COMETS CLOSE OUT 2016 WITH WIN

ST. CHARLES, MO (Dec. 31, 2016) – Behind goals from seven different Comets players, including two from Leo Gibson, the Kansas City Comets defeated the St. Louis Ambush 8-5 on Saturday afternoon. The win keeps the Comets New Year’s Eve record intact as they are now 4-0 on the final game of the year since returning in 2010.

Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Flores started the game by beating his defender and taking a powerful shot that pinged off the crossbar and into the back of the net. His score was followed by tallies from Leo Gibson, Vahid Assadpour, Ramone Palmer and Brian Harris as the Comets had a 5-0 lead midway through the 2^nd quarter.

St. Louis scored two goals before the half to cut the lead to 5-2, but the Comets were in seemingly in control at the break.

The third quarter started positively for Kansas City as Leo Gibson scored his second goal eleven seconds into the period. The rest of the quarter was not as kind though. Five different Comets players spent some time in the Penalty Box.

Odaine Sinclair was the first to see the Blue Card. His foul resulted in a penalty shootout for St. Louis which was converted by Richard Schmermund. Despite finding themselves shorthanded through much of the quarter, the team never allowed the Ambush closer than two goals.

Cooler heads prevailed in the 4^th quarter for the Comets. With a little over nine minutes remaining St. Louis’ Vadim Cojocov fouled Leo Gibson, drawing a two minute penalty. Kansas City seized the opportunity to put the game away. The Comets 7^th Power Play goal of the season gave the team 7-4 lead.

Receiving the ball at the top of the arc, Leo Gibson turned and lobbed a pass to Lucas Rodriguez on the right side of the goal. Rodriguez didn’t even let the ball bounce before volleying his shot past the Ambush goalkeeper.

St. Louis brought on the sixth attacker after that in a last ditch effort to get back into the game. The teams traded goals after that with Guerrero Pino scoring on the empty net for the Comets.