There are few things as sweet in a hockey game as getting a short-handed goal. It gives your own team a lift and demoralizes the opponent.

The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders are good at it.

Dylan McLaughlin collected the RoughRiders' seventh shorthanded goal of the season Friday night to help Cedar Rapids stop Team USA, 4-2, in a USHL game before 2,250 fans at the Ice Arena.

"It's a momentum gainer for us, and it loses momentum for them," said McLaughlin, who gave the RoughRiders a 2-0 lead in the second period with his unassisted tally. "It's always nice to pop in the short-handed goals."

Cedar Rapids raised its record to 23-8-0 for 46 points, good for a five-point lead over Muskegon for first place in the Eastern Conference.

Team USA had a power play midway through the second period, looking to pull into a 1-1 tie. Instead, McLaughlin got a loose puck near center ice and raced in against Team USA goalie Joseph Woll with nobody in the way.

"I had an opening," said McLaughlin. "I saw the 5-hole, so I shot it."

It went right between Woll's legs.

McLaughlin won on the ice to stop Team USA from scoring. Instead, he got a key goal for his club.

Sioux City leads the USHL with eight short-handed goals. Cedar Rapids and Madison have seven apiece.

Cedar Rapids Coach Mark Carlson said speed is a key ingredient in getting a short-handed goal. "That was the big factor tonight in Dylan's goal," he remarked.

Carlson looks for certain attributes in a hockey player when he puts him on the penalty-kill squad.

"Hockey sense," he said. "The guy has to put the team first and realize the important of it. It's a huge part of winning hockey games.

"Some people don't think it's glamorous," said Carlson, "but on our team we think it IS glamorous. Penalty kill is one of my favorite parts of the game.

"You have the work ethic, mental and physical toughness, you have to be smart, you have to be coachable. There's a lot that goes into it."

McLaughlin welcomes the opportunity to kill penalties.

"It's nice to have the responsibility to be out there. I enjoy going on the kill," he said. "It's probably the most glamorous job, to have the responsibility to go out there with everyone watching you. It's a big deal to be on the penalty kill here, for sure."

Scoring a short-handed goal is a special bonus.

"We have a fast team that has a lot of speed," said McLaughlin. "So when we get those chances, it's nice to bury them."

Erik Foley gave Cedar Rapids a 1-0 lead in the first period. McLaughlin made it 2-0, but Team USA rallied and made it 2-1 about four minutes later.

Jiri Fronk quickly countered that goal to give the RoughRiders a 3-1 advantage. Team USA pulled within 3-2 early in the third period, but Andrew Gaus gave Cedar Rapids an insurance goal midway through the final stanza.

Ben Blacker stopped 21 shots for the RoughRiders.

Cedar Rapids and Team USA meet again Saturday at the Ice Arena at 7:05.

Team USA      0  1  1 - 2
RoughRiders   1  2  1 - 4

RR - Erik Foley (Jiri Fronk, Andrew Oglevie)
RR - Dylan McLaughlin (short-handed) (unassisted)
USA - Patrick Khodorenko ((William Lockwood, Graham McPhee)
RR - Jirk Fronk (Andrew Oglevie, Erik Foley)
USA - Joey Anderson (Chad Krys, Nick Pastujov)
RR - Andrew Gaus (Bryce Hatten, Aaron Thow