As the clock hit zero on Sunday afternoon at the AT&T Center, the San Antonio Rampage and their fans had plenty of reason to celebrate. With a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Wolves, the Rampage were back in the win column after snapping an eight-game skid. It was a victory that was a long time coming for the Rampage during a challenging October, but it was a win that goaltender Jordan Binnington had been building towards for his whole career.

Binnington’s 25-save effort on Sunday was his first victory in a Rampage uniform. For the 2011 third-round Blues draft pick, in the midst of his sixth pro season, it was also the 100^th victory of his professional career.

“It’s a nice milestone to reach,” said Binnington after Tuesday’s practice. “It almost feels better to get the team out of an eight-game slide because it was getting a little awkward. We’re all working hard, and it was nice to see the team come together and get the right outcome.”

Binnington saw action in two games during the drought, an 18-save effort in a 2-1 loss to the Colorado Eagles on October 12^th and a 38-save performance in Milwaukee on October 23^rd during a 3-0 loss to the Admirals. Though his personal numbers were strong, win 100 was still out of reach.

“It was nothing against the goaltending or the team, but we weren’t clicking and it wasn’t coming together. We were working hard during the week to prepare for the weekends, but it was tough,” said Binnington.

“You love that feeling of the buzzer sounding and your team coming down to celebrate with you after a win. I wasn’t getting much action but I’m just happy that we got the win and it’s over, and hopefully we can continue in the right direction.”

While Binnington’s milestone win was his first in front of fans in San Antonio, it was ironic that he reached the benchmark against the team with which he earned the majority of the first 99.

As a Blues prospect, Binnington began his pro career with a single game with Peoria in 2011-12, followed by 40 games and 23 wins the following year in the ECHL with the Kalamazoo Wings. But starting in October 2014, Binnington was a full-time AHL goaltender with the Chicago Wolves, where he would win 58 games over the next three seasons.

“It was the first time I had ever played against a former team,” said Binnington. “I have never been traded or anything like that, so it was a new experience and I’m happy with that outcome. I like a lot of people in the Chicago organization, but [to win] felt nice for sure.”

While the accomplishment is certainly one to be celebrated, for Binnington it also served as a reminder that he still has work to do to reach his ultimate goal.

“I’m still not where I want to be because I want to be in the NHL,” said Binnington, who appeared in one game with the Blues in 2015-16. “With 100 pro wins, I kind of sat back and thought to myself, ‘Whoa, you’ve been here for a while.’ It’s good and I’m happy about it, but it also makes you say ‘what’s next?”

Binnington’s resume was impressive before Sunday, and before this season, after being selected to the AHL All-Star Game last season with the Providence Bruins and finishing in the top-five league-wide in goals-against average and save percentage.

He now shares the crease with another promising Blues goaltending prospect in Ville Husso, who just came down from St. Louis on Wednesday. Binnington will look for more strong results, and more opportunities in tandem with Husso as the calendar turns to November.

“That’s what pro hockey is about, preparing for the opportunity that you may or may not get and doing the best you can in holding yourself accountable in the meantime,” said Binnington. “I’m excited to play some games here and whatever the scenario is up top is unknown. But I’m going to take care of what I can control and hold myself accountable.”