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AHL San Antonio Rampage

Rampage Weekly Notes

March 10, 2003 - American Hockey League (AHL)
San Antonio Rampage News Release


Stanley Cup to Visit San Antonio: The NHL announced on Friday, Mar. 7 that the holy grail will visit the Alamo City on Tuesday, March 11. The Cup will be on display on Tuesday afternoon from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Sunset Station and from 6:00-7:00 p.m. at the SBC Center on the plaza level prior to the start of the Rampage's game against the Houston Aeros.

Two for $10: Fans who bring any valid Diamond Shamrock receipt or special coupon from participating Diamond Shamrock locations to the SBC Center Box Office, may purchase two tickets for just $10! Offer good for all remaining games in March and subject to seating availability.

Express-News Value Night: This Saturday's game is one of 12 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 $49.

Last Week's Results:

Monday, March 3 - Houston 2 at San Antonio 6 W

Michel Periard scored a pair of power-play goals and added an assist and Chris Mason made 38 saves as the San Antonio Rampage downed the Houston Aeros, 6-2. Periard, who has six points in six games with the club, gave San Antonio a 1-0 lead with 3:20 remaining in the first period and scored 25 seconds later for a two-goal advantage. Mason turned away 32 of 34 shots over the final two periods to earn his 18th win of the season.

Wednesday, March 5 - San Antonio 4 at Grand Rapids 2 W

Mike Green scored a goal and added an assist to lift the San Antonio Rampage past the Grand Rapids Griffins, 4-2. Green scored his team-leading 22nd goal of the season with 6:23 remaining in the second period to tie the game at 1-1 before supplying an assist on an empty-net goal by Jeff Toms late in the game. Juraj Kolnik had a pair of assists, including one on Filip Novak's game-winning goal 6:30 into the final frame, for San Antonio, which has won three straight games and four of its last five. Chris Mason made 28 saves, including 10 in the final stanza, to earn the victory. Sean Avery and Philippe Plante each notched a goal for Grand Rapids, which had its five-game winning streak snapped. Marc Lamothe stopped 21 of 24 shots in the loss.

Friday, March 7 - Grand Rapids 3 at San Antonio 5 W

Jeff Toms scored twice, including the winning tally late in the third period, and Chris Mason stopped 35 shots to help the San Antonio Rampage edge the top-seeded Grand Rapids Griffins, 4-3. Toms, who has nine goals and 13 points in his last seven games, scored his 22nd tally late in the first period for a 3-1 lead and netted a shorthanded marker to break a 3-3 tie with 3:21 remaining in the third period. Mason turned aside 23 of 24 shots over the final two frames, including all 12 he saw in the third, to win his fourth straight start. Mike Green opened the scoring with his 23rd goal and Eric Schneider chipped in with his seventh marker in 13 games for San Antonio, which has beaten a division leader in three straight games, including Grand Rapids twice by a combined score of 9-5.

Saturday, March 8 - Grand Rapids 4 at San Antonio 3 OTL

Michel Picard scored in overtime and Jason Williams had two goals and an assist as the Grand Rapids Griffins rallied to edge the San Antonio Rampage, 4-3, in their third consecutive meeting this week. Picard drove his sixth shot of the contest past Wade Flaherty 67 seconds into overtime for his 25th goal of the season and fourth game-winner. Williams broke a scoreless tie on the power play at 7:49 of the second period, assisted Tim Skarperud on a tally midway through third and buried his 20th of the season with 1:13 remaining in regulation, tying the score at 3-3. Marc Lamothe turned aside 24 of 27 shots for the win. Defenseman Philippe Plante and Mark Mowers each added a pair of helpers for Grand Rapids, which improved to 1-1 on its seven-game road trip. Juraj Kolnik, Brendan Walsh and Jim Campbell each tallied for San Antonio, which is 4-0-1 over its last five games. Flaherty made 39 saves, including one in overtime, in the loss.

