AHL San Antonio Rampage

Rampage Weekly Notes

Published on February 25, 2003 under American Hockey League (AHL)
San Antonio Rampage News Release


Express-News Value Night: This Sunday night's game is an Express-News Value Nights. Coupons can be found in the San Antonio Express News that are good for four tickets, four hot dogs, four soft drinks and four Creamy Creations ice creams for just $49.

Calder Cup Coming to Town: The American Hockey League announced today that the Calder Cup will be making a stop in San Antonio as part of the 2003 Calder Cup Tour. Fans who attend either Sunday's or Monday's games will have the opportunity to take pictures with the coveted Calder Cup before and during each game.

Last Week's Results:

Tuesday, February 18 - San Antonio 0 at Bridgeport 2

Steve Valiquette turned aside 35 shots and Mattias Weinhandl scored in the third period to lead the Bridgeport Sound Tigers over the San Antonio Rampage, 2-0. Valiquette stopped 25 shots over the second and third periods to record his first shutout of the season. Weinhandl scored his eighth goal of the year 18 seconds into the final period to break a scoreless deadlock. Eric Manlow added an empty-net goal for Bridgeport, which has lost only six of 27 home games in regulation this season. Chris Mason stopped 26 shots to take the loss for San Antonio, which had a three-game winning streak snapped.

Friday, February 21 - Chicago 2 at San Antonio 2

Simon Gamache tallied the game-tying goal late in regulation as the Chicago Wolves skated to a 2-2 tie with the San Antonio Rampage. Gamache scored his team-leading 25th goal of the year with 2:42 remaining in the third from Mark Hartigan. Steve Maltais also had a goal and Norm Maracle made 30 saves for Chicago, which is 5-3-7 in overtime games this season. Jamie Rivers and Juraj Kolnik each scored for San Antonio, which took its ninth tie of the season and first since January 24. Wade Flaherty stopped 36 shots for the Rampage.

Sunday, February 23 - Wilkes-Barre 4 at San Antonio 4

Eric Meloche scored twice and Shane Endicott tallied the equalizer in the third period as the Wilkes-BarreScranton Penguins skated to a 4-4 tie with the San Antonio Rampage. Meloche netted his first of the game midway through the first period and scored his 11th of the season, shorthanded, with 43 seconds remaining in the frame for an early 2-1 lead. Endicott scored his 12th goal of the year 2:45 into the third period, tying the score at 4-4, and Matt Murley also produced his 12th for Wilkes-Barre, which completed its five-game road trip with a record of 2-2-0-1. Robbie Tallas, who made 32 saves, stopped all 15 shots he faced in the third and three in overtime. Mike Green opened the scoring at 4:54 of the first period, netted his 19th marker 34 seconds into the second, tying the score at 2-2, and assisted Juraj Kolnik on his 18th tally four minutes later for San Antonio.

Monday, February 24 - Chicago 2 at San Antonio 3

Eric Schneider scored a pair of goals as the San Antonio Rampage edged the Chicago Wolves, 3-2. Schneider, who has four goals in eight games with the team, gave San Antonio a 2-0 lead at 3:09 of the first period and tallied midway through the second for a 3-1 advantage. Mike Green scored on the power play and Dave Gove had a pair of assists for the Rampage, who ended their three-game winless streak. Wade Flaherty stopped 34 shots, including 12 in the third period, to earn his 11th win of the season. Mark Hartigan and Simon Gamache each had a goal for Chicago, which fell to 1-2-1 over its last four games after winning three in a row. Norm Maracle allowed three goals on 29 shots to take the loss.

Where They Stand: After 61 games the Rampage (27-22-10-2) are tied for second place in the West Division with the Chicago Wolves (28-21-7-3), who both have earned 66 points. Although Chicago (5th) sits one spot ahead of San Antonio (6th), in the Western Conference standings, as the Wolves have recorded one more victory than the Rampage. Houston (37-15-7-2) holds down the top spot in the division, while Utah (29-24-3-2) and Milwaukee (21-19-12-4) sit in fourth and fifth place respectively.

Rampage vs. Griffins: San Antonio and Grand Rapids meet for the sixth time this season, the Griffins second trip to the Alamo City. The Griffins currently own a 3-2-0-0 advantage in the season series. In their most recent meeting on Jan. 29, the Rampage edged the Griffins 2-1 at Van Andel Arena. The Rampage also posted a 5-3 win over the Griffins in their only trip to San Antonio on Dec. 2. Grand Rapids has picked up wins over the Rampage on Nov. 22 (3-2), Dec. 20 (3-1) and Jan. 18 (4-2). Griffins' center Stacy Roest has owned the Rampage tallying seven points (3-4-7) in five games while center Tomas Kopecky has notched five points (1-4-5) in four games against San Antonio. For the Rampage, center Mike Green has picked up five points (2-3-5) in five games, while center Jim Campbell has notched five helpers (0-5-5) in four games against Grand Rapids.
Last Rampage Win: 2-1 on 1/29/03
Last Rampage Win at the SBC Center: 5-3 on 12/2/03
Last Griffins Win: 4-2 on 1/18/03
Last Griffins Win at the SBC Center: N/A

