AHL San Antonio Rampage

Rampage Weekly

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


Tony Parker in the House: San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker will attend the Rampage's game against the Milwaukee Admirals on Friday night and he will take part in a special intermission promotion during the first period.

Rampage to Wear Patriotic Jerseys: For their home regular season finale on Sunday afternoon the Rampage will wear patriotic jerseys that display the American flag and the Statue of Liberty on the chest, along with stars on the shoulders. After the game the jerseys will be auctioned off to the fans in the Express-News Headlines sports bar.

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 Friday night's game is an Express-News Value Night. 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.

Last Week's Results:

Thursday, March 20 – Houston 5 at San Antonio 4 OTL

Hnat Domenichelli scored early in overtime and finished with four points as the Houston Aeros slipped past the San Antonio Rampage, 5-4. Domenichelli, who scored with 7:55 remaining in the third period to give Houston a 4-3 lead, tallied just 12 seconds into overtime for his fourth game-winning goal of the season. Jean-Guy Trudel scored twice and dished out a pair of assists to increase his point total to 76 for the Aeros. Rickard Wallin notched a goal and Travis Roche had a pair of assists for Houston, which snapped a six-game winless streak on the road. Derek Gustafson turned away 30 of 34 shots to pick up his 23rd win of the year. Juraj Kolnik had two goals and Ryan Jardine added a tally and an assist for San Antonio, while Chris Mason surrendered five goals on 30 shots to take the loss.

Saturday, March 22 – Utah 1 at San Antonio 4 W

Jeff Toms scored a goal and added a pair of assists to help the San Antonio Rampage defeat the Utah Grizzlies, 4-1. Toms tallied his 25th goal of the year, a power-play marker at the 13:57 mark of the second period, to supply San Antonio with a 2-0 lead. Pascal Trepanier netted a power-play goal to open the scoring and picked up an assist on the Toms' tally. Rocky Thompson scored his first goal since April 1, 2001 to add to the lead for the Rampage, who improved to 22-7-6-2 at home. Chris Mason made 29 saves, including 21 over the final two periods, to record his 23rd win of the year. Justin Cox potted a shorthanded goal with 5:42 remaining to prevent the shutout for Utah, which is winless in its last three games. Mike Smith made 41 saves, including 32 over the first two periods, in the loss.

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.

Where They Stand: After 74 game the Rampage (34-26-10-4) sit in third place in the West Division, three points behind the second place Chicago Wolves (37-24-7-4). Houston (43-20-7-3) holds down the top spot in the division, while Utah (34-30-4-5) and Milwaukee (28-27-13-5) sit in fourth and fifth place respectively.

One Point Away: A win, tie or overtime loss on Friday night against the Milwaukee Admirals will clinch a post season berth for the Rampage in the 2003 Calder Cup playoffs. In addition, if the Rampage fail to defeat the Admirals they can lock up a spot in the playoffs if the Rochester Americans lose to or tie the Norfolk Admirals on Friday evening.

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, beginning in mid-April.

Rampage vs. Admirals: San Antonio and Milwaukee close out of the season set with contests on Friday, Mar. 28 and Sunday, Mar. 30. The two clubs have battled eight times during the regular season with the Admirals posting a 4-3-1-0 record against the Rampage this year. In their most recent meeting on Mar. 2, the Rampage double-up the Admirals 6-3. Milwaukee has posted wins over San Antonio on Oct. 12 (6-2) and Oct. 23 (2-4) Dec. 19 (0-3) and Jan. 22 (1-4). After dropping the first two games of the season series to the Admirals, the Rampage responded by handing the Admirals their first loss in regulation, a 4-1 decision on Nov. 12. The two teams skated to a 1-1 stalemate on Nov. 20, while San Antonio downed Milwaukee 5-2 on Nov. 26. Mike Green (6-1-7) has posted seven points in eight games, while Jeff Toms has dished out seven helpers in six games against Milwaukee this season. For Milwaukee, Darren Haydar (4-5-9) has picked up nine points in six games, while Wyatt Smith (3-5-8) has notched eight points against the Rampage this year.

Last Rampage Win: 6-3 on 3/2/03

Last Rampage Win at the SBC Center: 6-3 on 3/2/03

Last Admirals Win: 4-1 on 1/22/03

Last Admirals Win at the SBC Center: N/A

Milwaukee Scouting Report: The Admirals (28-27-13-5) currently sit in fifth place in the West Division and own the ninth spot in the Western Conference playoff race. Milwaukee is paced by Darren Haydar who ranks first among AHL rookies with 71 points (27-44-71), while Cameron Mann places second in the Admirals lineup with 53 points (24-29-53). Peter Smrek leads all Milwaukee blue liners with 23 points (3-20-23). In addition, Haydar ranks among league rookie scoring leaders with 27 goals (2nd), 44 assists (1st), eight game-winning tallies (1st) and a +20 rating (T3rd). As a team, Milwaukee ranks tied for eight in the league averaging 3.07 goals per game and eight holding their opponents to 29.44 shots per game.

