“Rampage Roundup” is a weekly feature at The Sunshine Skate to keep you in touch with your favorite future Panthers.
Summary:
With the Calder Cup Playoffs starting TONIGHT for the Rampage, this week’s Roundup will be an abridged version including the last couple of weeks’ worth of games leading into the postseason. The Rampage ended the regular season with four straight losses, including three straight to the Texas Stars.
| Date | Opponent | Score |
| Friday, April 10th | Grand Rapids Griffins | 2 – 0 W |
| Saturday, April 11th | Grand Rapids Griffins | 1 – 2 OTL |
| Tuesday, April 14th | Texas Stars | 2 – 3 L |
| Friday, April 17th | Texas Stars | 2 – 3 L |
| Saturday, April 18th | Texas Stars | 3 – 4 OTL |
Despite a disappointing end to the season, the Rampage remained the third seed in the Playoffs and ranked third in the Western Conference. As the team focuses on the Playoffs, breakout rookie performances from Connor Brickley and Rocco Grimaldi will play an important role in a tough matchup against the Barons in the first round. The NHL experience that Vincent Trocheck and Alex Petrovic picked up in the final weeks of the Panthers’ season will also be instrumental, as the two players returned to the lineup in the final two games of the regular season. Perhaps the most critical element will be the performance of the special teams, which have been great in the past few months – with the Rampage PK% improving to 89% in the last 26 games over the season average 84%. It’s a subtle change, combined with a PP% season average of 18.6%, that demonstrates the Rampage have been consistently improving over the course of the season and building momentum that will carry them into the Playoffs.
Impact Players:
Corban Knight has found his stride once again, picking up points in three consecutive games, with goals against the Griffins and the Stars. He notched the sole goal in the second game against Grand Rapids, giving the Rampage a short-lived lead as he scored on the power play.
Garrett Wilson has five points in his last six games, with two goals and three assists. The left wing enters the playoffs with 16 goals and 20 assists.
Vincent Trocheck and Alex Petrovic transitioned back into the AHL smoothly, with Trocheck picking up a goal in each game, as Petrovic picked up an assist on Connor Brickley’s goal on Saturday night. Also picking up a goal in each of the last two games against the Stars was Wade Megan, who brought his season total up to 8 goals and 5 assists.
Upcoming games:
The Rampage begin the Playoffs with a best-of-five series against the Oklahoma City Barons in OKC. Game 2 will be on Saturday night, also in OKC. According to Tom Rowe, Dan Ellis will start in goal.
Of the twelve games the two teams played in the regular season, the Rampage won 9. The last time the two teams met in the postseason was the 2012 Western Conference Semifinals, in which OKC took the best-of-7 series 4 – 1, needing overtime in three games to seal the deal. Both teams feature nearly completely different rosters, with Quinton Howden and Alex Petrovic being the only Rampage players still on the team.
Natalija can be reached for contact on Twitter.