Griffins Scouting Report: Grand Rapids (35-15-8-2) sits comfortably atop the Central Division, 17 points ahead of the second place Rochester Americans. Entering the week, the Griffins trailed the Western Conference leading Houston Aeros by just three points and have recorded a 6-3-1-0 mark over their last 10 games. Michel Picard paces the Griffins and ranks third in the AHL with 64 points (22-42-64), while teammate Mark Mowers places second on the team and tied for fourth in the league with 61 points (25-36-61). Griffins goaltender Marc Lamothe ranks among AHL leaders with a 2.16 goals against average (1st), 24 wins (T1st) and 2,644 minutes played (1st). As a team, Grand Rapids ranks first in the AHL holding their opponent's to just 2.18 goals per game and second in the league allowing 27.13 shots against them per game.

Grand Rapids Connections: Rampage center David Gove appeared in 17 games with Grand Rapids last season collecting two goals and four assists. Additionally, Gove played four years of college hockey at Western Michigan University, located about 50 miles south of Grand Rapids. Rampage defenseman Sean Gagnon played in 70 games with the Griffins during the 2000-01 campaign collecting 20 points (4-16-20) and 226 penalty minutes, as well as fellow blue liner Jamie Rivers who spent a brief stint with the Griffins during the same year.

Rampage vs. Admirals: San Antonio and Milwaukee meet for the eighth time this season on Sunday night at the SBC Center. The two clubs meet 10 times this season with the Admirals leading the series 4-2-1-0. Milwaukee picked up wins over San Antonio on Oct. 12 (6-2) and Oct. 23 (2-4). On Nov. 12, the Rampage responded by handing the Admirals their first loss in regulation, a 4-1 decision. The two teams skated to a 1-1 stalemate on Nov. 20 and on Nov. 26 the Rampage downed the Admirals 5-2. Milwaukee returned the favor on Dec. 19 blanking San Antonio 3-0. In their last meeting Milwaukee handed San Antonio a 4-1 loss at the Bradley Center on Jan. 22. Mike Green (5-1-6) has posted six points in seven games against the Admirals this season, while Jim Campbell has four points (1-3-4) in five games. For Milwaukee, Darren Haydar (4-5-9) has owned San Antonio recording nine points in seven games. Wyatt Smith (4-3-7) has picked up seven points against the Rampage this year. The two teams close out the season series with a pair of games at the SBC Center on March 28 and March 30.
Last Rampage Win: 5-2 on 11/26/02.
Last Rampage Win at the SBC Center: 5-2 on 11/26/02.
Last Admirals Win: 4-1 on 1/22/03.
Last Admirals Win at the SBC Center: N/A.

Milwaukee Scouting Report: The Admirals (21-19-12-4) currently sit in fifth place in the West Division and own the 10th spot in the Western Conference playoff race, but have only one win in their last 10 contests. Milwaukee is paced by Darren Haydar who ranks tied for fifth in the AHL with 60 points (23-37-60), while Cameron Mann is next is the Admirals lineup with 47 points (19-28-47). Peter Smrek leads all Milwaukee blue liners with 20 points (3-17-20). Haydar ranks among league rookie scoring leaders with 23 goals (1st), 37 assists (1st) and a +20 rating (1st). As a team, the Admirals rank tied for third in the AHL allowing just five shorthanded goals in 56 games. Milwaukee also ranks sixth in the league averaging 22.2 penalty minutes per game and is seventh in the AHL averaging 3.14 goals per game.

Milwaukee Connections: Rampage netminder Chris Mason spent the past four seasons in Milwaukee, earning 69 victories during his stint with the Admirals.

Rampage vs. Aeros: The Rampage battle their intrastate rivals the Aeros for the seventh time this season on Monday, March 3. The two clubs square off against one another a season high 12-times during the 2002-03 campaign and Houston currently holds the advantage with a 5-0-1-0 record versus San Antonio. The Rampage earned their first point against the Aeros on Jan. 4 skating to 2-2 tie. Prior to Jan. 4, Houston posted wins in each of the five previous contests. Houston left wing Jean-Guy Trudel has picked up nine points (3-6-9) in six games against the Rampage this season, while center Mark Cullen (5-2-7) and left wing Hnat Domenichelli (4-3-7) both have seven points versus San Antonio. Right wing Joey Tetarenko (2-2-4) and center Jim Campbell (1-3-4) have both recorded four points versus the Aeros this season. Left wing Ryan Jardine leads the Rampage with three goals in six games against Houston.
Last Rampage Win: N/A
Last Rampage Win at the SBC Center: N/A
Last Aeros Win: 7-2 on 12/26/02.
Last Aeros Win at the SBC Center: 7-2 on 12/26/02.