Sunday, March 9 - San Antonio 1 at Houston 4 L Defenseman Curtis Murphy and Marc Cavosie both scored in the second period and Derek Gustafson stopped 30 shots to lead the Houston Aeros past the San Antonio Rampage, 4-1. Murphy tied the score at 1-1 with his 21st goal of the season late in the second period and Cavosie broke the tie with one second remaining in the frame for a 2-1 lead. Gustafson stopped all 10 shots in the first period, nine of 10 in the second and 11 in the third to improve his record to 22-11-2.

Stephane Veilleux and Rastislav Pavlikovsky each added a third-period marker and defenseman Lawrence Nycholat picked up an assist to extend his point streak to four games (two goals, five assists) for Houston, which took over the lead in the Western Conference with 92 points. Pierre Dagenais netted his 7th goal for San Antonio, which fell to 3-1-0-1 in March. Chris Mason set a personal career-high and an AHL season-high with 55 saves, including a career-high 23 saves in the second period, in the loss.

Where They Stand: After 68 games the Rampage (31-24-10-3) are tied for second place in the West Division with the Chicago Wolves (32-23-7-4), who both have earned 75 points. 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 (41-17-7-3) holds down the top spot in the division, while Milwaukee (25-22-13-4) and Utah (30-29-3-3) sit in fourth and fifth place respectively.

Calder Cup Watch: If the Calder Cup playoffs were to start today, the Rampage would not have to play in the best-of-three qualifying round. Once the qualifying round was complete, San Antonio would meet their divisional rivals the Chicago Wolves in the Western Conference quarterfinals, a best-of-five series.

Rampage vs. Aeros: The Rampage battle their intrastate rivals, the Houston Aeros for the ninth time this year on Tuesday night, Mar. 11, at the SBC Center. The two clubs square off against one another a season-high 12 times during the 2002-03 campaign. Houston currently holds the advantage with a 6-1-1-0 record versus San Antonio. In their most recent meeting on Sunday, Mar. 9, the Aeros skated past the Rampage to a 4-1 victory while firing an AHL season-high 59 shots. The last time the two teams played at the SBC Center back on Mar. 3, the Rampage defeated the Aeros 6-2, earning their first victory over their intrastate foes. San Antonio and Houston skated to a 2-2 tie on Jan. 4, while the Aeros posted wins over the Rampage in their first five meetings of the season. Houston left wing Jean-Guy Trudel has picked up nine points (2-7-9) in eight games against the Rampage this season, while center Mark Cullen (5-3-8) has eight points in six games against the Rampage. For the Rampage, Jim Campbell (1-4-5) has recorded five points in six games against the Aeros, while Michel Periard (2-2-4) has four points in three games against the Aeros this year. After Tuesday's affair the two clubs face-off against one another three more times. The Aeros make the trip back to the Alamo City on Mar. 20 while the Rampage make the trip up I-10 for back-to back games against Houston on Apr. 2 and Apr. 4.

Last Rampage Win: 6-2 on 3/3/03.Rampage Last Rampage Win at the SBC Center: 6-2 on 3/3/03.Rampage Last Aeros Win: 4-1 on 3/9/03.Rampage Last Aeros Win at the SBC Center: 7-2 on 12/26/02.

Houston Scouting Report: Houston (41-17-7-3) sits atop both the Western Conference and West Division standings with 92 points. Left wing Jean-Guy Trudel paces the Aeros and ranks third in the AHL with 68 points (25-43-68), while left wing Hnat Domenichelli ranks second on the club with 48 points (25-23-48). Curtis Murphy leads all Houston blue liners and ranks first in the AHL among defensemen with 46 points (21-25-46). As a team the Aeros rank second in the league averaging 34.20 shots per game while also ranking fourth in the AHL scoring 3.25 goal per game. Defensively, Houston ranks first holding their opponents to just 26.49 shots per game.

Rampage vs. Wolves: The Rampage meet the defending Calder Cup Champion Chicago Wolves for the eighth time this year on Thursday night, Mar. 13.

