DUBUQUE – They were sleep-skating against the defending Clark Cup champions on the road.

In the USHL's Unofficial Book of Worst Case Scenarios, the situation the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders found themselves trapped in Friday night is about as severe as it gets.

And there was no getting out of town with anything but one of their flattest losses of the season.

The Dubuque Fighting Saints roughed up a previously hot Danny Tirone for five goals in just over 27 minutes and the USHL champs iced Cedar Rapids, 6-1, before 2,859 fans at the Mystique Community Ice Center.

“It wasn't our night tonight,” RoughRiders Coach Mark Carlson said. “Dubuque played very well.”

Before Friday, the Riders looked like the very rare team that has the defending USHL champions' number. Cedar Rapids had taken its first two matchups of the season with Dubuque, but was clearly outmatched in Round III.

The RoughRiders (19-14-1) couldn't get much going against one of the league's hottest goaltenders. Dubuque's Ben Johansson remained unbeaten at 4-0-0, kicking away 19 of the 20 shots Cedar Rapids' soft attack put on target.

These fierce rivals would probably get chippy playing cards, and Cedar Rapids-Dubuque Part III featured the typical hard checking, smashmouth hockey the series is known for. Left winger Mitch Maloney put Dubuque's Alexx Privitera into the boards just 12 seconds into the game and the intensity rarely let up from there.

The RoughRiders were late waking up after the faceoff, not generating their first shot on goal until 5:15 in. Dubuque (22-10-1) struck first at 12:18 with Jarrid Privitera converting from right of the net on a fast and furious goal rush orchestrated by assist man Max McHugh.

After generating little electricity on its first power play chance of the night, Cedar Rapids got even as Maloney beat Johansson from close range with 4:06 left in the first.

But after killing Dubuque's first power play chance, Tirone (who was fabulous in a 40-save performance in Cedar Rapids' 4-1 home victory over Chicago last weekend) was caught napping when Dubuque co-scoring leader Seamus Malone angled in a go-ahead goal just 11 seconds into a Saints power play with 1:45 left in the opening stanza.

The roof completely caved in on Cedar Rapids in the second period. Robby Darrar established Dubuque's control by flipping a 25-foot bullet past Tirone into the upper right side of the net 4:19 into the second. The Saints chased Tirone minutes later when McHugh and Jason Ford struck 17 seconds apart. With Dubuque up 5-1 and moving quickly out of range 7:01 into the period, Carlson pulled Tirone for Chris Birdsall.

“The next few shifts (after the Saints' quick scoring double play) and we didn't step up like we should have,” Maloney said. “We've got to stop pucks and get physical. Dubuque outwilled us tonight.”

Nobody had a rougher time in the second period than defenseman Ivan Provorov, who drew two penalties, including a two-minute sentence for stalking and slashing Malone after Malone had checked him hard into the glass. Provorov later was whistled for roughing.

The third period saw more roughhousing than offense with the RoughRiders' frustrations boiling over against a Saints team that wasn't shy about rubbing in the lopsided story the scoreboard was telling.

With 9:22 left, RoughRiders left winger Corey Petrash started jawing with Dubuque's Keegan Ford as teammates from both sides circled in on the dispute. Both  players were sent off for two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct. Cedar Rapids logged 14 penalty minutes on the night.

On this rough, cold night, the RoughRiders didn't have the game or composure to skate with their biggest rival and the USHL's best.

Dubuque's Jordan Klimek capped the scoring with a goal with 5:50 left. By that point, Cedar Rapids had already turned the page and the calendar from this lost night. It's on to Saturday night's rebound opportunity against the Indiana Ice at home.

“We've got to move on and improve as much as we can between tonight and 7 o'clock tomorrow,” Carlson said.

And the amnesia of Friday night was already setting in when the RoughRiders boarded the bus for home.

“That's the beauty of it,” Maloney said. “Once we step on the bus, this game's over.”

Cedar Rapids    1  0  0 - 1
Dubuque         2  3  1 - 6

Scoring
DUB - Jarrid Privitera (Max McHugh, Josh Elmes)
DUB - Seamus Malone (Alexx Privitera, Jacob Benson)
CR - Mitch Maloney (Ivan Provorov, Andrew Poturalski)
DUB - Robby Darrar (A. Privitera, Jordan Klimek)
DUB - Shane Kavanagh (Shane Eiserman)
DUB - Jason Ford (Keegan Ford)
DUB - Klimek (Malone) 14:10