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Rampage Rewind: Back on the winning side

December 4, 2015

Rampage Rewind: Week 8—Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2015

After a rough stint of heartbreaking losses during a game-heavy week, the Rampage took advantage of the slower pace this week and strung together back-to-back road wins to gain some ground on the Pacific Division leaders.

The Week in Review

Games
The Rampage kicked off the weekend with a statement win against the Chicago Wolves. After an early goal by Chicago’s Jacob Doty, San Antonio fired home four unanswered goals, with three of them coming in the third period. Maxime Noreau got things started with a power play tally with just over five minutes left in the first period (Mikko Rantanen and Nikita Zadorov got the assists). After a tight and scoreless second period, Dennis Everberg netted his fourth of the season from a feed by Marc-Andre Cliche with Zadorov getting his second point of the night. Trevor Cheek jumped in on the action midway through the final frame (Borna Rendulic, Mat Clark), and Colin Smith clinched things with an empty-netter at 19:36, giving Clark and Cliche another point on the night as well.

Another day, another game against the Wolves. Saturday’s tilt was also heavy on the third period scoring, but this time it was San Antonio that got the early lead. Just one minute into the second period, Rendulic slid one past Chicago’s netminder Jordan Binnington (Colin Smith, Mikko Rantanen). Rantanen added to the lead at the 4-minute mark of the third period with a beauty of a shot (Joey Hishon, Everberg), but Chicago cut the lead in half just four minutes later. Hishon and Rantanen both grabbed another point on the night as Hishon sealed the win with a bouncing empty net goal to end the game.

Highlights
Rampage at Chicago Wolves, Nov. 28 (W, 4-1)
Rampage at Chicago Wolves, Nov. 29 (W, 3-1)

Plays of the Week

“A Little Bit of Defense on My Side”

“Splitting the Wickets”

Roster Transactions
Andrew Agozzino was reassigned to the Rampage on Wednesday, making room for Alex Tanguay to return to the Avalanche line up. Agozzino appeared in two games for the Avalanche.

With Agozzino’s return, Garret Meurs was, once again, sent back to Fort Wayne. This was Meurs’s second call up to San Antonio this season.

The Week Ahead

Games
The Rampage start a five-game homestand on Friday (December 4, 7:30 pm CST) against the Rockford IceHogs. Last week, San Antonio suffered an overtime loss at the hands of the IceHogs, so expect the boys to be pumped for this game. It’s also the first night back home after four games on the road. Rockford leads the Central Division with a .690 win percentage (13-5-1-2). Much like the Rampage, Rockford is a high-energy, high-scoring team. Former Av Kyle Cumiskey is on the roster but has appeared in only 5 games this season.

The teams are back at it on Sunday (December 6, 4:00 pm CST) for a late-afternoon match up.

The Charlotte Checkers come into town for a mid-week rendezvous (December 9, 7:00 pm CST). This is the second meeting between the teams this season. Last week, Charlotte handed the Rampage what could be called its most demoralizing loss this season. While the score was close, it was the four unanswered goals in the second and third periods that made it such a heartbreak. The Checkers sit fifth in the Central and have split the last 10 games with five wins and five losses.

Storylines

Hitting Milestones
Michael Schumacher, Mat Clark, and Marc-Andre Cliche all hit personal milestones this past week. Schumacher and Clark scored their 50th AHL/Pro points , while Cliche notched his 100th Pro helper.

Mikko’s the Man
Mikko Rantanen leads the Rampage with 12 assists, a figure that clocks in at just under one assist-per-game average. He sits at 14th in the league with only 13 games played. He’s also the top point-per-game producer for 19 year olds in the AHL and is tied for first in total points for the Rampage at 17.

Workhorse
Goaltender Calvin Pickard is third in the league in number of saves at 405. In 13 games, he’s faced 437 shots against, good for fourth. His .927 save percentage clocks in at ninth in the league.

Makin’ It Look Easy
Dennis Everberg has registered a point in every game he’s played for the Rampage this season. He has four goals and three assists in five games.