Comets face fierce test in Chihuahua

by Nathan Dunn

Kansas City Comets @ Chihuahua Savage

MASL Regular Season — Game 18

Friday, March 7 — 8 p.m. CT

Where | Corner Sport Arena - Chihuahua, Mexico

The Kansas City Comets (13-2-2) will face off against the Chihuahua Savage (16-4-0) in a rematch of last year's Ron Newman Cup Finals.

The Comets are looking for a response after their 8-game winning streak — the team's longest winning streak since 2016-17 — came crashing down with a 13-3 loss to the Milwaukee Wave, the largest defeat in franchise history.

In the three previous defeats this season, the Comets have always bounced back into the win column next time out. It won't be as easy this time around as they visit the back-to-back Ron Newman Cup champion Savage, where they have won 16 straight at Corner Sport Arena and have not lost at home in a year.

To make it even more difficult, the Comets will be without their top two scorers: Rian Marques (hamstring) and Zach Reget (back). Junior Kazeem (foot) and Chase Peterson (lower leg) are also out, while Ramone Palmer (knee) and Lucas Sousa (knee) are questionable, with Nacho Flores (knee) and Chad Vandegriffe (foot) listed as probable.

The absences of Marques and Reget will be challenging to replace, as they have combined for 37 goals this season. Next on the scoring charts are Nacho Flores' 19 points from six goals and 13 assists, and Leo Acosta with 10 goals and seven assists.

Defensively, the Comets are led by a pair of league leaders. Chad Vandegriffe leads the league with 59 blocked shots, trailing Empire's Robert Palmer for most in MASL history by eight. In goal, Phillip Ejimadu continues to lead the MASL with a 4.33 goals against average.

The Comets have improved their away form compared to previous years, entering Friday with a road record of 5-2-1. KC has won three of their last four games away from home.

Friday's matchup will conclude the two-game season series between the two reigning Ron Newman Cup Finalists. KC leads 1-0 after a 5-2 win against CUU on Jan. 25 at Cable Dahmer Arena.

The Opponent

Chihuahua's back-to-back championship resume speaks for itself and they have not shown many signs of relinquishing their crown.

The high-flying Savage offense continues to lead the MASL with 184 goals, averaging 9.2 goals per game in their first 20 games. They are especially formidable on home turf, scoring 11.3 goals per game.

CUU returns home from a three-game road trip where they went 2-1. They concluded the road trip last Saturday with a 10-2 victory against the Dallas Sidekicks, led by a 7-0 run to take a commanding 8-1 lead midway through the third quarter.

Chihuahua is led by forward Jorge Rios, among the MVP frontrunners, leading the league with 44 points from 28 goals and 16 assists. Rios is also deadly on the power play, leading the league with five goals followed by three from Hugo Puentes.

The Comets are likely to see Diego Reynoso as goalkeeper for Chihuahua. The MASL veteran did not play in Chihuahua's loss to the Comets in January but leads the league with 11 wins, aided by a 4.52 goals against average.

Following Friday's matchup, the Comets will return home for another top-three matchup against the San Diego Sockers. Visit kccomets.com/tickets to secure your seat for Sunday's big matchup.