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Rampage Rewind: Rampage set the tone with a whirlwind of goals

October 22, 2015

Chris Bigras and Calvin Pickard v Grand Rapids Griffins Oct 17

Week 2 – Oct. 16-22, 2015

The San Antonio Rampage continued its road trip into Griffins territory. Unlike last week in which the team struggled to hold on to the lead and put the game away, the Rampage exhibited a killer instinct and controlled their fate throughout the weekend.

The Week in Review

Games
San Antonio swept the Grand Rapids Griffins this past weekend with 3-2 and 4-0 wins. Staying true to the philosophy of a fast and aggressive offense, the team started the back-to-back set with another early goal from Andrew Agozzino on Friday, October 16th. However, the Griffins fired right back just two minutes later to tie the game. After a lot of back-and-forth play, Grand Rapids got the go-ahead goal in the second period while on the power play. San Antonio quickly answered that goal with one of their one as Agozzino got his second of the night within the first minute of the third period. Zach Redmond followed that up with a power play goal to put the Rampage ahead 3-2, and despite a late push from the Griffins, the score would remain as such at the final buzzer.

Saturday’s game had a much different flare, however. From the moment the first puck dropped, San Antonio controlled the scoring, very much due to the stellar play of the top line and goaltender Calvin Pickard. Starting just five minutes into the first period, the Rampage tallied three goals within two minutes of each other. Dennis Everberg started things off with a power play goal. Then Redmond and Agozzino both added even strength tallies. Everberg bookended his night with an empty netter to close the game out at 4-0. This was Pickard’s 11th AHL career shutout.

Pickard was without a doubt the first star of the weekend, stopping 39 of 41 shots on Friday and all 35 on Saturday. The goaltender was seeing the puck clearly, dominating the crease and flashing the glove.

Highlights
Rampage @ Griffins, Oct. 16 (Win, 3-2)
Rampage @ Griffins, Oct. 17 (Win, 4-0)

Play of the Week
Winner winner chicken dinner

Roster Transactions
Forward Borna Rendulic was reassigned to the Rampage after appearing in three games with the Avalanche. He registered one shot and zero points during his time with the team. Fun fact: Rendulic is the first Croatian-born and -trained player to sign an NHL contract in league history.

The Week Ahead

Games
San Antonio fans finally get to see their new Rampage players in action this weekend as the Stockton Heat head into town for the home opener. The name “Stockton Heat” might seem unfamiliar, but the team should not be as it was formerly known as the Abbotsford Heat. Colorado native and Heat forward Drew Shore played for the Rampage last season, so he will certainly have cause to be fired up for this game. The division rival boasts a 2-1-0-0 record, good for fifth in the division at 0.667 win percentage. Game is on Saturday, October 24th at 7:00 pm CDT. This is the only game the Rampage has this week. Tickets are still available

Storylines

The goals keep on comin’
Coming in at an average of 3.67 goals per game, the Rampage rank in the top 10 of the league in scoring. The line of Andrew Agozzino, Ben Street, and Dennis Everberg continue to dominate for the Rampage, leading the scoring with 7 points (4g, 3a), 7 points (1g, 6a), and 5 points (3g, 2a) respectively. At the league level, Agozzino currently sits tied for third in points and sits all alone at fourth in goals. Street is tied for third in assists. It’s important to note that the Rampage have played up to three fewer games than those ahead of Agozzino and Street in league scoring.

Zach Redmond leads the San Antonio blueliners with two goals and one assist in his three games.

Special Teams Continue to Kill It
A continuing trend for the Rampage thus far in 2015-16 season, both the power play and penalty kill units are firing on all cylinders. Currently, the Rampage sit 13th in the league for the kill, but don’t let that stat fool you. In 14 short-handed situations, the team has allowed only two goals.

The power play is rocking an astonishing 35.7% conversion rate, capitalizing with five goals in 14 power play opportunities. This puts the team tied for third in the league, though each of the other three teams has allowed short-handed goals while San Antonio has not.

Standings