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Monday, December 7
Comets Unleash Against Bulldogs
Starting for the Comets in their opening game was #17 Shamus Sorrell, #28 Shelby Neidert, #9 Shawn Hunt, #12 Kyle Bilancini, and #36 Drew Ashton. The Comets took the opening faceoff against the Bulldogs Friday night controlling the puck and concentrating on the Bulldog net. Paul Miller #25, a freshman, sent the puck wide across ice where Connor Morris #22 and Kevin Burgett #11, also freshman, continued to pound the net, but seasoned Bulldog goalie, Braden Smith, held fast against the mounting shot count. It was Bilancini who skated the puck into Bulldog territory, crashing through along the boards resulting in an Olmsted Falls two-minute tripping penalty that set up the first Amherst power play of the game at just under three minutes into the first period. The Comets took quick advantage and Bilancini sent in the puck for the first goal of the season with an assist from Ashton and Hunt.
The Bulldogs try and answer, shooting a shot from the blue line that gets air but goalie Adam Ross catches the pop fly. Ross secures the net during a power play keeping the Bulldogs at bay. It's when an icing call brings the puck back to face off at the Amherst net that Olmsted Falls ties up the score. With less than one minute to play in the period Bilancini sends in a second goal, again off a pass from Ashton, to push the Comets ahead 2-1 at the break.
Olmsted Falls comes back to score well into the second period with a breaking shot off a face off that lofts into the net to tie up the score. Jaron Smith #6 sets up three shot attempts from the blue line, cycling through the ranks but doesn't find his target. Even when both teams send a man to the box, the four on four teams can't find a goal. Both teams are at full strength and Sorrell is battling on defense to keep the puck in play. With less than a minute left in the period Ashton at the net, takes a pass from #14 Josh Bobkovich, and threads the puck past the goalie to put the Comets ahead 3-2. It was the Bulldogs turn to score when they rocketed in an unassisted shot from the face off to tie the score three minutes into the period. Amherst's Smith took up his stance at the blue line and sent in a shot, assisted from Miller off Morris, resulting in a bullet that shot past Olmsted Falls to edge the Comets ahead 4 - 3.Despite time outs by each team and Olmsted Falls pulling their goalie with one minute to play, the extra skater was not enough to overpower the Comets who took the 4-3 win. Amherst finished the game with 27 shots on goal compared to Olmsted Falls with 25 shots.
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