“Rampage Roundup” is a weekly feature at The Sunshine Skate to keep you in touch with your favorite future Panthers.
Summary:
The Rampage had a very successful weekend – three wins in three games, three nights in a row. They continued that streak last night with a comeback win against the Milwaukee Admirals.
On Friday, March 20th the team visited Oklahoma City, winning 4–3 in overtime. Corban Knight started the scoring off for the Rampage two minutes into the first period. Knight has been on a roll since the beginning of March, picking up 8 points in 6 games, including the goal and an assist later in the night. OKC scored twice in the first to take the lead, with goals from Mitch Moroz and Jordan Oesterle. A goal from Wade Megan in the 17th minute of the first period re-tied the game at 2–2. Quinton Howden finally notched his first goal of the season (and his first since March 2nd, 2014), scoring a shorty less than a minute into the second. In the third period, Oklahoma City was able to take advantage of their third power play opportunity of the night to tie up the game at 3 – 3, forcing overtime. Blake Parlett scored his seventh goal of the season to win it for the Rampage. With the win, San Antonio re-took the Western division lead for the first time since the beginning of December.
The Rampage then returned to the AT&T center for a visit from the Hamilton Bulldogs for back–to–back games on Saturday and Sunday, winning 4–2 the first night. Connor Brickley scored for the Rampage in the 5th minute of the first period, as Hamilton’s Nick Sorkin tied it up four minutes later. A goal from Andrew Yogan at the end of the first and a power play goal from Bobby Butler early in the second gave the Rampage a 3-1 lead entering the third period. Garrett Wilson scored in the final frame to consolidate the Rampage lead, despite a power play goal by the Bulldogs’ Gabriel Dumont.
The teams met again on Sunday night for a rematch with the Rampage winning once again, 3–2 in overtime. Hamilton got on the board first this time, early in the first with a goal from Daniel Carr. The period would almost expire before Connor Brickley scored once again to make it a tie game. In the second, Hamilton’s Dumont scored a shorty to make it a 2–1 game for the Bulldogs. The lead didn’t last long as Dany Heatley scored on the power play less than 20 seconds later, assisted by Brickley and Grimaldi. The scoreless third period resulted in overtime, in which Dylan Olsen, playing in his first game since January, scored the game winning goal.
The wins over the weekend put the Rampage in a solid position to take leadership of the Western Conference, with only a point separating them from the first place Utica Comets heading into Tuesday night’s game. However, the game didn’t start off well for the Rampage, as they fell behind almost immediately as the Admirals’ Austin Watson scored a minute and a half into the first. Joe Pendenza also scored on Michael Houser at the end of the first to extend the lead to 2–0. The Admirals extended their lead to 3–0 a little over 5 minutes into the second with a goal from Colton Sissons, after which Houser was pulled, marking Sam Brittain’s AHL debut. Brittain’s entrance into the game marked a change of momentum for the Rampage, who began their comeback in the third period, starting with a goal from Rocco Grimaldi in the 4th minute. Five minutes later, Dany Heatley scored in his second consecutive game to bring the Rampage within one. Blake Parlett had the game-tying goal several minutes later, assisted by Howden. With 8 minutes to go, neither team was able to break the tie, forcing what would become a scoreless overtime. Brittain was perfect during the shootout, denying both of the Admiral’s Åberg and Sissons as Grimaldi and Logan Shaw scored on Marek Mazanec. In what was an unlikely comeback, the Rampage proved their determination and the growth of a very young team over the course of this season. The victory gave them sole leadership of the Western Conference and a six game win streak!
Impact Players:
Connor Brickley has been consistently making a case for rookie of the year – with 21 goals and 21 assists. He’s been a major offensive asset for the Rampage, playing in all but two games this season. He had a multi-point night on Sunday, with a goal and an assist against Hamilton. Although he’s faced stretches of not scoring, Brickley has had 10 multi-point games since November, also picking up two assists last night.
Despite two significant injuries that sidelined him for most of the season, Quinton Howden has been able to pick up 14 points in 22 games. His goal last Friday was his first of the season but he has 8 assists so far this month, including one last night.
Speaking of players who have been able to make an impact despite playing few games, Dylan Olsen scored off the single shot he had in Sunday night’s game, playing in his first AHL game this season. Personal reasons kept the defenseman off the ice since January when he was sent down from Florida but his return will be a major boost for the Rampage’s defense.
Upcoming games:
The Rampage continue their short road trip this weekend with a visit to Des Moines to play the Wild in back–to–back games on Friday and Saturday. While the team has played consistently all season, the boys have stepped it up in the final stretch, losing only one game in their last ten.
Natalija can be reached for contact on Twitter.
