AHL San Antonio Rampage

Rampage Weekly Notes

March 31, 2003 - American Hockey League (AHL)
San Antonio Rampage News Release


Last Week's Results:

Monday, March 24 – Utah 4 at San Antonio 2 L

Barrett Heisten and Jeff Bateman each scored a goal in the third period to help the Utah Grizzlies rally for a 4-2 victory over the San Antonio Rampage. Heisten tied the game at 2-2 just 58 seconds into the final period and Bateman followed 99 seconds later to give Utah its first lead of the game. David Gosselin added a goal and an assist and Gavin Morgan tallied in the first period for the Grizzlies, who ended their three-game winless skid. Jason Bacashihua stopped 27 of 29 shots to earn his 17th win of the season. Jeff Toms and Ryan Jardine both scored a goal for San Antonio, which lost for just the seventh time in its last 20 games. Chris Mason allowed four goals on 33 shots to take the loss.

Friday, March 28 – Milwaukee 6 at San Antonio 4 L

Darren Haydar and Denny Lambert both had a pair of goals and an assist to lead the Milwaukee

Admirals over the San Antonio Rampage, 6-4. Haydar scored 9:05 into the first period, assisted on a power-play goal by Cameron Mann in the second and scored on the power play 5:19 into the third to give his club a 5-3 advantage. Lambert assisted on a man-advantage tally by Dan Hamhuis early in the opening period and scored the first of his two power-play markers 8:42 into the middle stanza. Hamhuis finished with a goal and two assists for Milwaukee, which has won four of its last five. Jan Lasak finished with 25 saves in the win. Ryan Jardine scored twice and Pascal Trepanier finished with three assists for San Antonio, which dropped to 3-5-1 vs. the Admirals this season. Simon Lajeunesse gave up all six goals on 24 shots for the loss.

Sunday, March 30 – Milwaukee 3 at San Antonio 3 T

Wyatt Smith scored with less than five minutes remaining as the Milwaukee Admirals and the San Antonio Rampage skated to a 3-3 tie. Smith responded to a pair of third-period San Antonio goals by netting his 22nd marker of the season with 4:51 remaining. Domenic Pittis provided a goal and an assist for Milwaukee, which is 4-1-1-0 over its last six contests. Jan Lasak made a season-high 40 saves, including 17 in the third stanza. Dave Gove scored twice for the Rampage, which has just one win in its last six games (1-3-1-1). Chris Mason turned aside 19 shots and is now 23-16-5.

Where They Stand: After 76 games the Rampage (34-27-11-4) sit in third place in the West Division with 83 points and a .546 winning percentage. Houston (45-22-7-3) holds down the top spot in the division, while the Chicago Wolves (40-24-8-4) are in second place, nine points ahead of San Antonio. Utah (35-32-4-5) and Milwaukee (30-27-14-5) are tied for fourth place in the division.

Playoff Bound: With their 3-3 tie against the Milwaukee Admirals on Sunday afternoon, the San Antonio Rampage clinched a spot in the 2003 Calder Cup playoffs.

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 the Norfolk Admirals in the Western Conference quarterfinals, a best-of-five series, beginning in mid-April.

Rampage vs. Aeros: The Rampage battle their intrastate rivals, the Houston Aeros, twice this week to close out the season series on Wednesday, April 2 and Friday, April 4 in Houston. The two clubs have met 10 times already this season with the Aeros holding the series advantage with a 6-2-1-1 record versus the Rampage. In their most recent meeting on Mar. 20, Houston edged San Antonio with a 5-4 overtime win. Back on Mar. 11 the Rampage handed the Aeros a 7-4 loss. Two days earlier on Mar. 9, Houston skated past San Antonio 4-1, while firing an AHL season-high 59 shots. 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, before dropping their first five contests against Houston to open the 2002-03 campaign. Houston left wing Jean-Guy Trudel has picked up 15 points (5-10-15) in 10 games, while left Hnat Domenichelli has lit the Rampage for 11 points (6-5-11) in just six games. For the Rampage, Jim Campbell (2-6-8) has recorded eight points in eight games, while Jeff Toms (2-4-6) and Eric Beaudoin (2-4-6) both have notched six points against the Aeros.

Last Rampage Win: 7-4 on 3/11/03.

