AHL San Antonio Rampage

Turmoil and turnaround

Published on April 14, 2009 under American Hockey League (AHL)
San Antonio Rampage News Release


In a year of turmoil and turnarounds, the San Antonio Rampage concluded their seventh season in the AHL with a tremendous finish on the ice and record breaking attendance in the stands.

The Rampage began the 08-09 campaign 2-20-0-1, which included a series of dubious marks. Included in that total was a franchise worst 13-game losing streak and 17-game winless streak, as well as, a nine-game home losing streak and an 11-game road winless streak. The Rampage also went 0-14-0-1throughout November in the process. Despite the adversity, December was a new month and December 4th dawned a new day in San Antonio. Joel Perrault made his season debut after missing 23 games and Joakim Lindstrom was introduced to the Alamo City after a trade with Anaheim.

That night, San Antonio shutout Syracuse 3-0 at the AT&T Center to jumpstart a then, franchise record six-game winning streak. Goalie Josh Tordjman manned the net and went on to tie his own franchise record with six consecutive wins. In addition, Tordjman posted three shutouts in those six games as he would win nine of his next ten starts.

While Lindstrom's stay was short lived, Phoenix (NHL) recalled the center five days later, December 5th marked the return of David Spina who returned to lead the team in scoring with 54 points.

From December on, the Rampage posted a 34-18-2-3 record and never had another losing month to finish the year 36-38-2-4. The 73 points earned from December through April was tied for the fourth most in the entire league and their 0.640 winning percentage was tied for fourth best as well.

The Rampage reversed their fortunes both on the road and at home. San Antonio rebounded from a 2-11 home ice start to finish 20-19-0-1 winning their home finale 4-2 versus Houston. The win not only put the Rampage above .500 at home for the first time all season, it was also the first time the Rampage came back from a two-goal deficit to win a game.

On the road, San Antonio began 0-10-0-1 before posting a 5-3 win in Houston on December 26th. The Rampage raced out to a 5-1 second period lead en route to winning seven of their next nine on the road, including a franchise record five straight. In their final 29 road games the Rampage went 16-9-2-2.

The Rampage closed the season as the hottest team in the AHL winning 10 of 12 contests including a franchise record seven straight from March 26th through April 11th. Coupled with a series of great promotions, San Antonio hit all-time highs in total attendance, average attendance and single game attendance. The Rampage drew 206,680 to the AT&T center averaging 5,167 fans per game. That was an improvement of 1,000 fans per game since the 2006-07 season. Kiss Rocks Dollar Drink nights and Saturday theme games brought the combined average Friday and Saturday attendance to 6,951 fans per game. On February 28th, a franchise record 10,265 people welcomed home the Rampage from their month long, 13- game rodeo road trip while saluting our soldiers on Military Appreciation Night.

Two weekends later, San Antonio again topped the five figure mark bringing in 10,060 fans and friends to the AT&T Center for Pucks & Paws on March 14th. This oneof- a-kind event had 1,200 dogs raise the ‘woof' for a great cause and saw San Antonio top Houston 3-1. Back on the ice, the Rampage got contributions from a host of rookies. Nine AHL rookies littered the Rampage roster including four of their top 10 scorers. Chad Kolarik led the way for first year players, participating in 76 games and totaling 50 points. Kolarik's 76 games played was tops on the team and his 50 points were second only to Spina. The former Michigan Wolverine ranked third on the team with 20 goals and had point streaks of six, five and four games - including a franchise-tying six-game assist streak from January 24th through February 6th.

Residing just above Kolarik was fellow rookie Brett MacLean. MacLean finished second on the team with 21 goals and added 19 assists. The first year pro from London, Ontario ranked fifth in team scoring with 40 points and was named to the AHL All Star team representing Team Canada. In the season finale on April 12th, MacLean registered his first professional three point night with two goals and an assist.

Another impact rookie was Kevin Porter. The 2008 Hobey Baker Award winner (Hockey's Heisman Trophy), began the year in Phoenix and made his Rampage regular season debut on December 13th scoring a shorthanded goal in a 3-2 overtime win against Quad City. Porter, who also played in last season's Calder Cup Playoffs, would return to Phoenix after two games but spent the last 40 in San Antonio. A college teammate of Kolarik at Michigan, Porter had 10 multi-point games including three, 3-assist nights. In just 42 games, he scored 35 points, good for 7th on the team, and finished the year with three straight multipoint games.

