COMETS SPLIT WEEKEND SERIES WITH 11-4 WIN OVER WAVE
INDEPENDENCE, MO. – The Comets (10-2-1) rebounded from last night’s loss in Milwaukee with an 11-4 decision over the visiting Wave (6-7-1). With the win, in front of 2,238 fans at Cable Dahmer Arena, Kansas City stretched their lead over Dallas to 11 points in the MASL Central Division. Both Milwaukee and Kansas City’s keepers were busy in this game as the Comets fired off 55 shots and the Wave had 32 of their own.
Wave keeper Matt Perrella notched 24 saves in the losing effort while his defense blocked 21 shots. For Kansas City, Lou Misner picked up his second win of the season with nine saves and his defense blocked 19 shots.
Offensively, like last night, the Comets struck first in today’s rematch. Absalom Solorio fired a shot from the right side that went wide left of the goal. Christian Anderaos was there to send home the rebound off the boards for a 1-0 lead with 12:59 left in the first.
Also, like last night, the Wave answered that goal with one of their own, this one courtesy of Andre Hayne with an assist to Ian Bennett to tie the game 1-1 with 8:28 to play in the opening frame.
The Comets second goal of the game was very similar to the first. This time it was John Sosa with the initial shot which was blocked to the side by Perrella. Rian Marques was rushing the goal from the left side and pounded home the rebound for a 2-1 lead with 6:38 to go in the first.
Following a successful penalty kill by the Comets, they went on a power play of their own and it took less than a minute for Kansas City to convert. Gibson found Thetsane on the left side of the arc and he fired a rocket to the back of the net to put the Comets up 3-1 which was the score headed to the second quarter.
Scoring opened in the second quarter with the Comets’ third straight goal. Nick McDonald and Gibson converted a perfect give-and-go from the right side that resulted in McDonald’s first goal of the season and a 4-1 Kansas City lead.
With 5:23 to go in the half, Milwaukee cut the Comets’ lead in half with Tyler Turner’s third goal of the season to make it a 4-2 contest. That was the margin of the lead for an entire 16 seconds until McDonald scored his second goal of the game to put the Comets back in front by three at 5-2.
McDonald was credited with his first assist of the season when he found Adam James, who promptly beat Perrella five-hole for a 6-2 Kansas City lead with 4:20 to go in the half.
The final goal of the first half was picked up by James Weber, who scored his first of the season for Milwaukee with just over a minute to play in the second, and the teams headed to the break with the Comets leading 6-3.
Fans at Cable Dahmer Arena had to wait until after the media time out for the first goal of the second half. Once the wait was over, Lucas Sousa, Sosa, and James scored in a span of 57 seconds to push the Comets lead to 9-3 with 5:10 to go in the third quarter.
The fourth quarter was a showcase of special teams for the Comets. First, with Sosa serving a blue card for a two-footed tackle, Ramone Palmer connected with Nacho Flores for Kansas City’s first short-handed goal of the season. That marker put the Comets up 10-4 with 4:22 left in the game.
Less than a minute later with Milwaukee’s Huffman in the penalty box for tripping, it was a Sosa to Sousa power play goal that closed out scoring and gave the Comets a decisive 11-4 win to split the weekend series with the Wave.
The Comets will now head to the west coast for a date with the San Diego Sockers on Friday and the Ontario Fury on Sunday. Both games will be televised on MASLtv.
SCORING SUMMARY
1st – KC Anderaos (Solorio) 2:01; MKE Hayne (Bennett) 6:32; KC Marques (Sosa) 8:23; KC Thetsane (Gibson) 0:23 pp. Penalties – KC Marques (blue- holding) 11:50; MKE Oliveira (blue- holding) 14:00.
2nd – KC McDonald (Gibson) 1:16; MKE Turner 9:37; KC McDonald (Sosa); KC James (McDonald) 10:40; MKE Weber (Hayne) 13:40. Penalties – None.
3rd – KC Sousa (James) 8:54; KC Sosa (Sousa) 9:32; KC James (Lee) 9:47; MKE Bennett 14:00. Penalties – KC Palmer (yellow- severe unsportsmanlike manner) 9:50; MKE Huffman (yellow- severe unsportsmanlike manner) 9:50; MKE Yang (blue- boarding) 11:15.
4th – KC Flores (Palmer) 10:37 sh; KC Sousa (Sosa) 11:06 pp. Penalties – MKE Hayne (blue- handling) 0:36; MKE (blue- too many men) 3:06; KC Sosa (blue- two-footed tackle) 8:41; MKE Huffman (blue- tripping) 10:45.
Power Play – Comets 2/5, Milwaukee 0/2
Shots – Comets 55, Milwaukee 32
Attendance – 2,238