FOUR-GOAL FOURTH FOR DALLAS CLIPS COMETS 7-3
INDEPENDENCE, MO. – The Comets (12-6-1) had an opportunity to clinch the Central Division title with a win over the visiting Dallas Sidekicks (10-10-1) at Cable Dahmer Arena Sunday evening. The Sidekicks managed to hold off the divisional celebration for Kansas City with a 7-3 win. The Comets will still secure the top spot in the Central with their next win or a loss by the Sidekicks.
The Sidekicks notched the only three goals of the opening frame on markers by Julio Varela, Sebastian Mendez, and Jamie Lovegrove. Special-teams defense was solid for both teams in the first quarter. The Sidekicks were on a brief power play and then were whistled for a pair of blue cards, setting the Comets up on a brief 4-on-3 power play of their own. Neither team could convert, and the quarter came to an end with a 3-0 Dallas lead.
Kansas City chipped into the Dallas lead on Leo Gibson’s 23rd goal of the season. He one-touched a pass from Mirko Sandivari and beat Dallas goalkeeper Juan Gamboa low to make it a 3-1 score with 5:46 remaining in the half. The teams went to the break by that score and with the Comets outshooting Dallas 24-10 through the first 30 minutes of play.
It took just 32 seconds into the second half for the Comets to cut the Sidekicks lead to just one. Lucas Sousa and Gibson executed a give-and-go which resulted in a wide-open Sousa on the left side of the goal for his 20th goal of the season.
The Comets went on a three-on-two breakaway later in the third quarter. Rian Marques split the defenders on a pass to Nick McDonald who buried a shot for his fourth goal of the season and tied the game at 3-3 with 10:41 left in the quarter.
Dallas successfully killed off a Kansas City power play late in the quarter and the game headed to the final 15 minutes of regulation even at 3-3.
As the first quarter went, so went the fourth as the Sidekicks picked up four unanswered goals and defeated the Comets by a 7-3 final. Lovegrove scored his second of the game off a restart, and Felipe Silva, David Ortiz, and Mike Jones added empty-net tallies to close out the scoring.
Next up for the Comets will be another home game as the St. Louis Ambush will be at Cable Dahmer on Saturday, March 26 at 6:00 pm.
SCORING SUMMARY
1st – DAL Varela (Gonzalez) 4:33; DAL Mendez (Baladez) 7:09; DAL Lovegrove (Brown) 14:57. Penalties – KC Sosa (BC- boarding) 9:35; DAL Brown (BC- tripping) 10:38; DAL Gonzales (BC- tripping) 10:55.
2nd – KC Gibson (Sandivari) 9:17. Penalties – DAL Ortiz (BC- boarding) 3:01; KC Palmer (BC- boarding) 5:28.
3rd – KC Sousa (Gibson) 0:32; KC McDonald (Marques) 4:19. Penalties – DAL Ramirez (BC- tripping) 11:36.
4th – DAL Lovegrove 5:04; DAL Silva 11:36; DAL Jones (Ortiz) 12:40; DAL Ortiz (Quintana) 14:58. Penalties – None.
Power Play – Comets 0/4, Dallas 0/2
Shots – Comets 45, Dallas 26
Attendance – 2,009