The Green Bay Gamblers will play a home-and-home series this weekend on Friday, October 21, and Saturday October 22 against the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. The first night will be at Cedar Rapids and Saturday’s game will be at the Resch Center. This will be the first matchup of the year against Cedar Rapids. The last time Green Bay faced the RoughRiders was last season in a 4-2 loss at the Resch Center on February 18. The Gamblers went 3-4 against Cedar Rapids last year.
The Gamblers start the year with a 4-2-1 record and are currently second in the USHL Eastern Conference with 9 points. Some players to watch for include Eli Sebastian and Jimmy Clark.
Sebastian was relatively quiet to start the year but exploded over the weekend with a flurry of points. The rookie scored two goals and three assists in the weekend sweep of Muskegon. As a result, the forward now leads the Gamblers in points and assists. The Northeastern commit will look to keep this level of play going heading into this weekend against Cedar Rapids.
Clark is another player who had a strong weekend. The forward scored three goals in the two games played and is now tied at the top of the team. The Minnesota commit brings previous USHL experience to the Gamblers, being part of the Sioux City Musketeers in their Clark Cup run last season. Before that, he was part of the USNTDP and Minnesota’s Edina High. Last season, he was second on the team with 38 points in just 31 games for the high school.
The RoughRiders have a 2-4-1 record to start the year. They are currently seventh in the USHL Eastern Conference with 5 points. Some players to watch for include Zaccharya Wisdom and Eric Pohlkamp.
Wisdom is back for his second year with Cedar Rapids. Last season, the Colorado commit finished top ten in points for Cedar Rapids with 23. This year, he’s not only been the most productive player on his team, but one of the best in the USHL. With four goals and five assists, he currently has nine points, tied as fourth-best in the league. This includes a three-game stretch where he’s scored six points. With his brother Zayde drafted by the Flyers two years ago, Zaccharya is hoping to hear his name called next July with a with a good season.
Pohlkamp is also in his second year with the RoughRiders after putting put 18 points in 61 games with the team last season. This year, he’s also gotten off to a hot start, putting up five points in seven games with the team so far. This puts the Bemijdi State commit at second in team points and his four assists are also best for second on the team. He’ll look to continue his run as one of the most productive players on Cedar Rapids this weekend against Green Bay.
Puck drop is at 7:05 PM on Friday and Saturday. Saturday is also Jim Beam night. You can get your tickets for Saturday’s game at www.gamblershockey.com.
