SAN ANTONIO – The Missions final season in the Texas League has come and gone. However, if you were looking to get your "Flying Chanclas" fix, you're in luck.
On Friday, October 26, the Rampage will become the "Los Chimuelos de San Antonio" when they host the San Jose Barracuda at the AT&T Center. The announcement was made on Thursday in front of La Gloria at the Pearl. The Rampage will don the new name, which means "men missing teeth", for their inaugural Dia de los Muertos game. Their mascot, T-Bone, will also have his name changed to El Bistec for this one game.
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No other team in the American Hockey League changes their name for a game and only the Ontario Reign have a Dia de los Muertos promotional night.
Tickets and merchandise for this event are already available at www.SARampage.com/Chimuelos.
The 2018-19 Rampage players have been arriving in San Antonio over the weekend as training camp opens Monday at the Northwoods Ice Center. More players are expected to arrive as the St. Louis Blues continue to make cuts to their rosters before the start of the NHL season.
San Antonio will only be affiliated with St. Louis this year, after splitting the squad last season with players from both the Blues and Colorado Avalanche.
Fans will see some familiar faces on the visitors side when the Rampage face the newest team in the league, the Colorado Eagles. The Eagles moved up to the AHL from the ECHL this season and now are affiliated solely with the Avalanche. The Rampage will host the Eagles on October 12 and 13.
Besides the new players, the Rampage will have a new head coach.
Gone are head coach Eric Veilleux and fan favorite Rocco Grimaldi, who signed a one-year deal with the Nashville Predators this summer.
Drew Bannister was named the 12th head coach for the Rampage as the squad enters it's 17th season in the league. Bannister lead the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds to the best record in franchise history in the Ontario Hockey League last year and was named coach of the year. He also lead the Greyhounds to three-straight playoff appearances. San Antonio hasn't made the AHL playoffs since 2015.
The Rampage will have two exhibition games with the Texas Stars beginning Friday. San Antonio will host the Grand Rapids Griffins to start the season on Saturday, October 6.
Below are the theme nights coming up for the Rampage this season:
Sat., Oct. 6 - Opening Night presented by Grunt Style
Fri., Oct. 26 - Día De Los Muertos
Tue., Nov. 13 - Cool School Day presented by Wells Fargo
Sat., Nov. 17 - Hockey Fights Cancer
Sat., Dec. 8 - Teddy Bear Toss presented by H-E-B
Fri., Dec. 14 - Ugly Holiday Sweater Night
Fri. Feb. 1 - Pink in the Rink presented by Methodist Healthcare System
Fri., March 1 - Military Appreciation Night presented by Grunt Style
Tue., March 5 - College Career Readiness Night
Sun. March 24 - Pucks & Paws presented by Raising Cane’s
Sat. April 6 - First Responders Night presented by San Antonio’s Finest Realty
Fri. April 12 - Fan Appreciation Night
Twitter/Instagram: @SArampage
Daniel P. Villanueva has worked with KSAT 12 Sports for over 15 years and is an award-winning sports producer. To submit story ideas, email sports@ksat.com.