Houston Scouting Report: Houston (37-15-7-2) enters the week atop the West Division as well as the Western conference with 83 points. However, the Aeros have failed to pick up a win in their last four contests. Left wing Jean-Guy Trudel paces the Aeros and ranks second in the AHL with 67 points (24-43-67), while left wing Hnat Domenichelli ranks second with 48 points (25-23-48). Curtis Murphy leads all Houston blue liners and ranks second in the AHL among defensemen with 41 points (20-21-41). As a team the Aeros rank second in the league averaging 34.36 shots per game while also ranking fourth in the AHL averaging 3.30 goal per game. Defensively, Houston ranks first in the AHL allowing opponents just 26.33 shots per game. At the same time the Aeros are tied with San Antonio for ninth in the league giving up 2.66 goals per game.

Missing Pieces: Due to their recent call-ups to the parent club Panthers, the Rampage are without the services of center Jeff Toms, right wing Pierre Dagenais, left wing Eric Beaudoin, as well as defensemen Mathieu Biron and Kyle Rossiter. They represent 45 of the Rampage's 160 goals (28.1%) and 102 of the club's 422 points (24.1%).

Making His Point: Rampage center Mike Green has recorded at least one point in 19 of the Rampage's 27 victories this season.

Tough Road Ahead: San Antonio concludes their regular season with 19 games against Western Conference teams who own a combined .619 winning percentage. They complete the 2002-03 slate with six games against the Western Conference leading Houston Aeros, five contests against the Central Division leading Grand Rapids Griffins, three against the Milwaukee Admirals, three against the Chicago Wolves and a pair versus the Utah Grizzlies.

Eric's Excellence: After being recalled from the Laredo Bucks (CHL) for the second time this year, Eric Schneider has recorded three goals in his last two games, including the game-winner in the Rampage's 3-2 win over the Chicago Wolves on Monday night.

Streaks: Denis Shvidki (0-4-4) has recorded at least one point in his last three contests. Serge Payer (0-2-2), Mike Green (3-1-4) and Eric Schneider (3-0-3) have picked up points in their last two games.

Between the Pipes: Rampage goaltender Chris Mason ranks third in the AHL with a 2.19 goals against average and places second among active AHL netminders with a .930 save percentage. In addition, Wade Flaherty has posted wins in five of his last seven contests, and is unbeaten in his last four games played (3-0-1).

On the PK: The Rampage place second in the AHL killing off 90.3% (131-145) of their opponent's power play opportunities inside the SBC Center. San Antonio ranks seventh overall in the AHL killing off 85.9% (292-340) of their opponent's power play opportunities.

No Place Like Home: Mike Green has collected 27 of his 43 points on home ice, while Jim Campbell has picked up 23 of his 40 points inside the SBC Center so far this season.

Gotta Get the First Goal: The Rampage are 20-4-7-2 this season when they score the first goal of the game. San Antonio also boasts a 13-2-3-1 record when they lead after the first period.

The Wild West: San Antonio posts a 20-6-7-2 mark against clubs outside the West Division, while they have only managed a 7-16-3-0 mark against clubs within their division. Just eight points separate fifth from second place in the tightly contested West Division.

Leading After 40: The Rampage have yet to lose a game this year when leading after two periods of play, posting a 20-0-6-0 mark.

League Leaders: Filip Novak ranks third among league blue liners with a .114 shooting percentage, scoring eight goals on 70 shots. Rocky Thompson places first among league defenseman with 22 major penalties and first among active blue liners with 206 penalty minutes.

Team Leaders: Mike Green leads the team with 20 tallies and 43 points. Jim Campbell ranks second with 40 points (10-30-40). Filip Novak paces all Rampage defensemen with 21 points. Sean Gagnon ranks first on the club with a +8 rating. Rocky Thompson's 206 penalty minutes leads the team.

The Panthers Den: The Panthers (20-22-11-9) sit in third place in the Southeast Division with 60 points. The Cats battled to a 2-2 draw with the Buffalo Sabres last night, and remain six points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Both Jeff Toms and Mathieu Biron notched assists in the stalemate last night. The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim visit the Panthers on Wednesday evening.

Down on the Farm: The Jackson Bandits (26-21-7) sit in fifth place in the Southwest Division with 59 points. Jackson hosts the Florida Everblades this evening. The Laredo Bucks (33-14-6) sit in second place in the Southeast Division with 72 points. The Bucks host the Odessa Jackalopes tonight.

On The Web: Check out www.sarampage.com for all the latest news and information on the newest team in the Alamo City.

Ticket Information: Rampage full, half and flex ticket packages can be purchased by contacting a ticket sales representative at 210-227-GOAL (4625). Individual tickets can be purchased at the SBC Center Box Office, select Ticketmaster Ticket Centers including Foley's and Wherehouse Music stores, the Northwoods Ice Center, sarampage.com, ticketmaster.com and by phone at 210-225-TEAM (8326).

Check out the San Antonio Rampage Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from February 25, 2003


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