“Rampage Roundup” is a weekly feature at The Sunshine Skate to keep you in touch with your favorite future Panthers.
Summary:
Despite the Rampage’s lively win over the Utica Comets last Thursday, the team has had a difficult start to the year, losing two of their three games since.
The Rampage took on the Toronto Marlies in the first of two back-to-back games on Friday, January 2nd. Play between the two teams was fairly even during the first two periods, despite goals in each by Toronto’s Matt Frattin, the first a 5-on-3 powerplay goal. The Rampage responded with a powerplay goal of their own by Drew Shore in the second, only minutes after the Marlies went up 2–0. Toronto would solidify their lead with another goal in the middle of that frame, leading 3–1 going into the third. In the final period, San Antonio mounted a late comeback attempt with another powerplay goal, this time by Garrett Wilson with less than two minutes to go. Despite leading the Marlies in shots and a last minute powerplay opportunity to push overtime, the Rampage suffered their second loss to Toronto this season.
The teams would meet again the next night, this time with Dan Ellis in goal. With a much more spirited start, the Rampage took the lead late in the first period with a powerplay goal by Logan Shaw. A scoreless second period led to an active final frame in which Toronto tied the game only 13 seconds in. A powerplay goal by Bobby Butler gave the Rampage the lead until a faltering penalty kill led to two powerplay goals by Toronto; the first by Connor Brown and the second by Byron Froese seven minutes later, giving them the lead with a little over five minutes to go. Garrett Wilson put up a big goal, his 13th of the season, on a pass from Butler, to send the game into overtime. Rocco Grimaldi would then secure the victory in OT for the Rampage on a breakaway during 3-on-3 play.
The Rampage next travelled back to the States to face off against the Adirondack Flames, where they experienced one of their worst losses of the season, falling 2–6. Dan Ellis started in goal and after allowing four goals on 33 shots, he was replaced by Houser at the start of the third period. The Flames started off early, scoring in the first off of a turnover by the Rampage. The second period saw San Antonio even it up with Rocco Grimaldi’s 6th goal of the season thanks to a screen by Brett Olson. Unfortunately, the tie game would last barely a minute, as the Flames then put up five unanswered goals. Andrew Yogan scored the only other Rampage goal during the night in the middle of the third. The team’s frustration led to fights between Steven Kampfer and Mark Cundari in the second, Garrett Wilson and Sena Acolatse, and a game misconduct for unsportsmanlike conduct for Brett Olson late in the third. The steamrolled Rampage were ineffective on the power play as well, including a 5-on-3 opportunity, and their defense faltered, allowing a season high 48 shots against.
Impact players:
The team’s uneven performance has left much to be desired. However, Rocco Grimaldi has extended his point streak to five games, where he has a respectful 2 goals and 4 assists in that frame. Andrew Yogan has bounced back from an injury that sidelined him for all of December by scoring two goals in his last four games. Despite being a natural center, Yogan has found his recent success on the fourth line as a winger, where he’s also played more aggressively, picking up six PIMs alone during the first game against Toronto this past week.
Drew Shore and Bobby Butler, who have made frequent appearances in this section over the course of the past couple of months, have both been named to the AHL’s All-Star game. Shore (with 9 goals and 21 assists this season) and Butler (with 14 goals and 17 assists) lead the Rampage in points (30 and 31, respectively). Butler has also been impressive during this road trip with 3 goals and 4 assists in 5 games. His 7-game point streak was snapped with last night’s loss to the Flames.
In lineup changes: Ryan Martindale returned from the Spangler Cup to his place on the top line, skating with Garrett Wilson and Bobby Butler during the second Marlies game. Mackenzie Weegar was reassigned to the Cincinnati Cyclones yesterday, a move likely made to give Weegar more consistent playing time. An upper body injury for Jonathan Racine last night led to Josh McFadden being called up from the Cyclones to take his place.
Upcoming games:
The Rampage take on the Rochester Americans next, facing off tonight at 7PM for their first meeting this season. For those in the southwest, the game will be airing on Fox Sports Southwest at 6PM Central time. The team will then return to home ice this weekend, with another set of back-to-back games against the Iowa Wild on Saturday and a rematch with the Marlies on Sunday. The inconsistent play as of late has left the Rampage in a semi-precarious playoff position despite their fifth place ranking in the Western Conference. The team is five points behind the fourth place Flames, as the Chicago Wolves, Grand Rapids Griffins, and Texas Stars trail close behind with a difference of just three points or less. If those teams continue their win streaks (the Griffins are 3–0–0–1), or if the Rampage continue to slide, the team could see its playoff berth slip. While we’re barely halfway through the season and there’s no real reason to panic, the Rampage should use their upcoming four game homestand to take advantage of home ice and get back on track.
Natalija can be reached for contact on Twitter.
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