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The Kansas City Comets dropped game one of the Ron Newman Cup semi-finals by a final score of 8-7 against the Ontario Fury in double overtime on Thursday night at Cable Dahmer Arena.
Thursday’s loss means the Comets will have to win two games on Saturday, one standard game and then the mini-game. The Fury only have to win one game to clinch their spot in the finals.
The Comets came out hot opening with three goals from Dominic Francis, Lucas Sousa, and Rian Marques before Maicon De Abreu pulled one back for the Fury before the end of the first quarter. Mike DaSilva made it 4-1 for KC before the Fury pulled within one at halftime after goals from Franck Tayou and Uzi Tayou.
Both sides added two tallies in the third period as DaSilva and Francis scored for KC while De Abreu and Franck Tayou scored for Ontario. Juan Carlos Gonzalez leveled the score at 6-6 in the fourth quarter before former Comet Robert Palmer put the Fury in front for the first time all game later in the fourth. The Comets answered with a late equalizer from Lucas Sousa, sending the game to overtime.
After the first overtime ended scoreless, the Comets suffered heartbreak in double overtime after Franck Tayou finished his hat trick with the golden goal assisted by Juan Carlos Gonzalez.
This loss will be tough to take, but the Comets will need to rebound quickly and get two wins on Saturday to extend their season. They will be up against the same Fury team, with the exception of Juan Topete, who is out through suspension after receiving a red card in overtime for six fouls in a game.
Kansas City’s top scorers were Lucas Sousa, Dominic Francis, and Mike DaSilva, who all scored twice. KC’s greatest star was Nicolau Neto, who put in a sublime performance with a career-high of 33 saves.
Saturday’s semi-final action at Cable Dahmer Arena will begin at 2:05 p.m. CST when the San Diego Sockers, who won in overtime earlier on Thursday, will look to finish off the Florida Tropics. The Comets will follow at 7:05, needing to overturn their 1-0 deficit against the Fury.