Comets Drop Third Straight

After starting the season 4-0, the Comets are now finding themselves only 1 gave over .500 after dropping a 24-17 decision in Rochester tonight.  The game started bright enough for the Comets as some great movement early on saw the Comets grab a 2-0 lead as Stefan Stokic finished the play by laying the ball into the middle for Will John who one timed the ball in.  The Lancers fought back though.  Andy Tiedt tried to play a low cross into the middle of the box, but it got knocked into the air.  Tiedt followed the play and headed the ball over Boris Pardo, who got his second straight start and into the net making it 2-2.  Shortly after that the Lancers took the lead as Doug Miller picked up a loose ball from Bryan Harris and while he appeared to shove Harris down no call was made and Miller beat Pardo to start what was a big night for him.  Late on in the half the Comets though first leveled the score then took the lead.  On the power play first, Vahid Assadpour found Leo Gibson just inside the 3 point line.  Gibson took a touch, turning and fired home to tie the game.  With only 5 second left in the quarter the Comets grabbed the lead.  From about the same spot he set up Gibson, Assadpour this time decided to shoot and from outside the yellow line scored to make it 7-4.

Into the second quarter the Lancers came out firing.  Miller got in behind Harris on a through ball and beat Pardo to get the Lancers within 1.  Then shortly after that, Miller finished his hattrick on the power play.  After turning Gibson inside out, Miller fired a shot on goal that deflected off Ryan Junge and into the net to give the Lancers the lead again at 8-7.  The Comets looked to equalize but it wasn't until late in the quarter off a restart.  Two Comets ran over the ball before John struck it into the corner of the net to make it 9-8 with 3 and a half minutes left in the half.  That lead didn't last to the break though as Stokic got caught in possession at midfield leading to a 2v1 for Rochester that Miller finished for his 4th of the game to make it 10-9.

As the second half started the Comets got another quick power play opportunity.  It took most of the power play, but with 1 second left the Comets retook the lead.  Gibson made it 11-10 as he fired a ball on goal that went through the legs of Rochester's keeper.  The rest of the quarter belonged to the Lancers though.  Shortly after that power play, the Comets got a blue card themselves to Stefan St Louis and then while he was still in the box, Gibson picked up a blue card as well.  In a 5v3 situation the Lancers took time finding an open man, Miller again, and he curled a ball into the far post to make it 12-11.  The Lancers were still on the power play and made the Comets pay as Stephen Basso deflected a Bryan Knapp shot into the net to make it 14-11.  The Lancers kept attacking though as late in the quarter Mauricio Salles got in on the scoring as he received a ball laid back into the middle of the box to make it 16-11.  Then Miller completed the double hattrick on a break away beating Pardo over his left shoulder to make it 18-11. 

The Comets tried to get back into the game in the 4th and got an early goal as Byron Alvarez headed a ball off the glass, but Milan Ivanovic followed the shot and volleyed it home.  Shortly after that though the Lancers restored their 7 point lead through Pedro Franco.  Franco received the ball down the side and caught Pardo cheating for a cross, instead shooting near post and Pardo could only get a hand on it.  Around the midpoint of the quarter the Comets got as close as 3 points.  First on the power play a shot by John Sosa went off the glass but Gibson was there to volley in the rebound to make it 20-15.  Then a minute later Assadpour got a second goal as his cross for Gibson was deflected into the Lancers' net.  That was as close as the Comets got though at 20-17.  Tiedt picked up a second goal of the night as the Comets couldn't clear their end and Tiedt with the 3rd crack at it for the Lancers finally finished.  As the Comets pushed with the 6th attacker, the Lancers still played forward with high pressure on the 6th attacker.  On a counter, the Lancers made it 24-17, Jeremy Ortiz put a shot off the post but followed his rebound and beat Pardo.  The Comets will now head home for a game next week against Chicago.