Milwaukee Connections: Rampage netminder Chris Mason spent the past four seasons in Milwaukee, earning 69 victories during his stint with the Admirals. Additionally, the Rampage acquired former Admirals blue liner Pascal Trepanier in a trade for goaltender Wade Flaherty on March 9. In 52 games with the Admirals this season Trepanier notched 24 points (9-15-24).

Tough Road Ahead: San Antonio concludes their regular season with 6 games all against West Division opponents who own a combined .585 winning percentage. They complete the 2002-03 slate with two games against the Milwaukee Admirals, two games against the West Division leading Houston Aeros and a pair against the defending Calder Cup champion Chicago Wolves.

Home Sweet Home: The Rampage, who own the third best home record in the Western Conference at 22-8-6-2, currently are in the midst of an eight game homestand, where they have posted a 3-3 mark picking up wins over Utah (4-1) on Mar. 22, Chicago (8-1) on Mar. 13 and Houston (7-4) on Mar. 11. During the home stretch they have suffered loses to Utah (4-2) on March 24, Houston (5-4 OTL) on March 21, and Grand Rapids (2-0) on Mar. 15. San Antonio closes out the home portion of their schedule with a pair contests against Milwaukee on Friday night and Sunday afternoon.

Mason's Magic: Rampage goaltender Chris Mason ranks fourth among active goaltenders in the AHL with a 2.35 goals against average and places tied for third among active netminders with a .927 save percentage.

Rolling Ryan: With his goal last night, Ryan Jardine (3-1-4) has now scored goals in three consecutive games.

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.

Pickin' Up Points: Pascal Trepanier (1-2-3), Rocky Thompson (1-1-2), Jeff Toms (2-2-4) and Jamie Rivers (0-3-3) all have notched at least one point in their past two contests.

With the Man Advantage: The Rampage have recorded eight power play tallies over their last six games and they rank second in the league converting on 20.7% (38-184) of their power play chances inside the SBC Center. The power play unit consisting of Toms, Green, Gove, Rivers and Trepanier account for 22 of the Rampage's 58 power play goals this season, while the combination of Toms, Trepanier and Rivers have been responsible for San Antonio's last three power play tallies.

Down a Man: San Antonio places third in the league with 16 shorthanded tallies. Serge Payer ranks first on the club with three shorties this season.

On the PK: The Rampage place third in the AHL killing off 89.2% (182-204) of their opponent's power play opportunities inside the SBC Center. San Antonio ranks fifth overall in the AHL killing off 86.0% (351-408) 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 12-18-3-1 mark against clubs within their division.

Home Ice Advantage: Mike Green has collected 34 of his 52 points inside the SBC Center, while Jim Campbell has notched 30 of his 47 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, suffering their first loss in regulation last night against the Utah Grizzlies.

League Leaders: Filip Novak ranks third 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 first with 251 penalty minutes.

Team Leaders: Jeff Toms (26-30-56) paces the Rampage with 56 points, while Mike Green (25-27-52) ranks second on the club with 52 points. Toms also leads the club with 26 tallies and a team-high 10 power play goals. Filip Novak leads all blue liners with 27 points (10-17-27). Rocky Thompson's 242 penalty minutes rank him first on the team. Eric Beaudoin leads the team with a +18 rating.

Change That Dial: Due to a scheduling conflict with the NCAA tournament this weekend's games against the Milwaukee Admirals will not be heard on the Rampage's flagship station KTKR "The Ticket" 760 AM, instead the games 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 (23-32-12-9) sit in third place in the Southeast Division with 67 points. The Cats dropped a 4-1 decision to the New Jersey Devils last night. They visit the Buffalo Sabres tomorrow night. Mathieu Biron, Denis Shvidki, Byron Ritchie and Pierre Dagenais all remain on recall to Florida.

Down on the Farm: The Jackson Bandits (35-25-8) sit in fourth place in the Southwest Division with 78 points. Jackson hosts the Louisiana IceGators tomorrow night. The Odessa Jackalopes edged the Laredo Bucks 3-2 on Saturday night in the second game of the CHL's President's Cup playoffs. The series which is tied at one, returns to Laredo for games on Friday, March 28 and Saturday, March 29.

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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American Hockey League Stories from March 25, 2003


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