Kansas City Comets overpower Milwaukee Wave, turn to home finale ahead of MASL playoffs
There was no better team for the Kansas City Comets to end a three-game losing streak against than the Milwaukee Wave.
The Comets took a 9-6 victory from their bitter rivals over the weekend. It was the ninth consecutive time KC defeated the Wave on home turf at Cable Dahmer Arena.
This time the Comets were motivated to avoid a season sweep after suffering the franchise’s first 10-goal defeat two weeks ago in Milwaukee.
“I think the rivalry built itself up after the last game in Milwaukee,” Comets coach Stefan Stokic said. “We kept our emotions in check, played our game and found a way to win.”
The Comets grabbed a 1-0 first-quarter lead when Stefan Mijatovic scored his first goal as a Comet, but then Kansas City conceded three straight.
The Comets’ offense, which hadn’t scored more than four goals in a game since Feb. 22, finally got rolling again in the second quarter. They scored three in the second to tie it up 4-4 at halftime as Mijatovic provided a pair of assists.
Leo Acosta’s second goal of the night put the Comets ahead 5-4 in the third until Milwaukee equalized early in the fourth. From then on, the Comets’ offense rose to the occasion, scoring four more and allowing Milwaukee to just one goal despite having the league’s top two all-time scorers.
“They talk a lot of smack,” Mijatovic said about the rivalry. “There were a lot of things coming into this; they were going to sweep us this season. But we’re a championship team and fought a lot of adversity with injuries. We’re coming back.”
Friday’s result was Mijatovic’s first victory since getting more integrated into the team after his trade from Tacoma last month. The all-star defender helped the Comets to a 4-3 win against Utica City in his debut on March 1, when he made an abbreviated appearance in the second half before getting more integrated throughout the three-game losing streak.
“I don’t like losing,” Mijatovic said. “I know this is a winning team and a winning culture. I just want to contribute and keep on winning here.”
Mijatovic was lively all game against Milwaukee, setting a career-high four points from a goal and three assists in addition to four blocks. Stokic likes what he’s seen lately from the 6-foot-4 veteran.
“I felt like in the beginning he wasn’t really himself,” Stokic said. “Now I feel like he’s himself and he can play the way we know he can play.”
Already qualified for a spot in the Ron Newman Cup Playoffs, kicking off next month with the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds in San Diego, the Comets are looking to build from Friday’s victory.
“We’ve got to go back to what we do best,” Stokic said. “We had moments of that (against Milwaukee); now we just have to make it through four quarters.”
The Comets will play their home finale this Sunday, March 23, against the Tacoma Stars on the back end of a home-and-home series that begins in Washington on Friday. Fans can catch the Comets’ final home game of the regular season this Sunday by purchasing tickets at kccomets.com/tickets.