The Omaha Lancers' special teams did an especially good job Saturday night against Cedar Rapids.
The Lancers successfully killed off 10 penalties and scored a pair of power-play goals en route to a 4-2 win over the RoughRiders. The win, in front of 4,536 (5,520 paid) at Ak-Sar-Ben Coliseum, boosted Omaha's record to 7-4-2.
"Actually, I didn't think we played all that well tonight," Omaha Coach Mike Hastings said. "But I thought our penalty killers and goalie Ray Fraser were the difference."
Fraser was unable to register his fourth shutout, but still played a solid game in the Omaha net. He steered aside 33 shots and helped the Lancers survive a pair of Cedar Rapids two-man advantages in the third period as the RoughRiders pressed for a goal.
"Even when we were down two men, it didn't seem as though I was facing many shots," Fraser said. "That's a tribute to the guys in front of me. They were great out there."
The Lancers jumped to a 2-0 lead with a pair of first-period goals. Forward Jake Fleming scored the first with 6:33 left in the period when he deflected a pass from defenseman Alex Dunn past goalie Matt Kelly.
"I saw an opening between two defensemen and drove to the net," said Fleming. "I was fortunate to tip it in like that."
Dan Welch scored on the power play in the final minute of the period when his centering pass deflected off a defenseman's stick past Kelly. It was the second straight night that Welch received a fortunate bounce that resulted in a goal.
"I don't care how it goes in," he said. "Just so it goes in."
Cedar Rapids turned up the heat in the second period and put 14 shots on Fraser. The RoughRiders scored the only goal of the period with 12:10 left when defenseman Judd Welliver scored on the backhand.
Omaha regained its two-goal advantage at 3-1 on a power play 1:39 into the final period. Dan Hacker centered the puck to Ryan Ronkowski, who fired a wrist shot past Kelly.
The RoughRiders again closed within one at 3-2 a few minutes later when a shot by defenseman Derrick Johnson made its way through traffic and past Fraser. Cedar Rapids then had an opportunity to tie when Dunn and Hacker were whistled for penalties, giving the RoughRiders a two-man advantage for 1:34.
But the Omaha defense responded by allowing no shots on goal during that time. It also turned the momentum back toward the Lancers, who took advantage when Riley Riddell scored about a minute later.
"Those 5-on-3 situations are a double-edge sword," Hastings said. "You can give up a goal, but you can turn things in your favor if you're able to kill them off, especially at home."
The penalty kill was tested again later in the period when defensemen Keith Ballard and Jason Krischuk were sent off. This time, Fraser made three tough saves to keep Omaha ahead 4-2.
The RoughRiders (5-7) pulled their goalie in the final minute but were unable to get anything else past Fraser.
"Ray was the backbone tonight," Welch said. "We were a little undisciplined at times and he bailed us out."
The Lancers are now idle until Nov. 12, when they play host to Tri-Cities.
Cedar Rapids 0 1 1-2
At Omaha 2 0 2-4
First period-Scoring: 1, Omaha, Fleming 4 (Dunn, Ronkowski), 13:27. 2, Omaha, Welch 8 (unassisted), power play, 19:12. Penalties: CR, Daramy (holding), 4:37. O, McWilliams (interference), 8:03. O, Green (slashing), 11:09. O, Thomas (slashing), 14:39. CR, O'Brien (slashing), 18:08.
Second period-Scoring: 3, Cedar Rapids, Welliver (Holmgren, Hickey), 7:50. Penalties: CR, Welliver (roughing), 1:46. O, Lampman (interference), 4:08. CR, O'Leary (cross checking), 6:53. O, Dunn (roughing), 6:53. CR, Wilson (cross checking), 7:29. O, Ballard (unsportsmanlike conduct), 7:29. O, Moore (slashing), 11:24. CR, Wilson (interference), 12:34. O, Dunn (cross checking), 15:20. CR, MacKinnon (holding), 19:39.
Third period-Scoring: 4, Omaha, Ronkowski (Hacker, Green), power play, 1:39. 5, Cedar Rapids, Johnson (Gill), 5:14. 6, Omaha, Riddell (Green, Stastny), 10:07. Penalties: O, Dunn (hooking), 7:15. O, Hacker (boarding), 7:41. O, Ballard (interference), 12:07. O, Krischuk (slashing), 12:51.
Shots on goal:
Cedar Rapids 8 14 13-35
Omaha 8 9 6-23
Goalies: CR, Kelly (19 saves); Omaha, Fraser (33 saves)
Power-play conversions: CR, 0-10; Omaha, 2-5
A: 4,536 (5,520 paid)
NOTES: Defenseman Bryce Lampman played Saturday night. Lampman was assessed a major fighting penalty in the final five minutes of Friday night's win over Sioux City, which usually brings an automatic suspension, but the Lancers are appealing. ... Cedar Rapids was 0 for 10 on the power play, and Omaha was 2 for 5. ... Defenseman Lee Green played a strong game and chipped in with a pair of assists.
