(Photo credit to Portraits by Deena)
The hardwood floor used by the San Antonio Spurs is stacked in piles in the dark recesses of the AT&T Center. The ice the San Antonio Rampage play on, complete with the team logo at center ice, is melted and squeegeed down the drain. 2,160 tons of dirt is poured into the AT&T Center. This happens every February when the annual San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo arrives in town. It's also the last time many Rampage fans will get to watch their favorite hockey team for a month.
In this season's Rodeo Road Trip, the Rampage traveled 7,310 miles, played 11 games, in nine different cities, over a three week period of time. This can be a difficult time for the die hard fans who are used to watching "their team" play the sport they so dearly love. Over the four weeks the team was on the road, many fans developed a closer bond with the radio voice of the Rampage, Dan Weiss. Some even dropped a pretty dime to stream a game online. Fans fought through skipping video and buffering messages to watch their beloved Rampage on a tiny computer screen. It’s simply what fans are used to in San Antonio.
In some ways this year’s trip was easier than those in the past. The team was able to come home twice due to long layoffs, something that hasn’t normally happened during the Rodeo Road Trip. Even with that, three straight weekends of three games in three nights on the road can take a toll on a team. Yet, the Rampage went 7-3-1, the best Rodeo Road Trip record in franchise history. Two of the three losses coming in the third game of the “3 in 3”.
According to head coach, Chuck Weber, the team took this unique opportunity to bond.
“I think you just see that the guys come closer together. They’re in it together and really want the best for each other. More and more, they are kind of developing into brothers,” Weber said.
Rampage defenseman and first year Rodeo Road participant, Keith Seabrook agreed.
“There were a lot of meals with the guys, kind of laughing and joking around. Everyone is doing stuff together; I’d say the team bonding is really fun,” said Seabrook.
Being on the road, whether on a bus or plane, or stuck in the middle of nowhere in a hotel can mean a lot of down time for the players. While in Chicago, forward Bracken Kearns used his time to catch up on some reading. He even got the chance to tour the city and visit Wrigley Field. Seabrook used some of his time off in Chicago to visit with his brother, Chicago Blackhawks defenseman, Brent.
“While we were in Chicago, I got to see my brother and just hang out a bit. I don’t get to see him much, so that was a lot of fun.”
Unfortunately, Coach Weber didn’t get to enjoy as much down time.
“On off days, you’re practicing or traveling. We also need to stay ahead of the game with pre-scouts and going through the previous games video. Just trying to stay as prepared as possible,” said Weber.
While Kearns and Seabrook agreed it can be easier to focus solely on hockey while being on the road for an extended amount of time, both players were anxious to get home and play in front of their home crowd.
“It’s always good to come back to your barn...we have great fans here and great support,” Seabrook said.
“It’s tough to win no matter where you play in this league, but it definitely feels good to score in front of your home fans,” Kearns added.
After earning 15 of a possible 22 points on the trip, the Rampage have set themselves up for a stretch run and possible playoff berth nicely.
- 11 of 18 remaining games are at home.
- Three of their road games are inside the state of Texas.
- They jumped from 9th to 4th in the conference over the course of the trip.
- They play 10 of their remaining games against teams not currently in the top 8 of the conference.
Thanks to a resilient and well coached 2012 version of the Rampage, this season’s trip, normally a source of frustration and boredom for fans, was filled with cheers and excitement. These guys are playing like they know they can beat anyone. They did it on the road in the toughest stretch of the season. They came from behind. They scored early and held on. They scored late when they needed to. They are playing with confidence and discipline. As a team. As brothers.
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