Last Rampage Win at the Compaq Center: N/A

Last Aeros Win: 4-1 on 3/9/03.

Last Aeros Win at the Compaq Center: 4-1 on 3/9/03.

Houston Scouting Report: Houston (45-22-7-3), who clinched the West Division title last week, is in a fight with Grand Rapids for the best record in the Western Conference. Left wing Jean-Guy Trudel paces the Aeros and is first in the AHL with 82 points (29-53-82), while left wing Hnat Domenichelli ranks second on the club with 61 points (28-33-61). Curtis Murphy leads all Houston blue liners and ranks second in the AHL among defensemen with 51 points (22-29-51). As a team, the Aeros place second in the league averaging 34.43 shots per game and fourth averaging 3.26 goals per game. Defensively, the Aeros rank second in the AHL holding their opponents to just 26.78 shots per game and is tied with San Antonio for 10th in the league allowing opponents just 2.75 goals per game.

Rampage vs. Wolves: The Rampage close out the regular season with a pair of contests against the defending Calder Cup Champion Chicago Wolves on Saturday, April 5 and Sunday, April 6. The two teams battle a total of 10 times this year, with Chicago owning a 4-3-1-0 advantage in the season set. In their most recent meeting on Mar. 13, San Antonio posted their largest margin of victory of the season, defeating the Wolves 8-1. The Rampage have also picked up wins over their divisional rivals on Feb. 24 (3-2) and Dec. 30 (1-0). Chicago posted wins over the Rampage in their first two meeting of the year on Dec. 27 (2-4) and Dec. 28 (3-5), in addition to a pair of victories over San Antonio on Jan. 17 (0-4) and Jan. 21 (1-4). The two clubs skated to a 2-2 draw on Feb. 21. For Chicago, Steve Maltias (3-5-8) and Simon Gamache (3-5-8) lead the Wolves attack picking up eight points each in eight 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. Juraj Kolnik (3-2-5) has five points in five games, while Serge Payer (2-3-5) also has five points in eight games versus the Wolves this season.

Last Rampage Win: 8-1 on 3/13/03

Last Rampage Win at Allstate Arena: 1-0 on 12/30/03.

Last Wolves Win: 4-1 on 1/21/03.

Last Wolves Win at Allstate Arena: 4-0 on 1/17/03

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 (40-24-8-4) is unbeaten in their last eight games and they have posted an 8-1-1-0 mark over their last 10 contests, suffering their only loss to the Rampage on Mar. 13. The Wolves are led by left winger Steve Maltais, whose 79 points (25-54-79) leads the team and ranks him third in the AHL. Simon Gamache is second on the team with 72 points (34-38-72) and places tied for seventh among league scoring leaders. Defensemen Kurtis Foster leads all Wolves blue liners with 40 points (15-25-40). As a team Chicago ranks first in the AHL on the power play converting 19.7 percent (94-477) of their chances. They place second in the AHL averaging 3.42 goals per game and are seventh in the league averaging 31.76 shots per game. The Wolves also lead the AHL scoring 19 shorthanded goals.

Chicago Connection: Jim Campbell spent a brief stint with the National Hockey League's Chicago Blackhawks last season, picking up a goal and an assist in nine games played.

Raising Big Bucks: The Rampage raised $16,505 for Operational Uplink in their patriotic jersey auction held on Sunday afternoon after their regular season home finale against the Milwaukee Admirals. Rocky Thompson's #23 jersey was auctioned off for a team high $5,100, followed by goaltender Chris Mason's #30 jersey which went for $1,700. Operation Uplink is a unique program that keeps military personnel and hospitalized veterans in touch with their families and loved ones by providing them with a free phone card.

On the Road Again: San Antonio wrapped up an eight-game homestand on Sunday afternoon with a 3-3 tie against the Milwaukee Admirals. They finished the home stretch with a 3-3-1-1 record and they complete their inaugural season in the AHL with a pair of games in Houston and in Chicago this weekend. San Antonio's last road contest was three weeks ago when they dropped a 4-1 decision to the Houston Aeros on Mar. 9.

Mason's Magic: Rampage goaltender Chris Mason ranks fourth among active goaltenders in the AHL with a 2.36 goals against average and places fourth among active netminders with a .926 save percentage.

