Wash, Rinse, Repeat: Rampage Over Barons in Shootout

 Photo by Darren Abate

 

  Photo by Darren Abate

 Photo by Josh Huskin

This team is doing everything in their power to make me lose years off of my life. Whether it's the seemingly random rotation of healthy scratches or the lack of aggression on defense when protecting a lead, the Rampage find ways to make games stressful. But the end result is hard to argue with.

The Rampage struggled to solve Barons goalie Jason LaBarbera for 47 minutes. In a three minute span of the 3rd period, however, the home team was twice able to beat the long time NHL backup. Bobby Butler would strike first on yet another Jared Gomes special. Gomes removed his man from the puck behind the Barons goal and sent a pass to the front which Butler tipped past a sprawling LaBarbera pulling the Rampage even 1-1.

Less than three minutes later, with a Ryan Martindale slashing penalty running out, Jon Matsumoto would put the Rampage in front. After a cycle around the Barons net, Dennis Urban fired a pass wide of the Barons net that Matsumoto expertly deflected over the shoulder of the LaBarbera giving the Rampage a 2-1 lead and energizing the previously silent Rampage crowd.

The Barons would pull even, though, in the final two minutes as Linus Omark beat Michael Caruso to a puck in the slot and fired a low wrister beating Markstrom and stunning the 7,037 in attendance. 

After a scoreless overtime which saw the Barons outshoot the Rampage 7-4 and also one of the worst "Roughing" calls known to man, the two teams would go to a shootout for the second time in the last four meetings. 

Jared Gomes would get the lone goal on the first Rampage attempt, but it's all they would need as Markstrom would stone all five Barons shooters earning his fourth win of the season. The young phenom goalie is now 4-2 with a 2.29 GAA and .932% in six starts since being assigned to the Rampage from the Panthers.

These same two teams will face off again tonight in OKC for the second half of a home and home. The Rampage are now 4-2 against the Barons on the season and 0-1 in OKC going into tonight's contest.

News and Notes:
- Newly signed defenseman, Doug Janik, is skating with the team but isn't expected to play until mid-December at the earliest. He is recovering from offseason surgery.
- The Panthers are getting healthy again, which could mean a move or two may need to be made to stay under the 23 man limit. Stay tuned...