The two teams meet a total of 10 times this year and Chicago currently owns a 4-2-1-0 advantage in the season series. In their most recent meeting in the Alamo City on Feb. 24, San Antonio handed Chicago a 3-2 loss, the Rampage's first win versus the Wolves in the SBC Center. Back on Feb. 21 in San Antonio, the two teams skated to a 2-2 tie. On Jan. 21, the Wolves handed the Rampage a 4-1 loss, snapping San Antonio's five-game home win streak and on Jan. 17, Chicago snapped San Antonio's nine-game unbeaten streak shutting out the Rampage 4-0 in the Windy City. In their first meeting of the season, the Wolves defeated the Rampage 4-2 inside the SBC Center on Dec. 27. The two clubs then split of pair of games in Chicago with the Wolves winning 5-3 on Dec. 28 and the Rampage shutting out Chicago 1-0 on Dec. 30. The win snapped the Wolves' nine-game home winning streak.

For Chicago, Steve Maltias (3-5-8) and Simon Gamache (3-5-8) lead the Wolves attack picking up eight points each in seven games against the Rampage. Wolves netminder Norm Maracle has posted a 4-2-1 record, including a shutout, and a 1.70 GAA versus San Antonio. For the Rampage, Jeff Toms (2-2-4) leads all scorers with four points in five games, including the game-winner in San Antonio's 1-0 shutout on Dec. 30. The Wolves and Rampage will meet each other two more times this season after this week's game. San Antonio closes out the regular season set in the Windy City on Apr. 5 and Apr. 6.

Rampage Last Rampage Win: 3-2 on 2/24/03. Rampage Last Rampage Win at the SBC Center: 3-2 on 2/24/03. Rampage Last Wolves Win: 4-1 on 1/21/03. Rampage Last Aeros Win at the SBC Center: 4-1 on 1/21/03.

Chicago Scouting Report: Chicago became just the fifth team in league history to win the Calder Cup during their inaugural season in the AHL last year. Chicago (32-23-7-4) is currently tied with the Rampage for second place in the Western Division with 75 points, but the Wolves sit in fourth place in the Western Conference standings while the Rampage hold down the fifth spot with one less win than Chicago. The Wolves are led by left winger Steve Maltais, whose 66 points (23-43-66) lead the team and rank him tied for fourth in the AHL. Simon Gamache is second on the team with 60 points (30-30-62). Sixteen of his 30 goals have come on the power play ranking him tied for first in the AHL. Defensemen Kurtis Foster leads all blue liners with 38 points (13-25-38), while defenseman Francis Lessard leads the team with 172 penalty minutes. As a team Chicago ranks first in the AHL on the power play converting 20.2 percent (86-426) of their chances. They are third in the AHL averaging 3.42 goals per game and are eighth in the league averaging 31.88 shots per game. The Wolves also lead the AHL scoring 18 shorthanded goals and rank fifth in the league averaging 24.6 penalty minutes per game.

Chicago Connections: San Antonio's Jim Campbell spent part of the 2001-02 season playing for the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL. Campbell played in nine games for Blackhawks registering one goal, one assist and four PIM's.

Rampage vs. Griffins: San Antonio and Grand Rapids meet for the final time during the regular season on Saturday night. The Griffins own a slight edge in the season series posting a 5-4-0-0 record this year against the Rampage. When the two clubs met last week, the Rampage handed the Griffins back-to-back losses on Mar. 5 (4-2) and Mar. 7 (5-3), before surrendering a 4-3 overtime loss to Grand Rapids on Mar. 8. San Antonio has earned wins over the Griffins on Jan. 29 (2-1) and Dec. 2 (5-3). Grand Rapids has also 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 tallied 13 points (4-9-13) in nine games while center Mark Mowers has picked up eight (3-5-8) in eight games played. For the Rampage, center Jeff Toms has collected 10 points (8-2-10) in seven games, while center Mike Green has nine points (4-5-9) in nine games against the Griffins this season.