On the defensive end, rookie David Schlemko led all blueliners with 29 points. The Edmonton, Alberta native tallied 7 goals and 22 assists in 65 games. Schlemko also got a recall to Phoenix making his NHL debut on February 3rd in Nashville. Sean Sullivan, in his second full season with the Rampage, had eight goals to pace all defenseman in that category.

Team Captain Jeff Hoggan led the team with 22 goals despite missing the last 11 games with an injury. The sixyear AHL veteran posted a franchise record six-game goal scoring streak from December 27th through January 7th and scored his 100th professional goal on February 24th, his last of the season.

No one, however, could top the impact made by Perrault and Spina whose returns from injury were a big reason for the team's turnaround on results alone. Joel Perrault was so consistent that in 46 games, only once did he go as much as three games without a point. In fact, Perrault had only one other streak without registering a point - it lasted two games. The center averaged more than a point per game and late in the season found his scoring touch with goals in eight of nine including a teamhigh nine game points streak. During that streak, Perrault had 10 goals and 4 assists as the Rampage won eight of nine. Included in that goal total was five game-winning goals, a game-tying goal and three power play tallies. In games that Perrault registered at least one point, San Antonio went 27-4-0-1. Perrault also became the franchise all-time leader in goals with 43.

David Spina led the Rampage with a career high 54 points in 63 games as the Mesa, Arizona native had a milestone season. Spina tied and broke the franchise record with his 57th and 58th career assists on February 16th at Rockford. In addition, he recorded a career best 38 assists and tied the franchise record with a six-game assist streak.

Spina had a seven-game point streak to go along with two five-game points streaks and the Rampage went 24-7-2-1 when he registered at least one point and he assumed the top spot in franchise history with 107 career points. Spina also recorded the Rampage's lone hat trick of the season on New Year's Day. Twice he went for 4-point nights including a franchise tying 4-assist night in Providence on February 13th. Not surprising, Spina and Perrault led the way with 13 multi-point nights each. Not to be outdone, nine-year pro Frank Lessard put up his own big numbers this season. A veteran of both the NHL and AHL, Lessard posted an AHL leading 324 penalty minutes in just 59 games. It was eight minutes shy of tying Pete Vandermeer's team record mark set last season. Lessard wasn't the only Rampage player mixing it up, however. Simon Ferguson earned 203 minutes in the box and fan favorite Adam Keefe got 185 minutes in only 41 games.

Of course, a big factor for the season turnaround was the play of goalie Josh Tordjman. After winning his first start 2-1, Tordjman would go winless in 11 straight, including eight straight losses. But he blanked Syracuse on December 4th and didn't look back going 24-12-0-1 the rest of the way. Tordjman was named the Reebok XPulse/ AHL Goaltender of the Month for January going 9-4 posting a 2.01 GAA and a .933 save percentage. He earned his first extended NHL call-up on March 4th and got his first NHL start on March 8th against the New York Islanders.

After suffering a thumb injury and getting reassigned to San Antonio, he turned in back-to-back shutouts versus Iowa. Tordjman stopped 49 shots over two consecutive nights to tie and break the franchise all-time shutout mark held by Travis Scott (7) posting eight career shutouts. His six shutouts this season was good for second most in the league. He also became the franchise all-time leader in wins this season and now has 62 to his credit. Tordjman's thumb injury opened the door for goalie Al Montoya's first trip to the show. Montoya struggled, as well, going 7-17-2 in 29 appearances in San Antonio. But the ‘Big Cubano' rebounded to win three of four before his call-up to the NHL. On April 1st, Montoya became the first Cuban-American to play in the NHL and became the first Coyotes goalie in franchise history to record a shutout in their debut. Montoya went 3-1 in four starts allowing 2.08 goals per game with a .925 save percentage in his first NHL opportunity.

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American Hockey League Stories from April 14, 2009


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