BACK ON THE ROAD

The Capitols hit the road for the second straight weekend after traveling to Muskegon last weekend. This weekend, Madison will face off against Cedar Rapids and Waterloo. The two teams hosting the games are a combined 11-0-1-0 so far this season. The meeting with the RoughRiders will take place on Friday night with puck drop scheduled for 7:05 pm. The second of the two games is scheduled for 6:35 pm on Saturday at the home of the Black Hawks. This will be the first time that the Caps have faced off against both teams this season. Madison split a preseason series with Cedar Rapids in September, which had the visiting team win both games.

FIRST ONE IN THE BOOKS

Madison picked up their first win of the season on Saturday night after starting 0-3-0-0 for the first time since the 2018-19 season. The win marked the first for Head Coach and General Manager Trent Eigner who is in his first season behind the bench for the team. Madison never led in the game on Saturday against Muskegon trailing 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2 showing the character of the team to come back and tie it up in each instance. In overtime, the Capitols controlled play and even was so close for one shot that the officials had to take it to review. Elliot Lennon stopped both Lumberjacks shots at goal in a shootout while Bryce Wiitala and Bode McConnell scored at the other end to make it a 4-3 victory for Madison.

DEFENSEMAN OF THE WEEK

With two goals and an assist last weekend in Muskegon, Logan Lutner was named the United States Hockey League (USHL) Defenseman of the Week. Lutner becomes the first Capitols player to be selected for a weekly honor this season. The defender is in his first season with Madison after playing two seasons at the U.S. National Team Development Program (NTDP). Across two seasons, the Minnesota Duluth commit registered 18 points in 55 USHL games with the NTDP. Lutner currently leads the Capitols in scoring with four points on the season.

MAC ATTACK

Landon MacSwain found his footing in the USHL last weekend scoring his first two goals of his Capitols' career. Friday, he scored on a one-timer set up by Michal Jakubec and Cooper Snee. Then, on Saturday, he deflected one in off of his foot on a pass from Colin Yandle. If finding his way onto the scoresheet wasn't enough, MacSwain sensed that Madison was losing momentum on Friday, and got into a tilt with Anthony Thomas-Maroon, son of former NHL heavyweight Patrick Maroon. Although the Capitols went onto win the game, MacSwain helped slow down the offense of the Lumberjacks at that moment.

BETWEEN THE PIPES

Elliot Lennon stopped all eight shots he faced in relief of Cash Cruitt during Friday's loss for Madison. That earned him the start on Saturday where he stopped 26 of 29 shots in regulation and overtime. In the shootout, the Senators draft pick denied both attempts that Muskegon sent his way. The win for Lennon was his first of the season and the second of his USHL career. Cash Cruitt struggled in goal on Friday allowing six goals on 24 shots sent his way being pulled in the second period.

A SHOT AT REDEMPTION

The Capitols have outshot its opponents 148-126 through four games, which averages out to 37-31 per game. Madison enter Friday's game in Cedar Rapids with a 1-3-0-0 record despite its advantage in shot volume. Expect-goals from Sportlogiq favored Madison in both games at Muskegon, 4.15-2.71 on Friday and 2.35-2.12 on Saturday. Converting opportunities into goals has been one of Madison's early challenges this season. Out of the four games this season, if expected goals always turned into real goals, the Capitols would have won three games.

LOOKING FOR THE SPARK

Madison enters Friday without a power-play goal through four games. The Caps are 0-for-15 on the man advantage, ranking last in the USHL as the only team without a power play tally. Cedar Rapids is a perfect 100% on the penalty kill this season. On the other side, the Capitols have generate offensive-zone possession on the power play but have struggled to produce high-danger scoring opportunities.

NEW FACES, FIRST POINTS

There have been a ton of firsts this season for the Capitols. Last weekend alone, Aiden Ali, Wyatt Finkenkeller, Landon MacSwain, and Colin Yandle all registered their first points in the USHL. For MacSwain, his first point also marked his first USHL goal. The other three players are in their first season of junior hockey while MacSwain spent last season with Red Deer in the WHL. Along with the quartet registering their first career points in Muskegon, Daniel Halonen and Michal Jakubec also scored their first goals for their first USHL points earlier this season at the Fall Classic.

HOLDING DOWN THE FORT

Madison has been without captain Max Rider since the first period of its season opener against Sioux Falls. Dexter Brooks is also sidelined with an injury, which leaves Madison without two players that wear letters for the team. In Brooks' absence, Harper Frey, Nolen Geerdes, and Logan Lutner have had to hold the fort down on the back end. Frey has been one of Madison's most reliable defensemen and leads the team's blue liners in corsi percentage. Nolen Geerdes has two assists through four games after leading the team's defensemen with 29 points last season. Lutner has provided an offensive spark joining the team this season. He leads the team in points with four.

FINDING HIS FOOTING

Michal Jakubec has recorded one goal and one assist in three games this season. The Slovakian forward scored his first USHL goal against Sioux Falls at the Fall Classic in Chicago during the season opener. On Friday, Jakubec added his first USHL assist on MacSwain's goal in Muskegon. Jakubec was selected in the first round of the 2026 USHL Phase II Draft in May. Jakubec has shown a willingness to compete in all areas of the ice early in his USHL career.

A PERFECT SEVEN

Cedar Rapids enters Friday with a 7-0-0-0 record. The seven consecutive victories represent the best start in the RoughRiders' Tier I history. Cedar Rapids continued their winning ways on Tuesday with a win in Green Bay by a score of 4-1. The RoughRiders have won all seven games in regulation and have not trailed entering the third period yet this season. The Capitols will have an opportunity to hand Cedar Rapids their first loss of the season on Friday.

RECENT SUCCESS AGAINST CEDAR RAPIDS

The Capitols have had success over the past couple of seasons against Cedar Rapids. Last season, a Max Rider overtime game winning goal capped off a 4-2-0-0 record against the Riders last season for Madison. The RoughRiders finished fourth in the Eastern Conference last season. Cedar Rapids was swept by Muskegon in the opening round of the Clark Cup playoffs at home. Friday marks the first of the season's meetings between Madison and Cedar Rapids.