Rolling Ryan: Ryan Jardine has a five-game point scoring streak in tact, registering seven points (5-2-7) in his last five contests.

Busy Man: Forward Eric Schneider was reassigned to the Laredo Bucks of Central Hockey League today. He will join the Bucks for game five of the CHL's President Cup's playoffs against the Odessa Jackalopes tomorrow night. Schneider played for the Rampage on Friday night, before returning to Laredo for their game on Saturday night and then was back in San Antonio on Sunday afternoon for their rematch against the Milwaukee Admirals.

Making His Point: Rampage center Mike Green has recorded at least one point in 24 of the Rampage's 34 victories this season.

Along the Blue Line: Defensive partners Jamie Rivers and Pascal Trepanier have combined to play in 569 NHL contests, recording 25 goals and 58 assists.

With the Man Advantage: The Rampage have recorded 10 power play tallies over their last eight games and they rank third in the league converting on 20.4% (40-196) of their power play chances inside the SBC Center. The power play unit consisting of Toms, Green, Gove, Rivers and Trepanier account for 23 of the Rampage's 60 power play goals this season

Down a Man: San Antonio places third in the league with 17 shorthanded tallies and leads the AHL recording 10 shorties on their home ice this year. Serge Payer ranks first on the club with three shorthanded goals.

On the PK: The Rampage place sixth in the AHL killing off 86.8% (190-219) of their opponent's power play opportunities inside the SBC Center. San Antonio ranks 10th overall in the AHL killing off 84.9% (359-423) of their opponent's power play opportunities.

Gotta Get the First Goal: The Rampage are 25-6-7-2 this season when they score the first goal of the game. San Antonio also boasts an 18-2-3-1 record when they lead after the first period.

The Wild West: San Antonio posts a 22-8-7-3 mark against clubs outside the West Division, while they have only managed a 12-19-4-1 mark against clubs within their division.

Home Ice Advantage: Mike Green has collected 36 of his 53 points inside the SBC Center, while Jim Campbell has notched 31 of his 48 points on the Rampage's home ice this season.

Leading After 40: The Rampage post a 25-1-6-1 mark when leading after two periods of play.

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 25 major penalties and second with 253 penalty minutes.

Team Leaders: Jeff Toms (27-30-57) paces the Rampage with 57 points, while Mike Green (26-28-54) ranks second on the club with 54 points. Toms also leads the club with 27 tallies and a team-high 11 power play goals. Pascal Trepanier leads all blue liners with 32 points (11-21-32). Rocky Thompson's 253 penalty minutes rank him first on the team. Eric Beaudoin leads the team with a +17 rating.

With Honors: On Thursday, March 27, the AHL announced that defenseman Filip Novak was named to the AHL All-Rookie team, as voted on by AHL players and media in each of the league's 28 member cities. Novak has appeared in 57 games with the Rampage recording 10 goals and 17 assists. The Czech Republic native participated in the 2003 AHL All-Star Classic and ranks second among San Antonio blue liners with 27 points and third with a plus/minus rating of +5. He is currently sidelined with an ankle injury.

Change That Dial: Due to a scheduling conflict with the NCAA tournament Saturday night's game against the Chicago Wolves will not be heard on the Rampage's flagship station KTKR "The Ticket" 760 AM, instead the game will now be broadcasted on KSJL 92.5 FM/810 AM.

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.

The Panthers Den: The Panthers (23-34-13-9) sit tied for third place in the Southeast Division with the Atlanta Thrashers, who both have accumulated 68 points. The Cats battled to a 1-1 stalemate with their intrastate rivals the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night. Florida completes their four-game road trip with a game against the Washington Capitals tomorrow night.

Down on the Farm: The Jackson Bandits (38-26-8) completed the 2002-03 regular season with a 4-2 loss to the Louisiana IceGators last night. The Bandits host the Pensacola Ice Pilots in a single elimination playoff game tomorrow night. The Laredo Bucks battle the Odessa Jackalopes tomorrow night in the deciding game of the quarter finals of the CHL's President's Cup playoffs.

On The Web: Check out www.sarampage.com for all the latest Rampage information.

Ticket Information: Rampage playoff tickets (dates yet to be determined) 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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