sarampage.com: GAMEDAY PREVIEW

San Antonio Rampage (3-3-0-0) vs. Toronto Marlies (3-3-0-0)
Apr 28, 2008 -- Ricoh Coliseum
AHL Game #E-7

The Rampage can capture their first-ever Calder Cup Playoff series victory with a win over the Toronto Marlies in Game 7 of their North Division semifinal tonight at Ricoh Coliseum ... The Rampage (42-28-3-7, 94 points) are making their second trip ever to the Calder Cup Playoffs with the most wins and points in a single-season in franchise history … They finished fifth in the AHL West Division, and crossed to the North Division bracket by virtue of earning more points than the fourth-place team (Hamilton) in the North … The Rampage finished with 19 wins away from the AT&T Center, their most road wins ever in a single season … The previous postseason visit came in 2003 for the Rampage … They were swept in a best-of-five series by the Norfolk Admirals in the first round.

AGAINST THE MARLIES: The Rampage evened the best-of-seven series following a 3-0 whitewash in Game 6 Sunday night … Josh Tordjman recorded the first postseason shutout in team history, and rookies Chad Kolarik and Dylan Reese picked up two points apiece … Reese scored his first career playoff goal late in the opening period to record his first pro multiple-point game … Kolarik leads the team with four goals in the playoffs, all coming in Canada … Since allowing three goals in a Game 2 victory, Tordjman has not allowed more than two … In the last four games he has allowed only six goals while in net and has posted a .953 save-percentage (122-128) … The Rampage have gone 3-1 this season in Toronto, and 4-1-0-1 all-time … They have captured two of three in Toronto in the series, while the Marlies took two of three played at the AT&T Center last week … The team that has led after two periods has won every game in the series … The Rampage have converted on 4 of 14 (28.6%) power-plays in the three games played in Toronto during the series … They own the highest power-play success rate on the road in the 2008 Calder Cup Playoffs … They are tied for the top road penalty-kill percentage in the playoffs as well, keeping the Marlies off the board on all 14 of Toronto’s power-plays at Ricoh Coliseum … The Rampage have killed off 30 of 31 Toronto power-plays in the series, and 38 of 39 total including the regular season … Tordjman picked up the franchise’s first postseason win in Game 2 and owns all three playoff victories in team history … Both San Antonio wins in Toronto have come by three-goal margins (Game 2, 6-3; Game 6, 3-0) … The other four games of the series have been decided by one goal … Former Marlie Brendan Bell leads the Rampage with seven points (two goals, five assists) in the series … The Marlies finished the season 50-21-3-6 (109 points), atop the North Division and second in the Western Conference … This is the first Game 7 in either team’s history.

SERIES NOTEBOOK:
Either Toronto or San Antonio will capture its first-ever Calder Cup Playoff series win in this match-up of teams making their second all-time postseason appearances... The North Division champion Marlies put up 109 points this season, the most ever by a Toronto Maple Leafs affiliate... In its only previous postseason appearance, Toronto was eliminated in the 2006 division semis by a Grand Rapids team coached by current Rampage bench boss Greg Ireland... San Antonio, which was swept in the first round by Norfolk in 2003, has yet to win a playoff game in its history... San Antonio’s roster contains former Calder Cup champions Joey Tenute (2006), Travis Roche (2003) and Bryan Helmer (1995), while Matt Murley reached the Calder Cup Finals in 2004... Marlies defenseman Derrick Walser won the Calder Cup with Saint John in 2001.

THE LAST TIME VS TORONTO (Playoffs):
Last Home Win: April 23, 2008 (3-2)
Last Home Loss: April 25, 2008 (2-1)
Last Home OT Loss: None
Last Road Win: April 27, 2008 (3-0)
Last Road Loss: April 16, 2008 (4-3)
Last Road OT Loss: None

2008 PLAYOFF SERIES SCHEDULE & RESULTS:


Game	Date	Location	Time (CT) / Result
1	Wednesday, April 16	San Antonio at Toronto	SAN 3 / TOR 4 (L)
2	Friday, April 18	San Antonio at Toronto	SAN 6 / TOR 3 (W)
3	Monday, April 21	Toronto at San Antonio	TOR 2 / SAN 3 (W)
4	Wednesday, April 23	Toronto at San Antonio	TOR 3 / SAN 2 (L)
5	Friday, April 25	Toronto at San Antonio	TOR 2 / SAN 1 (L)
6	Sunday, April 27	San Antonio at Toronto	SAN 3 / TOR 0 (W)
7	Monday, April 28	San Antonio at Toronto	6:30 p.m.

THE LAST TIME VS TORONTO (Regular Season):
Last Home Win: November 4, 2006 (4-3)
Last Home Loss: None
Last Home Tie/SOL: January 20, 2008 (2-1, SO)
Last Home Overtime Loss: None
Last Road Win: February 6, 2008 (4-2)
Last Road Loss: None
Last Road Tie/SOL: February 4, 2006 (2-1)
Last Road Overtime Loss: None

2007-08 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE & RESULTS:
Home: Jan. 20 (SOL, 2-1)
Away: Feb. 6 (W, 4-2)

**CALDER CUP HISTORY**
	San Antonio	Toronto
Appearances	2nd	2nd
Record (games)	0-3	1-4
Record (series)	0-1	0-1
OT record	0-1	0-2
Calder Cup finalist	0	0
Calder Cup titles	0	0

WHAT IS A MARLIE, YOU ASK?
The team is named after the former Toronto Marlboroughs junior hockey team, but the abbreviated "Marlies" name was chosen to avoid any potential association with the similarly named cigarette brand (source: Wikipedia).

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ROAD SWEET ROAD: The road team has won four of the six games in the series.

LOTS OF SHOTS: The Rampage had out shot the Marlies in each of the first five games of the series, by a combined total of 170-145. The Marlies turned the tables and out shot the Rampage 38-24 in Game Six.

FACING ELIMINATION: The Rampage are 1-1 in franchise history when facing elimination after beating Toronto 3-0 in Game Six. The marlies are 0-1 in franchise history when facing elimination.

TIGHT GAMES: Out of the six games played so far, there have been four one-goal games. The Rampage are 1-3 in those four games, after going 20-10-3-7 in one goal games in the regular season.

FARTHEST EVER: The Rampage have never played a Game Seven in franchise history. In their only other playoff appearance they were swept 3-0 by Norfolk in 2003. The Marlies also have never played a Game Seven in franchise history, falling 4-1 to Grand Rapids in five games in 2006.

PLAYOFF POWER PLAY: The Rampage have scored at least one power play goal in five of the six games of the series, only being blanked 0-3 in Game Five. Overall in the series they are a combined 7 for 33 (21.2 % 2nd AHL).

PENALTY KILL POWER PLAY REPORT: The Rampage were 5-5 in Game One, 5-5 in Game Two, 6-6 in Game Three, 9-10 in Game Four, 1-1 in Game Five and 4-4 in Game Six against Toronto on the penalty kill. The Rampage started out the series by killing off the first 22 Marlies power play chances. They are 30-31 in the series and are fourth on the penalty kill in the AHL post-season at 96.8 %. Counting the regular season the Rampage are 37-38 (97.4 %) against Toronto this year on the penalty kill.

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SHUTOUTS: Rampage goalie Josh Tordjman stopped 38 shots to shutout Toronto 3-0 in Game Six. Tordjman had one shutout in the regular season, and the Rampage had four as a team by four different goalies.