Greetings from Rockford, Illinois where this week’s late evening edition of Views from the Press Box is powered by the wonderful complimentary high-speed Internet service at the Rockford Hilton Garden Inn. It is here in the Great Midwest where the Rampage will look to get back to their winning ways with first meetings against both the IceHogs and the Peoria Rivermen, followed by a Saturday affair at Toyota Center where San Antonio will try and score their first win in four tries against the Aeros and pick up some ground in the Lone Star Face-Off Series. But before we surge ahead into November, I think it’s time for a bit of a pick-me-up for the loyal fans of Rampage Nation who might be feeling discouraged based on the club’s recent struggles by looking back at the multitude of highlights that took place in the month of October:

- The Rampage jumped out to their best start in franchise history through eight games with a record of 6-1-1.

- The team set three new franchise records all in the first period on Oct. 17 against Grand Rapids for goals in a period (six), fastest goal to start a game (19 seconds), and fastest two goals (10 seconds). The 10 seconds between goals broke the record of 11 seconds set the previous night in Houston. The Rampage matched another franchise record the following day against Grand Rapids by scoring four power play goals.

- Defenseman Sean Sullivan became just the fifth player in franchise history to capture the league’s player of the week honor after scoring back-to-back game-winning goals in overtime and adding three assists in a two-game weekend sweep of the Abbotsford Heat.

- Brett MacLean scored five goals and added three assists in a three-game weekend against Houston and Grand Rapids.

- San Antonio captured their first victory against the Griffins since Nov. 30, 2007.

- The Rampage are 40-23-4-3 since starting last season 2-20-1.

I think that should reassure everyone about what kind of talent this club possesses and hopefully what kind of season were in store for. Remember, adversity in life is a good thing. It reveals character and builds chemistry. And like I said last week, it’s a lot better to go through adversity in October as opposed to April. Meanwhile, both coaches have raved about how strong the recent practices have been and that the players simply just need to get back into rhythm of playing games again on a consistent basis. That being said, I’ve got a hunch that we’re in store for a good week on the road…

…It will be that precious rhythm, or should I say lack thereof, that will certainly challenge the Rampage this month. After this week, San Antonio will play just five times over the final 23 days in November. Players despise nothing more than the monotonous routine of practicing, so look for the coaches and team leaders to do some different team-building activities this month to keep everyone focused and loose before we really get into the grind of the season…

…This week’s opponents Rockford (0-4-1), Peoria (0-2-1), and Houston (0-3) are riding a combined 11-game winless streak. Couple that with the Rampage’s four-game winless streak (0-3-1) and something’s gotta give right…

…Are you looking for a way to kill some time before tuning into tomorrow’s game? Check out the premiere episode of “Crashing the Net”, our new coaches show filmed exclusively for SARAMPAGE.com. Coach Ireland offers some good insight into topics surrounding both the team and the rest of the American Hockey League that I don’t get an opportunity to discuss with him during our pre-game chat before each and every game. We’ll try to film a new episode as often as possible, and we’ll reserve the final segment of future episodes for a fan Q&A segment so if you have any questions you’d like to have Coach Ireland answer, feel free to email them to me at dweiss@attcenter.com. Our next episode is tentatively scheduled for November 17…

…We don’t look often at what’s going on in the Eastern Conference, but you have to stop and marvel at the start that the Manchester Monarchs have gotten off to. Manchester is 9-2-1 and is tied with Rochester for the most points in the AHL, but what’s even more amazing is how they’re winning. The Monarchs have allowed just 17 goals through 12 games following a six-game home-stand in which they outscored their opponents by a whopping margin of 21-3. That translates to a minute 1.42 goals against average! Former LA Kings first round pick Jonathan Bernier has been a rock in between the pipes with a record of 6-2 coupled with a 1.49 goals against average, a .956% save percentage and two shutouts. But he’s been bested by his counterpart Jeff Zatkoff who possesses league-bests with his 0.75 goals against average and .978% save percentage. According to the factoids at the AHL, Monarchs opponents have been denied on 96.4% of their shots this season. Impressive indeed…

…Congratulations to Worcester bench boss Roy Sommer who became just the fourth coach in AHL history Sunday to record 400 career wins. Sommer joins Fred Cook, Frank Mathers, and John Paddock on the illustrious list. What’s even more amazing is that Sommers has recorded every win while guiding the primary affiliate of the San Jose Sharks for the past 11 seasons. Sommers has worked in Kentucky, Cleveland, and now Worcester…

…Upset of the Week: Abbotsford went 3-0 on the back-end of their six game road trip last week despite scoring just five goals combined in regulation.

…Did you know that Houston has the best penalty kill (95.8%) and the worst power play (6.6%) in the AHL?

…Bring on those questions! Send your questions and comments to dweiss@attcenter.com. Be sure to follow “Views from the Press Box” on Twitter all season at “SARAMPAGE”.