Last Rampage Win: 5-3 on 3/7/03
Last Rampage Win at the SBC Center: 5-3 on 3/7/03
Last Griffins Win: 4-3 on 3/8/03
Last Griffins Win at the SBC Center: 4-3 on 3/8/03

Griffins Scouting Report: Grand Rapids (40-17-8-2) who clinched the Central Division title last night, sits two points behind the West Division leading Houston Aeros for the best overall record in the Western Conference. Mark Mowers (28-42-70) and Michel Picard (25-45-70) pace the Griffins and ranks tied for second in the AHL with 70 points. Griffins goaltender Marc Lamothe ranks among AHL leaders with a 2.20 goals against average (3rd), 27 wins (1st) and 2,884 minutes played (1st). As a team, Grand Rapids ranks second in the AHL holding their opponent's to just 2.27 goals per game and third in the league allowing 27.00 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.

Changing of the Guard: On Thursday, Mar. 6, the San Antonio Rampage announced that Scott Allen was named interim Head Coach. The announcement was made after the Florida Panthers named John Torchetti and Duane Sutter as their new assistant coaches, replacing Paul Baxter and George Kingston. Allen, joined the Rampage as an assistant coach on June 28, 2002, after spending the previous six seasons coaching the Johnstown Chiefs in the East Coast Hockey League. In 326 games behind the bench for Johnstown he compiled a record of 144-150-32 and left the club winning more games than any other coach in the franchise's 15-year history. Last season, Allen's Chiefs posted a 39-31-2 record, setting franchise single season records for most wins, most points (80) and the fewest goals allowed (232). Under Allen's leadership the Chiefs made three consecutive Kelly Cup playoff appearances, while leading the ECHL in player call-ups each year.

Up Hill Battle: The Rampage who played five games in seven days last week, posted a 3-1-0-1 mark, picking up seven of 10 possible points against the top two teams in the Western Conference. San Antonio opened the week with a 6-2 victory over the Houston Aeros on Mar. 3, followed by a pair of back-to-back wins over the Grand Rapids Griffins on Mar. 5 (4-2) and Mar. 7 (5-3), before dropping a 4-3 overtime loss to the Griffins the next night. The Rampage closed the week out with a 4-1 loss to their intrastate rivals last night.

Tough Road Ahead: San Antonio concludes their regular season with 12 games against Western Conference teams who own a combined .596 winning percentage. They complete the 2002-03 slate with four games against the West Division leading Houston Aeros, one more battle against the Central Division leading Grand Rapids Griffins, two against the Milwaukee Admirals, three against the Chicago Wolves and a pair versus the Utah Grizzlies.

Trepanier Joins Rampage: On Sunday, Mar. 9, the Florida Panthers acquired defenseman Pascal Trepanier in exchange for goaltender Wade Flaherty. Trepanier, who will join the Rampage on Tuesday has played in 228 National Hockey League contests with Colorado (97-98, 01-02) and Anaheim (98-01) recording 12 goals, 22 assists and 34 points. This season, he has appeared in one game with the Nashville Predators and 52 games with the Milwaukee Admirals, registering 24 points (9-15-24). Throughout his nine-year professional career has also played in 241 AHL contests, winning a Calder Cup championship with the Hershey Bears during the 1996-97 campaign.

Home Sweet Home: The Rampage, who own the second best home record in the Western Conference at 19-6-6-1, open up an eight game homestand that begins tomorrow night against the Houston Aeros. They complete the set with their regular season home finale against the Milwaukee Admirals on Sunday. Mar. 30, before closing out the 2002-03 regular season slate with a pair of games in Houston (April 4 & 5) and Chicago (April 5 & 6).

Mason's Magic: Rampage goaltender Chris Mason ranks fourth among active goaltenders in the AHL with a 2.27 goals against average and places second among active netminders with a .930 save percentage. In their 4-1 loss against the Aeros last night, Mason set a personal career-high and an AHL season-high with 55 saves, including a career-high 23 saves in the second period.

