Comets Use Second Half Run to Top Rampage

The Missouri Comets closed out 2015 with a big win over the Cedar Rapids Rampage in the second of three games this week. The Comets used a big second half run, scoring six unanswered from the start of the third quarter to blow the game open as Missouri won 11-4.

Unfortunately for the Comets just like in Tuesday night's loss to the St. Louis Ambush, the Comets fell behind on an early goal as former Comet Patrick Kelly scored an early goal to give the Rampage the lead. Unlike Tuesday night though the Comets made their possession pay off in the first quarter as the Comets tied it up with less than five minutes left in the quarter off a goal from Vahid Assadpour after the Comets won the ball in the Rampage end. The Comets were able to take their first lead of the game before the end of the quarter as Leo Gibson flicked a long ball into the path of Milan Ivanovic who knocked the ball into the net off the far post.

It didn't take long for the Rampage to tie things up in the second quarter though as Jacob Johnson scored less than two minutes into the quarter to tie the game at 2-2. The Comets though retook the lead before the midpoint of the quarter as John Sosa found the back of the net. Less than two minutes later the Comets had doubled their lead after Ramone Palmer picked out Leo Gibson at the back post, Gibson fired home to make it 4-2 for the Comets. Missouri made it 5-2 as Kiel Williams got on the end of some quickly passing by the Comets. Under a minute left the Rampage pulled a goal back as Semir Mesanovic scored off a feed from Chile Farias off a restart.

The third quarter is when the Comets really took over the game. Six minutes in the Comets scored two goals in about a 30 second span with Robert Palmer scoring both to extend the lead to 7-3. The Comets added onto their lead just over 10 minutes into the third with another pair of goals in a one minute span. This time it was Lucas Rodriguez and Assadpour who scored to extend the lead to 9-3 before the quarter ended.

The Comets extended their scoring run early in the fourth quarter as Ramone Palmer got on the board less than a minute in. Missouri continued to push and were able to add an 11th goal with just over eight minutes played while on the power play with Rodriguez getting his second of the game. The Comets killed the majority of the rest of the game but with less than a minute left Farias got the Rampage one last consolation goal to make the final score 11-4 Comets. Missouri will now return home where they'll finish their three game in five day stretch with a game