“Rampage Roundup” is a weekly feature at The Sunshine Skate to keep you in touch with your favorite future Panthers.
Summary:
The Rampage ended their “Rodeo Road Trip” in back–to–back games in Charlotte before returning home to face the Iowa Wild. The team split the wins in Charlotte, losing the first night 2–3 in a shootout before coming back the next night to win 5-2.
On Wednesday night, the Checkers started scoring off early in the first, with a power play goal from Zach Boychuk. The Rampage tied it up in the second period with a goal by Rocco Grimaldi, his first in five games. The Checkers re-took the lead in the third, with an early goal by Trevor Carrick, until Shane O’Brien notched the equalizer with a Rampage power play goal in the 13th minute. A scoreless overtime forced a shootout, in which Michael Houser held on for five scoreless rounds until the Checkers’ Danny Biega finally scored, resulting in the Checkers’ second win against the Rampage this season.
Michael Houser remained in goal the next night, with Joe Howe serving as the backup. With a quick start, Corban Knight put the Rampage on the board less than a minute into the game. Carrick continued his streak from the night before, tying the game up with a power play goal a little over five minutes later. Charlotte took the lead with a goal from Boychuk in the 15th minute of the first. The Rampage bounced back in the second, with John McFarland scoring the equalizer in the 5th minute, followed by Logan Shaw’s 13th goal of the season giving San Antonio the lead. Grimaldi continued to impress, scoring nearly halfway through the third period. The Rampage solidified their win with an empty netter from Bobby Butler. Corban Knight, Matthew Corrente, Connor Brickley, and Quinton Howden all had a multiple-point night.
The Rampage also began their five game homestand with a 4–1 win against the Iowa Wild. Joe Howe remained with the team as the backup goalie, with Houser facing his third consecutive start. The first and second periods were both scoreless, as all five goals fell in the third. The Rampage scored first with a goal from Brett Olson, tipped in from a shot by O’Brien. Garrett Wilson followed up with a power play goal, with assists from Mackenzie Weegar and O’Brien. John McFarland extended his scoring streak to Saturday, with his seventh of the season, in the 16th minute. The Wild were able to prevent a shutout with a goal from Kurtis Gabriel a little over a minute later. McFarland’s empty netter, and second goal of the night, consolidated the Rampage victory.
Impact Players:
Rocco Grimaldi notched a goal in both games against Charlotte. He suffered an upper body injury that took him out of the game against the Wild and out of tonight’s game against Milwaukee as well.
The newest member of the Rampage, defenseman Matthew Corrente picked up 2 assists in Thursday night’s game against the Checkers. John McFarland also picked up a goal on Thursday and scored 2 goals against Wild on Saturday night.
Quinton Howden has points in 3 straight games, including an assist in Wednesday’s game in Charlotte and 3 assists the next night. He also notched an assist in the game versus the Wild. Despite an injury-ridden season, Howden has 11 points (all assists) in 15 games played.
Upcoming Games:
The Rampage have 4 games in 6 days, starting with a visit from the Milwaukee Admirals on Wednesday night. They’ll also play back–to–back games against Lake Erie on Friday and Saturday, followed by a visit from Charlotte next Tuesday. The Rampage are still ranked 5th in the Western Conference, with the Admirals on their heels, 2 points behind. Milwaukee visits San Antonio following back–to–back losses at Oklahoma City. Despite a still relatively precarious goalie situation, Michael Houser has stepped up immensely to provide the Rampage with some breathing room with only five weeks left until the end of the regular season.
Natalija can be reached for contact on Twitter.
