Rampage End Griffins Run, 4-2

Published on March 5, 2003 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Grand Rapids Rampage News Release


Grand Rapids, Mich. - Two nights after knocking off the Houston Aeros by a 6-2 count, the San Antonio Rampage proved to be giant killers once again on Wednesday night, taking a 4-2 victory over the Griffins at Van Andel Arena.

The Rampage (30-23-10-2), who won for the seventh time in their last 11 games, used a trio of third period goals to earn their third straight triumph and move past idle Chicago into sole possession of second place in the West Division.

Grand Rapids (39-16-8-2) saw its five-game winning streak snapped, losing for just the second time in its last 12 outings. Despite the defeat, the Griffins remain atop the Western Conference standings by one point over Houston, which lost 3-2 at Milwaukee tonight. In addition, Grand Rapids' magic numbers for clinching both a playoff berth and its fourth consecutive division title now stand at five points over Rochester and four over Cincinnati.

The Griffins and Rampage will complete a rare three-game set with a pair in the Alamo City this Friday and Saturday.

After the teams had played nearly 30 scoreless minutes, the Griffins struck first on Sean Avery's sixth goal as a Griffin. Bryan Adams set up behind the Rampage cage and sent a pass to Avery, who beat Chris Mason with a shot from low in the right circle at 9:53 of the second period.

It didn't take long for San Antonio to knot the score, as Mike Green's attempt from the left side found its way past Marc Lamothe at the 13:37 mark.

The Rampage took the lead for the first time early in the final period, when Pierre Dagenais' blast from the blueline eluded Lamothe at 4:23. The visitors received their first power play opportunity of the game shortly thereafter, and San Antonio made good on its chance to make it a 3-1 game, with Filip Novak flipping a rebound over Lamothe from the left side at 6:30.

Grand Rapids' two-goal deficit lasted only 14 seconds, as off the ensuing draw, Philippe Plante's shot from the high slot found the back of the net for his tenth goal of the season.

Mason shut the door the rest of the way, finishing with 28 saves, and Jeff Toms added an empty-netter with 31 seconds left. Lamothe had 21 stops on the night.

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from March 5, 2003


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