One on One: After not having a penalty shot opportunity for or against them for the entire season, the Rampage were awarded a penalty shot last night against Houston, while Grand Rapids was awarded a penalty shot against San Antonio on Saturday evening. Juraj Kolnik failed to put the puck past Houston netminder Derek Gustafson, while Griffins center Stacy Roest was not successful on his try against Wade Flaherty.

Pickin' Up Points: Serge Payer and Jeff Toms both have recorded four points in their last five games, while Pierre Dagenias has scored a goal in each of his last three games played with the Rampage. Mike Green (6-3-9) has nine points in his last 10 games and Denis Shvidki (1-7-8) has eight points his last 10 contests.

Making His Point: Rampage center Mike Green has recorded at least one point in 22 of the Rampage's 31 victories this season.

Viva' Laredo: Since being recalled from the Laredo Bucks of the Central Hockey League, forward Eric Schneider has scored six goals and added an assist in his last nine games, while defenseman Michel Periard has collected six points (3-3-6) in his last six outings.

On the PK: The Rampage place second in the AHL killing off 89.7% (157-175) of their opponent's power play opportunities inside the SBC Center. San Antonio ranks sixth overall in the AHL killing off 86.1% (322-374) of their opponent's power play opportunities. With the Man Advantage: The Rampage have recorded 12 power play goals in their last 12 contests and place third in the AHL converting on 20.7% (30-145) of the power play chances inside the SBC Center.

Gotta Get the First Goal: The Rampage are 23-5-7-2 this season when they score the first goal of the game. San Antonio also boasts a 16-2-3-1 record when they lead after the first period.

The Wild West: San Antonio posts a 22-7-7-3 mark against clubs outside the West Division, while they have only managed a 9-17-3-0 mark against clubs within their division.

Leading After 40: The Rampage have yet to lose a game in regulation this year when leading after two periods of play, posting a 22-0-6-1 mark. They suffered their first overtime loss Saturday night falling to Grand Rapids 4-3.

Grand Debut: While newly named interim bench boss Scott Allen was earning his first AHL win on Friday night, Mar. 7, former San Antonio head coach John Torchetti was victorious in his first game behind the bench as an assistant coach for the Florida, as the Panthers defeated the Atlanta Thrashers 2-1.

League Leaders: Filip Novak ranks second among league blue liners with a .127 shooting percentage, scoring 10 goals on 79 shots. Rocky Thompson places first among league defenseman with 23 major penalties and first among blue liners with 229 penalty minutes.

Team Leaders: Jeff Toms (23-26-49) ranks first on the club with 49 points, while Mike Green (23-25-48) ranks second with 48 points. Filip Novak leads all blue liners with 26 points (10-16-26). Rocky Thompson's 229 penalty minutes paces the team.

Recent Transactions: San Antonio today released defenseman Mike Vellinga from his professional try-out. He had appeared in three games with the Rampage, notching an assist in San Antonio's 4-2 win over Grand Rapids on Mar. 5. On Sunday, Mar. 9, the Florida Panthers traded goaltender Wade Flaherty to the Nashville Predators, in exchange for defenseman Pascal Trepanier, who will join the Rampage on Tuesday.

The Panthers Den: The Panthers (21-27-12-9) sit in third place in the Southeast Division with 63 points. The Cats were blanked by the Buffalo Sabres 4-0 on Saturday night. Florida who remains eight points back for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference visits the New York Rangers tomorrow evening.

Down on the Farm: The Jackson Bandits (30-23-7) sit in fifth place in the Southwest Division with 67 points. Jackson double-up the Baton Rouge Kingfish 4-2, on Saturday night. The Laredo Bucks (39-16-6) sit in second place in the Southeast Division with 86 points. The Bucks dropped a 4-1 decision to the Amarillo Gorillas on Saturday evening. Both Laredo and Jackson have already clinched playoff spots in their respective leagues.

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).

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