San Antonio Rampage 4, Chicago Wolves 3
SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- San Antonio's power-play prowess has positioned the Rampage within one win of pulling the plug on the Chicago Wolves' season.
After winning Game 1 on Thursday night with a power-play goal in overtime, San Antonio scored on its first three man-advantage chances during Game 2 of their best-of-five Western Conference Quarterfinals and held on for a 4-3 victory Saturday night at AT&T Center.
The Rampage is 5 for 10 on the power play in the series. San Antonio has won all six games this season against Chicago by one goal.
The third-seeded Wolves got their first goal from veteran center Kevin Doell at 14:14 of the first period. By that point, sixth-seeded San Antonio already had power-play tallies from right wing Bill Thomas and center James Wright.
Darren Haydar and Doell delivered power-play goals 41 seconds apart in the third period --- the Wolves taking advantage of a 5-on-3 situation --- to pull within 4-3 at 8:48 of the third. They couldn't produce the equalizer on a power play granted with 2:09 to play.
Wolves goaltender Matt Climie (0-1) was pulled by coach Craig MacTavish at 13:43 of the second period after he allowed a Bracken Kearns wrist shot to go between his legs to make it a 4-1 game. Climie finished with 20 saves while Eddie Lack stopped 7 shots in relief. Rampage goaltender Jacob Markstrom (2-0) rejected 36 shots to pick up the win.
Wolves center Steve Reinprecht, the team's No. 4 scorer during the regular season with 13 goals and 30 assists in 57 games, left the ice early in the first period after taking a puck to the head and did not return.
The series shifts to Allstate Arena in suburban Chicago the rest of the way. Game 3 gets underway at 7 p.m. Tuesday with Game 4, if necessary, going at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. Game 5, if necessary, starts at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
