“Rampage Roundup” is a weekly feature at The Sunshine Skate to keep you in touch with your favorite future Panthers.
Summary:
If the Rampage and Texas Stars didn’t already have a rivalry, they have one now: of the three games the Rampage had last week, two were against the Stars. By the time next Wednesday rolls around, the two will have played five of the Rampage’s nine games dating back to January 20th. It probably also doesn’t help that the Rampage have managed to skate away with the victory each time.
The first game was played on Thursday, January 29th, in which the Rampage won 3–2 in overtime. Texas started off the scoring with a goal from Julius Honka early in the first, followed by a second Texas goal in the middle frame, this time by Travis Morin on the power play. The Rampage got on the board with a powerplay goal of their own by Jesse Blacker less than eight minutes later. Connor Brickley tied it up in the third for his 13th goal of the season, leading to overtime. A little more than five minutes into the extra frame, Rocco Grimaldi broke the tie with an unassisted goal. In an impressive performance with Dan Ellis in goal, the Rampage outshot the Stars 45–29.
The team followed up Thursday’s win with another one the next night, defeating the Charlotte Checkers 5–2. San Antonio scored first, with a goal by fourth liner John McFarland, for his third goal of the season. The Checkers followed less than two minutes later with a goal by Alex Aleardi but the even score would last barely a minute as Jesse Blacker scored again, assisted by Grimaldi. With minutes to go in the first period, the Rampage solidified their lead with Bobby Butler’s first goal of the night. Despite multiple power play opportunities for the Rampage in the second period, the Checkers were able to cut the lead to 3–2 with an early goal by Chad LaRose. In the third, Butler picked up his 19th goal of the season, assisted by the ever-present Rocco Grimaldi. Greg Zanon also got on the board in the final minutes of the game with a short-handed empty netter, making the final score 5–2. The victory was an important one for Michael Houser in goal after five straight losses as a starter and will hopefully signal an increase in confidence.
The Stars got a rematch last night on home ice, but the result was not much different, losing to the Rampage 3–2 in a shootout. Texas started the scoring early in the first once again, with a goal by Gemel Smith. The Rampage however, followed up less than 2 minutes later with a quick goal from the blue line by Connor Brickley. In the second, the Stars took advantage of a powerplay opportunity, taking the lead late in the period. Despite an impressive power kill by the Rampage in recent games, it seems the Stars have found a way around it, scoring PPGs in each of their last four matchups this season, dating back to December 28th. Grimaldi notched a goal less than a minute into the third for his eighth of the season to tie the game early. After game misconducts for the Rampage’s Shane O’Brien and the Stars’ Cameron Gaunce for continuing to fight during the scoreless OT, the teams headed to a shootout. Vincent Trocheck and Grimaldi both scored for San Antonio, as only the Stars’ Brendan Ranford was able to get one past Dan Ellis. After an eventful game, the Rampage notched their sixth victory of the season against the Stars.
Impact Players:
Rocco Grimaldi (8G, 20A) started a three-game point streak with a goal and an assist against the Stars on Thursday. He then picked up two assists against the Checkers the next night, and his third period goal last night kept the Rampage in the game, forcing overtime. Grimaldi also shot second in the shootout, after Trocheck, proving that Tom Rowe has grown to trust the rookie in important moments.
Connor Brickley has had an impressive season with the Rampage, scoring 14 goals and notching 11 assists so far this year. Despite his game misconduct for boarding in the game with the Checkers, Brickley has played aggressively without picking up many penalties. Playing in 42 of the Rampage’s 44 games so far, the left wing has solidified himself as an important presence on the team’s second line.
Captain Greg Zanon picked up his second goal in four games against the Checkers on Friday, a relatively impressive feat given that until his goal at Lake Erie, he had not scored a goal in the past two AHL seasons. With an assist on Friday night, he also notched his fourth multi-point game of the season.
Upcoming games:
The next seven days for the Rampage will be similar to the last as they’ll take on the Texas Stars twice. They’ll meet first on Thursday, February 5th and once again, next Tuesday, February 10th. They’ll also be hosting a visit from the Oklahoma City Barons on Saturday night for the eighth game between the two teams this season. The Barons are the best team in the league, with a 29–10–3–3 record; how the Rampage measure up against them will be a test of the team’s development over the course of this season.
Natalija can be reached for contact on Twitter.
