The 2014-15 season ended Wednesday night with a loss to the Barons on home ice. Last night, the inaugural season on Running With the Herd Live wrapped up as well. JP and I talked about what went wrong in the Rampage’s opening round series vs. OKC, send off the Panthers in our own way, and welcome our new NHL affiliate, the Colorado Avalanche. We also chatted with AJ Haefele of BSN Avalanche about the new affiliation, players to watch, and what to expect next season.

We will be taking some time off to recharge the batteries and enjoy the San Antonio summer. We will pop back in occasionally whenever news breaks and sometime after free agency kicks off and you can also expect a short one or two segment podcast about once a month until September.

Until then, enjoy your summer and thanks, as always, for listening and following along on our crazy adventure through the AHL.

Photo by Darren Abate.

The AHL playoffs are upon us and JP and I are back with another Running With the Herd Live. This week, we look back at a disappointing, but not terrible, end to the regular season, chat with Barons play-by-play announcer Jim Byers, and make our (sometimes) out of left field predictions for round one. We also hand out the inaugural “Herdies”, our end of season awards.

Next week, we will discuss games one and two in OKC and look ahead to the first Rampage playoff home game(s) in 3 years.

All of this week’s action can be heard on Ticket760 with friend of the show, Dan Weiss, at the mic. Game one is Thursday and game two is Saturday. If any Rampage fans are making the journey up I-35, shoot me some pictures and I will get them out on social media.

Photo by Josh Huskin.

On our last regular season show of this magical season, JP and I revisit the successful, yet painful week of Rampage action. We discuss the big injury to Bobby Butler, introduce our newest contributor, and we chat with Texas Stars beat writer Sean Shapiro. We also look ahead to potential first round matchups and pick who we would like to see in round one.

Next week, we will have our first ever playoff preview episode of RWtH Live. Join us as we will preview our first round opponent and make our predictions for the series. Since it’s a special occasion, I will also try to get a guest to join us to talk playoffs in San Antonio.

As always, all of this week’s action vs. Texas can be heard live on Ticket 760 AM with Dan Weiss on the play-by-play.

Photo by Josh Huskin.

On this week’s edition of your favorite Rampage radio show, JP and I talk about the weekend split with Adirondack, share our thoughts on the new additions to the Rampage lineup, and lament on the bad fan behavior we witnessed this past weekend. As always, I reveal my Three Stars of the Week and we talk about what the Rampage need to do to wrap up the West Division.

Next week, we will talk about the big week of action vs OKC and Grand Rapids, look ahead to a potentially huge three-game series with Texas, and hopefully we will be joined by a special guest from up the road.

Photo by Darren Abate.

On a special Wednesday night edition of Running With the Herd Live–thanks adulthood– JP and I discuss yet another great week on the ice–that saw the Rampage break their franchise record seven game winning streak–, talk about the additions of Kyle Rau and Mike Matheson, and discuss possible first round playoff opponents. I also update my weekly Three Stars of the Week and we end the show with a little bit of affiliation angst.

The Rampage return to the ice tonight to take on the Adirondack Flames for the first game of a two game set. A win by the Rampage clinches the team’s fourth playoff berth in franchise history and first since 2012. You can hear RWtH’s very own Tony Uminski with the call on Ticket760 while Dan Weiss and Andrew Monaco bring you all the action with pictures on Fox Sports Southwest. Puck drop is at 7pm.

RWtH Live should return to its regular time next Monday at 7pm.

Photo by Darren Abate.

I must be dreaming!

The calendar reads March, but looking in the paper’s agate section, under AHL Standings, there are the Rampage holding down first place in the Western Conference.

First place? Rarified air for this moribund franchise, which has seen only three other teams make the playoffs in 13 years, especially this deep into the season. The last time the Rampage led the West Division, other than for a day at the beginning of a season, was 1 Jan, 2011 and that was just for a moment as well.

With 10 games left, the Rampage are in the drivers seat, and what better way to gain the top of the pile than a three-goal rally to win a shootout in the BMO Harris Bradley Center, an arena where Rampage teams have gone to lose.

The win, after being down 3-0 early in the second period, snapped a seven-game losing streak there. Overall, the Rampage have won only four of the last 17 games in Milwaukee. Last week, speaking with some folks at the AT&T Center and trying to predict the outcome of this short trek to Wisconsin and Iowa, the typical response was, “after the loss in Milwaukee, we should be able to pick up 3 or 4 points in Iowa.”

The Milwaukee game was in the automatic loss column. Thank goodness Rocco Grimaldi and Sam Brittain didn’t get that memo.

Grimaldi scored the first Rampage goal. Like a similar situation earlier this season when he scored his lone NHL goal with Florida trailing 2-0 late in a game against the, ironically Milwaukee’s NHL club, Nashville Predators. The Panthers tied the game in the last minute, but it was Grimaldi’s marker that lit the comeback flame.

Wednesday night, with the San Antonio five-game winning streak fading like a Robin Yount screamer into the bleachers, Grimaldi’s lamplighter was followed by Dany Heatley’s fifth goal with the Rampage in 10 games. Blake Parlett, who went 25 games without a goal, then scored his fourth in five games to tie it. Just 8:02 had ticked off the clock. The AHL’s most talented offensive team got it going, ouotshooting the Admirals 30-13 over the last 29 minutes of the game.

Meanwhile, Brittain came off the bench when Michael Houser finally ran out of gas. Houser has been nothing short of incredible during this run to the top, going 8-1-0-1 in 10 games with a 2.14 goals against. Brittain’s netplay, which began by stopping two rapid fire shots on a 2-on-1 Admirals breakout, got Houser off the hook. Brittain, in the process, picked up his first AHL win blanking the Admirals for the remainder of the second period, the entire third period, and the overtime as well, including a spectacular glove save that had announcer Dan Weiss’ right lung come through my computer speaker.

