Rampage ends Wolves’ season

The Chicago Wolves rallied to tie the score with 1:08 remaining in the third period, but the San Antonio Rampage posted the series-winning goal to win 3-2 in double overtime in Game 5 of the Western Conference quarterfinals Friday night at the Allstate Arena.

San Antonio grabbed the game-winner at 5:28 of double overtime. The Rampage won a board battle and the puck squirted to center Jon Matsumoto, who walked in on Wolves goaltender Eddie Lack and fed defenseman Roman Derlyuk back door.

Derlyuk snapped home the game-winner into an empty net to lift San Antonio to a 3-2 series win.

“We dug ourselves into a pretty big hole, tonight and earlier in the series,” Wolves coach Craig MacTavish said. “We fought back hard to get to overtime. But in overtime, it is usually someone making a play to get a goal, and they were able to convert on one of theirs.”

Trailing 2-0 midway through the third period, third-seeded Chicago cut its deficit to 2-1 at 10:34. Defenseman Brad Hunt controlled the puck behind the net, walked to the bottom of the far circle and snapped a shot on net that crept through the post and Rampage goalie Jacob Markstrom’s pads and dropped over the goal line.

The Wolves tied the game at 2-2 with 1:08 remaining in regulation.

With Lack on the bench for the extra attacker, right wing Darren Haydar’s shot from the near circle went off the leg of a Rampage defender and up over Markstrom’s shoulder.

Lack stopped 34 of 37 shots in regulation and overtime.