COMETS WIN IN OT TO CLOSE OUT 2022 IN ST. LOUIS, 6-5
St. Charles, MO. – The Comets (4-2-2) and St. Louis Ambush (2-3-1) met in front of 3,544 fans at The Family Arena on New Year’s Eve and did not disappoint them or the 18,000+ viewers on Twitch. Kansas City turned around a St. Louis power play in overtime and picked up a 6-5 win on a short-handed goal by James Togbah. The Comets have scored the only two short-handed goals in the MASL this season.
In a game that featured 10 power plays, three power-play goals by the Comets, and the game-winner also coming on special teams for Kansas City, it was only fitting that the first goal of the game was scored on the man advantage as well. Two minutes into the game, Christian Briggs was sent off for holding giving Kansas City their first power play opportunity of the game. It took two seconds for John Sosa to convert as he sent the ball past Ambush keeper Paulo Nascimento off the restart to put the Comets up 1-0 with 12:58 still to go in the 1st.
The Ambush responded with a pair of goals less than 90 seconds apart, first from Briggs and then Duduca Carvalho to give St. Louis a 2-1 lead with 2:49 left in the opening frame.
The Comets had a golden opportunity to even the game with seconds left in the 1st but Nascimento turned away a Kansas City penalty-kick to help the home team keep their 2-1 lead headed to the 2nd quarter.
Kansas City did convert on the power play however when Lucas Sousa pounced on a rebound with 13:21 left in the opening half to tie the game at 2-2.
It took over 11 minutes for the next goal and the Comets scored it to go back in front by one at 3-2. Mike Da-Silva had the ball next to the boards with a defender on him but found Ali Sodal rushing the box with a pass and it was converted into the go-ahead goal with 2:19 left before halftime.
Kevin Ellis leveled the game for St. Louis for the third time, now at 3-3 on an assist from Stefan Mijatovic with just 0:51 on the clock, and that was the score when the first half ended.
Neither team scored during the 3rd quarter though each had power play chances and the game went to the final 15 minutes of regulation still knotted at 3-3.
James Togbah opened the scoring in the final frame off a restart. Coming out of a timeout, Sosa stepped over a restart with Togbah trailing and Togbah fired a rocket to the back of the net for the 4-3 advantage with 10:49 remaining.
Nascimento was shown a blue card for tripping and sent off, forcing the Ambush to bring Mark Baker in goal while her served his two-minute penalty. Sosa promptly buried the ensuing penalty kick, and the Comets held the first two-goal lead of the game, 5-3 with 7:38 left to play.
Time was running out on the Ambush as they trailed with less than a minute left to go. That turned out to be enough time for St. Louis as Brian Bement connected with Billy Stimac to bring the Ambush back within one at 5-4 with 0:47 on the clock.
The same two players teamed up again, with Bement on the scoring end to tie the game yet again, this time at 5-5 with 0:19 left, eventually sending the game to overtime.
In the extra-time period, Kansas City killed off a St. Louis power play and found themselves a man down as Sousa was issued his second blue card of the overtime period with 3:15 left before a potential shootout.
Kansas City, which held the Ambush to 0-for-5 on the power play were back in their defensive zone when Togbah stepped in front of a pass near the yellow line. He stepped around the man he was marking and had nobody in front of him except Nascimento. He stepped to his right and when Nascimento laid out for a block, Togbah slid the ball under his arm and across the goal line for the short-handed game-winner.
The Comets return to Cable Dahmer Arena next Saturday, January 7, 2023, when the Tacoma Stars make their only visit this season with a 6:05 kick-off. Tickets for that date and all Comets home games are available at www.kccomets.com/tickets.
SCORING SUMMARY
1st – KC Sosa 2:02 pp; STL Briggs (Carvalho) 10:57; STL Carvalho 12:11. Penalties – STL Briggs (bc- holding) 2:00; STL Kristo (bc- holding) 12:13; STL Bement (bc- handling) 14:54.
2nd – KC Sousa 1:39; KC Sodal (Da-Silva) 12:41; STL Ellis (Mijatovic) 14:09. Penalties – None
3rd – None. Penalties – STL Ellis (bc- holding) 3:36; KC Sosa (bc- tripping) 6:10; KC Sodal (bc- contact above the shoulder/elbow) 10:23.
4th – KC Togbah 4:11; KC Sosa 7:22 pk; STL Stimac (Bement) 14:13; STL Bement (Stimac) 14:41. Penalties – KC Palmer (bc- tripping) 6:35; STL Nascimento (bc- tripping) 7:21; STL Almeida (yc- dissent) 13:55.
OT – KC Togbah 7:36 sh. Penalties – KC Sousa (bc- tripping) 0:44; KC Sousa (bc- tripping) 6:45.
Power Play – Comets 3/5, St. Louis 0/5
Penalty Minutes – Comets 10, St. Louis 15
Shots – Comets 48, St. Louis 46
Attendance – 3,544