Grimaldi and Logan Shaw added shootout goals while Brittain was busy skunking Admiral skaters and the Rampage had scaled the summit.

The good thing about this Rampage team? Well, pretty much everything. The goaltending has been the biggest question mark, but this 9-1-0 run with Houser and now Brittain, has answered many questions there. It’s not that Houser and Brittain are Fleury-esque, but let’s face it, they aren’t Dan Ellis, even as they play that way during the regular season. Ellis will have a chance to continue to rescue his career during the Calder Cup playoff run, but Tom Rowe has to feel great knowing he can turn to his younger netminders in time of need.

The offense is three-lines deep as far as scoring goes. In fact, the Rampage healthy scratches can usually outscore 3-4 teams in the league.

There are 10 games left. This is a team that simply can’t afford to stub their toes in Des Moines this weekend. Adirondack(2), the Grand Rapids Griffins(2) and the Texas Stars(3)–who have returned from whatever alternate dimension they fell into earlier this season–await the Rampage after this short trip. Those last five will determine just how good this team is.

Photo by Darren Abate.

After a week off, RWtH Live returned firing on all cylinders, much like the team we cover. This week, JP and I recap a successful weekend that felt an awful lot like the playoffs, chat with Rampage Associate Head Coach Scott Allen, and look ahead to the final 11 games of this roller coaster season.

We also cover my Three Stars of the Week–with a couple of feel good stories–and look ahead to some possible playoff matchups for the Silver and Black.

We will return next Monday to recap this week’s action outside the state of Texas and hopefully have a little more clarity on the wild playoff picture in the Western Conference. Be sure to tune in by using the “Listen Live” tab at the top of the page.

All of this week’s action–Wednesday in Milwaukee, Friday/Saturday in Iowa–can be heard on Ticket760 with Dan “Best in the Business” Weiss on the mic.

Photo by Josh Huskin.

On this week’s episode of Running With the Herd Live, JP and I recap the end of the Rodeo Road Trip and Military Appreciation Night, and the lovely traffic that went with it, and look ahead to a very possible playoff run for the Rampage. We were also joined by voice of the Rampage, Dan Weiss, who talked about Michael Houser’s new-found badassery, an improved defensive Rampage team, and newcomers Dany Heatley and Matt Corrente.

Join us again next week as we look back at another big week for the silver and black and look ahead to a busy March schedule. You can listen live on Stucknut Radio by clicking the Listen Live tab at the top of the page. You can also subscribe to the podcast on Itunes if you are unable to listen live.

In this week’s installment, we spell “relief” T-A-L-L-O-N. JP and I quickly break down the weekend split with OKC, discuss the bizarro world NHL Trade Deadline Day of 2015, and welcome a few new faces to the Silver and Black. We also discuss the news that the newly formed Pacific Division has confirmed they will play 68 games next season and how this could impact the rest of the league.

Join us next week as we welcome the Rampage home after a month on the road and assess the new guys after their first three games in action. Tune in, as always–well almost always–next Monday at 7pm on the Stucknut Radio Network by clicking the Listen Live tab.

Photo by Drew Patterson

San Antonio Rampage (29-18-4-0) 62 pts – 6th in Western Conf.
vs.
Chicago Wolves (26-19-5-1) 58 pts – 9th in Western Conf.

Saturday Feb 21st – 7pm CST
Sunday Feb 22nd – 3pm CST

The Rampage went into this year’s Rodeo Road Trip 9 points clear of the last playoff spot. Going into this weekend’s two-game set with Chicago, the Silver and Black sit just four points ahead of 9th place in the division. The team holding that spot? The Chicago Wolves.

While the Rampage have started the trip 2-3, teams like Grand Rapids (points in 9 of 10), Texas (points in 8 of 10) , and Hamilton (points in 8 of 10) have gone on hot streaks, tightening up the Western Conference playoff race. Chicago, meanwhile, much like the Rampage, have hovered around .500 in their last 10 and have slipped from 6th to 9th place.

The Rampage, coming off a Wednesday morning 4-0 whitewashing of Rockford on the shoulders of a balanced offense and Michael Houser, will need the league’s top scoring offense to come through once again this weekend. Chicago is a very good defensive team in the mold of their NHL affiliate Blues. They also have two very good goalies in rookie Jordan Binnington (17 wins 2.33GAA .915%) and former Rampage fan favorite Matt Climie (9 wins 2.34GAA .911%).

The Wolves are led on offense by Shane Harper, whose 21 goals has him tied with Bobby Butler for 3rd in the AHL and Ty Rattie who has scored 17 goals while getting five games with the Blues.

This will be the last time these teams see each other barring a playoff matchup. The two team split their previous two meetings in San Antonio in December.

I could say this is the biggest weekend of the season so far and I wouldn’t be wrong. That said, every weekend from this point on will be the “biggest weekend” with the conference being so tight from top to bottom.

Notes:

• Mark Mancari played in 113 regular season games and 5 more playoff contests (we remember those…) with the Wolves over two seasons, putting up 39g-57a-96pts combined.
• Wolves defenseman, Mathieu Brodeur, suited up for the Rampage for six games over two seasons as a Coyotes prospect from 2009-2011.
• The Rampage have scored a league leading 68 goals in the second period. The Wolves, meanwhile, have allowed just 39 goals in the middle frame which is 3rd best.
• The team to score first will have a huge advantage in these games. The Rampage are 20-5-2 (0.778) and the Wolves are an astounding 20-3-1-1 (0.840) respectively when cracking the scoreboard first.

As always, you can listen to Rampage hockey on Ticket 760 with the best broadcaster in the AHL Dan Weiss calling all the action.