新聞稿

The past 20 days have seen a lot of changes to the Grand Rapids Rampage's roster, not the least of which included the departure of then leading scorer Indulis Rudulis and the arrival of new star goaltender Janez Kavčič. Only now though are some of the reasons for the moves coming to light.

One of the lower-profile moves by the team has grabbed headlines recently. Most didn't think much of the club terminating third-line winger Dylan Hannah's contract immediately following Monday's game against the Shaaaaaarks. That was until blurry security footage surfaced online that seemed to show the New Zealand native breaking into a local petting zoo after hours.

When asked about the incident and Hannah's release, team owner and GM Cory Martin responded, "There was an incident. Some sheep were involved. I cannot comment on specifics, but this does explain why Dylan kept pushing us to change the jersey materials to a wool blend."

Some fans have reported that a company that makes memorabilia for an unnamed rival team had rescinded an offer to modify any Hannah jerseys to say Sheep#$@!er with the purchase of $40 of their team's memorabilia. A quick perusal of eBay seems to indicate that a number of fans did take advantage of the offer during the short window of opportunity it was open.

With Hannah still a free agent on the open market, it will be interesting to see who rolls the dice on the winger. Hannah, however, wasn't the only player jettisoned for behavioral reasons. Indulis Rudulis, the former leading scorer for the team, was benched and placed on the market for his hard-partying lifestyle and lackadaisical work routine, according to an unidentified source within the organization. His poor work ethic had reportedly begun to rub off on fellow countrymen Aleksis Duncis and Vitauts Ikaunieks, which resulted in the trio being shipped out.

Rampage fans do have a lot to celebrate with the roster shakeup. The team has lost only 1 game since beginning the makeover to the top team in the league, the Dooshnozzles, after folding like an origami accordion in the third period of that game. Surprisingly, had the team not chosen to open their wallet for star goaltender Janez Kavčič, they actually would have turned a profit on the player market while simultaneously improving their team. Fans are happy to have Kavčič though. The club has been able to assemble a strong team by paying no more than $600,000 on any one player save for Kavčič, but management recognized that quality goaltending couldn't be found in the bargain bin. Since joining the team, Kavčič has recorded 1 shutout and been named to the daily all-star team 3 times in 7 games. Fans have recognized the goaltender's performance, as his has easily been the top-selling jersey.

Looking ahead, the Rampage play an important game against TERREMOTOS L.A.CA. Friday. 4th through 7th place are in a tight race right now with only 5 points separating them, and a win over the 3rd place team could propel the Rampage as high as 5th place depending on the outcomes of the other games. TERREMOTOS L.A.CA. will be without star goaltender Sławomir Mączka due to a collarbone fracture. Rampage center Étienne Escudie said in an interview following a win over the Covington Rowdies Wednesday, "Injuries are part of the game. If an opponent's star goes down, you just hope it's when you have to play them." The team immediately issued a statement saying the Escudie's comments do not reflect those of the organization and wished TERREMOTOS goalie Sławomir Mączka a speedy recovery. The effort was unnecessary however, as karma struck back and sidelined Escudie with a right forearm tendon inflammation for the game against TERREMOTOS. The irony was not lost on the center, as he flipped a reporter the bird with his good arm when asked about it following the team's most recent practice.

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