Darren Abate/AHL
Playing the second game of a back to back, the San Antonio Rampage knew they would have their hands full with the visiting Rockford IceHogs. The Rampage, specifically Ville Husso, were up to the challenge, besting the young and skilled Hogs 2-1 in a shootout victory Friday night at the ATT Center.
After a scoreless first period, which saw the IceHogs limit the Rampage to just four shots, the home team turned up the pressure in the second. Julien Nantel was finally able to break through in the ninth minute of the middle frame as the second year pro took a pass from Adam Musil, carried the puck behind the Hogs net, and banked in a shot off of Rockford goalie Jeff Glass for the 1-0 lead.
The IceHogs would answer back later in the period, though, on a broken play in which Rampage defenseman Duncan Siemens was erased from the play by a linesman at the red line. Former Rampage winger Andreas Martinsen cashed in, beating Husso with a wrister that tied the game at 1-1.
The Rampage and IceHogs would play the final 20 minutes, plus the full five minute OT period, at a stalemate, meaning this one would need to be decided in the one-on-one skills competition. Of the six shooters, only David Warsofsky was able to find the back of the net, beating Glass with a sizzling wrister in the 3rd round. Husso stopped all three shots faced, plus 43 of 44 in regulation and OT to pick up his fifth win of the season. The shootout was the first of Husso’s career.
The win kept the Rampage (.593%) alone in third place and inched them closer to idle Texas (.611) for third place.
Streamables – (Courtesy of Nathan Rudolph @AvalancheReview)
Rampage 1 – IceHogs 0
2nd period (8:27) – SA Julien Nantel (6) ASST: Adam Musil (5)
Rampage 1 – IceHogs 1
2nd period (17:53) – RFD Andreas Martinsen (5) ASST: None
Rampage 2 – IceHogs 1
Shootout:
Ranford (SA) – No Goal
Kampf (RFD) – No Goal
Thompson (SA) – No Goal
Louis (RFD) – No Goal
Warsofsky (SA) – Goal
Johnson (RFD) – No Goal
The Good
- Ville Husso played his best game in a Rampage uniform and possibly as a pro, shutting down a speedy and skilled Rockford offense.
- The Rampage PK, which has been up and down this season, was a perfect 6 for 6, including a huge stop in the OT period.
The Bad
- The Rampage continue to play undisciplined hockey, giving Rockford six power plays.
- The freefall for the power play continued Friday night as the Rampage went 0 for 4, at times having difficulty even gaining the red line.
The Ugly
- Giving up 44 shots on goal won’t win you many games. The Rampage will need to tighten up the defense if they hope to win Sunday’s rematch against these same IceHogs.
Tonight’s Lines:
What’s Next:
Sun, Dec 17th (3:00pm) – vs. Rockford
Thu, Dec 21st (7:00pm) – @ Manitoba
Fri, Dec 22nd (7:00pm) – @ Manitoba
All times local.
All games can be heard on Ticket760 or streamed on AHL Live.