COMETS FALL TO AMBUSH IN OVERTIME 5-4

by Pete Richmire

ST. CHARLES, MO. – The Comets (0-0-1) and Ambush (1-0-0) went to overtime in the first game of the MASL season to decide a winner and St. Louis claimed the victory by a 5-4 score in front of 2,782 fans at the Family Arena. The Comets came from behind twice to force the extra period led by a pair of goals from Lucas Sousa but came up short despite outshooting St. Louis 36-15.

A fast-paced first quarter ended scoreless with the Comets outshooting the Ambush by a 5-1 margin. Kansas City nearly had an early power-play opportunity when a blue card was shown to Marcel Berry but the card was reversed after video review, and the teams continued five-on-five.

The Ambush tallied the first goal of the MASL season just over a minute into the second quarter when Kevin Ellis connected with Tony Walls for the 1-0 lead.

It took St. Louis just 33 seconds into their first powerplay opportunity of the game to make it a 2-0 lead. After Nicolau Neto was shown a blue card for tripping, Walls was on the giving end this time for the Ambush and he sent a pass to Duduca Carvalho for the extra-man goal with 2:25 to go in the quarter.

The second time on the powerplay was not as advantageous for the Ambush. Off a restart, John Sosa slipped a pass to Nacho Flores directly in front of the net for a tap-in short-handed goal to cut the St. Louis lead in half at 2-1 with 0:41 left in the half. The Comets killed off the penalty and the teams went to the break with a one-goal St. Louis margin.

It was a quick goal again to start the third quarter for the Ambush when William Eskay converted on a Robert Kristo assist to put St. Louis in front 3-1 with 13:25 left in the frame. They almost took that lead to the final quarter but the Comets struck with 13 seconds left in the third.

Mike Da-Silva drew Ambush keeper Paulo Nascimento off his line with Sousa trailing to his left. He got the pass to Sousa who tapped it in a wide-open goal to make it a one-goal game headed to the final 15 minutes of regulation.

The Comets first and only opportunity on the powerplay came after St. Louis drew a blue card for too many men on the field. It was Da-Silva to Sousa again with the extra man advantage which tied the game at 3-3 with 9:11 left to play.

Less than two minutes later, Ado Jahic scored his first of two goals in the game to give the Ambush a one-goal margin again at 4-3 with 7:37 on the clock.

A late Comets goal for the third consecutive quarter sent the game to overtime, this time from John Sosa. With the sixth attacker on for the Comets, Sosa beat Nascimento with 1:28 to go, leveling the game at 4-4 and forcing the extra 10-minute period.

However, it took just over two minutes of that extra 10 to decide the game, as Jahic’s second of the night was the game-winner for the Ambush. A challenge flag was thrown by the Comets’ bench to argue play should have been stopped following a blue card to Neto for tripping but the officials played the advantage on the play and the challenge was unsuccessful.

The I-70 Series shifts to Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence tomorrow as the Comets open their home schedule at 6:05 pm. Tickets are available at www.kccomets.com/tickets.

SCORING SUMMARY

1st – None. Penalties – None.

2nd – STL Walls (Ellis) 1:01; STL Carvalho (Walls) 12:35 pp; KC Flores (Sosa) 14:19 sh. Penalties – KC Neto (bc- tripping) 12:02; KC Sandivari (bc- deny goal scoring chance) 12:53.

3rd – STL Eskay (Kristo) 1:35; KC Sousa (Da-Silva) 14:47. Penalties – None.

4th – KC Sousa (Da-Silva) 5:49 pp; STL Jahic (Kristo) 7:23; KC Sosa 1:28. Penalties – STL (bc- too many men) 4:24; KC Gibson (yc- dissent) 4:24.

OT – STL Jahic 2:12. Penalties – KC Neto (bc- tripping) 2:12.


Power Play – Comets 1/1, St. Louis 1/3

Penalty Minutes – Comets 11, St. Louis 2

Shots – Comets 36, St. Louis 15

Attendance – 2,782