COMETS CRUISE PAST AMBUSH 7-3
COMETS CRUISE PAST AMBUSH 7-3
INDEPENDENCE, MO. – The road team had won three straight games in the MASL Central Cup and the Kansas City Comets (2-0) stopped that streak with a 7-3 win over the visiting St. Louis Ambush (0-2) at Cable Dahmer Arena Saturday night. With the win, the Comets remain the only undefeated team in this tournament.
St. Louis opened scoring on the power play when Stefan Mijatovic converted on a pass from Max Ferdinand for a 1-0 Ambush lead with 5:33 remaining in the opening frame. The Comets leveled the match with 0:28 on the clock as Leo Gibson slid a pass to Hector Solorio on the left side and he buried it for his first goal of the Central Cup.
Comets keeper Mark Saxby was the story in the second quarter. Saxby recorded several big saves as he faced a flurry of Ambush shots, 15 to be exact, in the quarter. St. Louis did, however, manage the only goal of the period when Ferdinand picked up his second assist of the night, this one on a goal by Duduca Carvalho for a 2-1 Ambush lead at halftime.
Kansas City found their footing in the third quarter as Kevin Ellis brought the Comets even with an unassisted goal from the right side off the opposite post with 12:08 to go. Mirko Sandivari put the Comets in front for the first time by deflecting a shot of a St. Louis defender with 9:45 remaining. Following a Kansas City blue card, Ambush forward Ferdinand was awarded a shootout and he converted to tie the match at 3-3. It would be the last time the game was level after Kansas City scored the next three goals of the game beginning with Gibson’s marker with 4:21 on the clock in the third. That goal gave the Comets a 4-3 lead headed to the final quarter.
The last 15 minutes of play belonged to the Comets as they outscored St. Louis 6-1 in the second half. Ellis converted a John Sosa pass into a power play goal just 16 seconds into the period building the Comets lead to two at 5-3. Adam James banged home the first of his back-to-back goals, this one also a Kansas City power play goal with 11:43 to play in the game.
With Kansas City cruising late in the game, Henry Ramirez found a wide-open James for the goal with 3:03 remaining on the clock to reach the 7-3 final score and bring the Comets within one game of the Central Cup Title.
If Kansas City can travel to Wichita tomorrow and defeat the Wings (1-1), they will claim the first Central Cup Championship. Game time tomorrow is 6:00 pm CT.
SCORING SUMMARY
1st – STL Mijatovic (Ferdinand) 9:27 PP; KC Solorio (Gibson) 14:32. Penalties – KC Villela blue card (tripping) 6:42.
2nd – STL Carvalho (Ferdinand) 4:34. Penalties – STL Schmermund blue card (tripping) 3:02; KC Saxby blue card (tripping) 8:42.
3rd – KC Ellis 2:52; KC Sandivari (Sosa) 4:15; STL Ferdinand 6:22 shoot-out; KC Gibson (McDonald) 10:21. Penalties – STL Mijatovic blue card (boarding) 6:34; KC Sousa blue card (tripping) 6:45; STL Schmermund blue card (tripping) 13:57; KC Sousa blue card (boarding) 13:58; STL Thomas blue card (holding) 14:26.
4th – KC Ellis (Sosa) 0:16 PP; KC James (Sousa) 3:17 PP; KC James (Ramirez) 11:57. Penalties – STL Mijatovic blue card (holding) 1:45; STL Moreira yellow card (dissent) 3:16.
Shots – Kansas City 12-13-12-8 (45); St. Louis 3-15-4-8 (30)