nd Team goaltender Joseph Skidmore logged his first career shutout against Fargo with 19 saves in the season opener. Skidmore has won eight-straight games dating back to last February.
The RoughRiders allowed just 34 total shots over the first two games of the season with Ethan Phillips making 13 saves in a 4-2 win over Sioux City.
Saturday's game begins at 7:05 p.m. at ImOn Ice in Cedar Rapids and is available on Eagle 102.3 and FloHockey.
