Rampage look to build on week one success with road trek to Terrace

Update: Rampage defeated the Terrace River Kings 4-2

The bags will be loaded up tomorrow and the bus gassed up with a full tank as the Prince Rupert Rampage make their first road trip of the 2016-17 season Saturday, the destination but an hour and a half to Terrace and a match up with the River Kings.

The Rampage take to the road with an opening week win under their belts, having held off a late game surge by the visiting Kitimat Ice Demons to secure a 3-2 victory in front of the usual large and vocal Rhino supporters in the stands at the Jim.

The Ice Demons provided the first of the book ends on the scoring on the night with an opening goal in the first seven minutes of play, a wake up call for the Rampage to push their game a bit and knock down any building momentum from the visitors.

And the home team did just that mid way through the first with a power play marker to tie the game, followed by another before the first period ended to give the Rampage a 2-1 lead.

The Rampage took the lead for good early in the third and then put in a strong defensive effort as the Kitimat squad turned on their offence, scoring once and getting numerous power play opportunities through the final frame to try and get the tying marker.

By the time the the final horn went, the Rampage had survived a flurry of Kitimat scoring chances, sending the visitors back home with their first loss of the young CIHL season.

The game, as it always seems to be when Kitimat and Rupert match up was a physical one, with some heavy hits, some nasty shots, fights and ejections making for the parade to the penalty box and off the ice.

The hard fought win on home ice sets the tone for week two play as the Rampage face a River Kings team that has some unfinished business from 2015-16 in mind, having come within one goal of claiming the Coy Cup  from the Fort St. John Flyers last March.

The River Kings who made it to the Senior Mens' final by way of hosting duties for the tournament will be focused on claiming the CIHL title this year and making another run at the Cup in 2017.

Key to the game this weekend will be holding Terrace scoring threats off the scoreboard, with attention directed towards Ben Reinbolt who led the River Kings in scoring in 2015-16,  gathering 22 points in the regular season and 10 in the River Kings Playoff run.

Other concerns will be Kenny Nordstrom and Captain Steve Cullis, both will be looking to revisit their success of last season when they claimed 22 and 20 regular season points each respectively.

Puck drop tomorrow evening at the Terrace Ice Arena is set for 7 PM for those looking to make the journey for the first road game of the year.

Saturday nights game in Terrace launches a home and home series between the two teams, with the River Kings in town on October 15th to take on the Rampage at the Jim at 7PM.

More notes on the Ramapge and the CIHL can be found on our Archive page here, while Scores and summaries can be reviewed on our Results page.