A common theme for the Rampage in the short season so far has been solid first period starts, and tonight was no exception. For the third time this year San Antonio scored the opening goal, and once again on the first shot.
Andre Deveaux scored his first goal as a member of the Rampage just 53 seconds into the game; Quinton Howden and Drew Shore were credited with assists. The Rampage had three powerplay opportunities in the first period, but failed to capitalize as the Rockford IceHogs, AHL affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks, outshot visiting San Antonio 17-12 in the first period.
While the Rampage tend to have solid first period starts, they can’t seem to find that magic after the opening 20 minutes. After reaching 12 shots in the first, the Rampage only mustered five shots on goal, likely thanks to three IceHog powerplays in the period. Goaltender Dov Grumet-Morris‘ shutout streak of 143:12 minutes ended with a goal from Brandon Pirri, his second of the season, and fifth career against San Antonio.
The third period got very physical, as Jean-Francois Jacques got into his first fight as a member of the Rampage, the third-overall fight of the season for San Antonio; Jacques was tossed with a game misconduct. Grumet-Morris kept his club in the game, as Rockford continued to assault the offensive zone. But after 60 minutes, the score remained tied at 1, and the Rampage went into an extra frame for the first time this year. The IceHogs outshot San Antonio 39-26 in regulation play.
The Rampage matched the IceHogs in overtime shots with four each, but couldn’t score on goaltender Carter Hutton forcing the game into a shootout. The final OT shot of the game came from James Wright, who was denied by Hutton with a left toe save!
Martin St. Pierre ripped the puck over Grumet-Morris glove for the first goal, and IceHogs leading scorer Marcus Kruger stuck it through the pads to win the game. Greg Rallo, James Wright, Casey Wellman, and Drew Shore failed to score in the shootout.
- Dov Grumet-Morris has allowed three goals in three games. Talk about a tough act to follow for Jacob Markstrom.
- San Antonio’s PK went 1-for-7, committing four penalties in the second period. The Rampage also committed two in the final ten minutes of the game, critically hurting any chance the team had at winning in regulation.
- The powerplay went 0-for-4, and are now 29th in the AHL. Good news? Chuck Weber’s crew plays the 30th-ranked Wolves tomorrow.
- With their two assists tonight, Howden and Shore are tied for the team lead in scoring.
The Rampage continue their Illinois road trip with a return to Chicago Saturday evening (8 pm ET), featuring a rematch of last season’s Western Conference Quarterfinal participants. They return to Rockford Sunday for another round with the IceHogs at 6:05 PM EST.