In the game against Team North, the Rampage played some of the top players out of Minnesota High School Sections 7AA, 8A, and 8AA high schools.  North players had played on USA Hockey’s national teams and in the Minnesota State Hockey tourneys held at the Xcel last March.

Saturday morning, it was the Rampage defense that stymied the North offense and built a 4-0 lead through the first two and a half periods.  The Rampage’s great team defensive play was anchored by goalie Jacob Weatherly.

North didn’t score until 12 minutes were left on the clock.  The Rampage defense had proved tough till North’s Cole Smith/Brainerd beat the Rampage defense on the right side.  Smith buried the puck to cut the Rampage lead to 4-1.  Tanner Tweten/East Grand Forks and Carter Roo/Benilde-St. Margaret’s got the assists.

It was “game on” after that score.  The North pressure closed the gap to 4-3 with 30 seconds left on the clock, but the Rampage defense steadied their play and killed the remaining time adding an open net goal.

It was a great game for the Rampage defense that returned only two players from last year’s team, Jack Sumner and goalie Weatherly.  Weatherly was in the nets for the Rampage’s games at New Hope last September.

The Rampage top scorers from last season returned.  Their #2 scorer (JJ Huerena 28 points/14 goals/40 games) and #3 scorer (Jack Suter 28 points/13 goals/40 games) returned and were paired on a Rampage line with last year’s #5 scorer Logan Speelman (24 points/11 goals/40 games).  The line, given a chance, was tough to stop.  The Rampage have added strength in lines anchored with returnee Cam Strong (15 points/5 goals/40 games) and new comer Cody Holland.

The first period was fairly evenly played.  Each team had pressure.  Holland scored the only goal with 5 minutes left on the clock. Nolan Carothers got the assist.  The shots on goal were fairly even.  The Rampage led 1-0 after the first period.

It was the tough play of the Rampage defense in the second period that was the game winner.  The Rampage’s Jack Suter scored five minutes into the second period to put the Rampage up 2-0.  Suter broke into the slot off the right boards and powered the puck into the net.  It was a good shot from dead center slot.  Sean Giles got the assist.  The Rampage led 2-0.

The Rampage aggressive cost them at the 11 minute mark.  They drew a 5 minute major.  Team North pressured the Rampage defense for the first three minutes of the penalty maintaining control of the puck in the Rampage zone.  Though they failed to clear the puck, the Rampage managed to get a couple of stoppages to make line changes.

They kept their poise and maintained position as Team North moved the puck around the perimeter for most of the 5 minute penalty.  More importantly they would cover all three sides of the net on rebounds, boxing the North forwards out.

Team North failed to score on the major penalty and started to lose puck control as the penalty ended.  The Rampage zone clearing passes started to click.  With 30 seconds left in the period, Suter scored again.

A neat pass allowed Suter to carry the puck deep into North’s zone skating down the right side with Logan Speelman breaking down the left side.  Suter faked a pass towards Speelman and fired the puck into the net through the North’s goalie’s 5-hole.  The fake had gotten the goalie to opened his stance slightly.  The continuous follow through by Suter on the shot took advantage of the opening.  Rampage led 3-0.  Logan Speelman and JJ Huerena got the assists.

After surviving a tough major call and skating shorthanded for 5 minutes, most teams will come out of the locker room playing tired.  At the start of the third period in this game, the Rampage’s veteran Cameron Strong ended that thought by scoring in the first minute of the third period to put Colorado up 4-0.  Ryan Bochert got the assist.

North continued to pressure the Rampage in their zone, but Strong’s goal got the defense fired up again. Between the Rampage’s defense play and the goalie Weatherly saves, the North forwards had no place to go.

North was zeroed for the first 8 minutes of the third period.

Weatherly had made 28 saves before giving up a goal.  He went on to make 42 stops (YHH count).  The Rampage defense was the key to their building a big lead until the North’s Cole Smith scored at the 8 minute mark.


The Rampage still led 4-1 with three minutes left in the game when Team North’s Jack Jensen beat the Rampage defense going low and turning the right corner.  He moved to his power side and beat Weatherly low left to score unassisted and cut the Rampage lead to 4-2.

There were two plus minutes left to play.  Play heated up.  The Rampage defense started to scramble and lose poise.  Two minutes later, North’s Carter Roo scored to cut the Rampage lead to 4-3.  Chris Pohlkamp got the assist.

Then the Rampage defense took over.  In the last 30 seconds of the game they kept the North team out of the offensive zone.  Jack Suter scored an empty netter with 10 seconds to go to end the 5-3, Rampage win.  Suter gets the hat trick.

The Rampage return to Colorado this week to continue their workouts getting ready for the 2013-2014 season.  After the game, Rampage players Cam Strong and JJ Heurena stepped out to talk to YHH.  Both are second year players with Rampage and they are focused first on their team’s chances to make the national tourney.  To get there they will have to win the Colorado state title, no easy feat.

Cam Strong, a taller lanky forward, is looking for the opportunity to move up next year by playing hockey at the junior level.  JJ Heurena, already tendered, is looking to improve and to continue to impress.  Both wore easy smiles, happy to play the game and happy to have won.

When asked if number of players (eigth) off his team last season that moved to junior hockey (Tier I or Tier II) was a high number; Coach Sherman in a matter of fact voice said “no”.  “It was an average number”.

Considering Coach Sherman has four of his top seven scorers returning this year, it is an impressive number.  Jack Suter and JJ Heurena have already signed tenders to play in the NAHL.  Suter has signed with Corpus Christi and Heurena with Springfield.

It would be nice to see the Rampage playing defense in the Nationals next April.