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Comets feel ready to break fourth-place barrier

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WEST LIBERTY, Iowa The West Liberty High School boys soccer team doesn't want a repeat of last season, or the season before that.

The Comets are ready to break through to the championship game at the state tournament after two consecutive fourth-place finishes at James W. Cownie Soccer Park in the last two seasons.

Defense will be a key component toward building a third state run. The Comets were in the top ten in goals scored as a team with 50, but allowed 38, tied for the most scores allowed by a Class 1A state-qualifying team last season.

"Last year's team was not very good defensively," West Liberty coach Mike Gunn admitted. "We'll be a tougher defensive team this season, more physical, bigger and faster."

To the Comets' credit, they defeated 2012 champion Waterloo Columbus, upending the No. 2 seed and one of the stingiest defensive teams in the tournament 2-1.

They ran into a determined Iowa City Regina team in the semifinals, falling behind early in the first half of a 4-0 Regals victory. Regina went on to beat Dyersville Beckman 4-0 in the championship game.

"There's no reason to be that weak against their attack," Gunn said. "We had enough guys in the right place but we didn't do a very good job."

Gunn added that this will be the youngest team he's coached, but even with that youth there's plenty of experience at various levels.

Two preseason standouts are first-year forwards Andres Garcia-Vargas and Martin Menjivar-Benegas. Menjivar-Benegas moved from Honduras last year and played club soccer with Garcia-Vargas.

"Andres is a very talented forward and ... also played some with an adult soccer league," Gunn said. "Another freshman, [defender] Joe Baker, has played with the soccer club for years and is fast with good endurance."

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Comets feel ready to break fourth-place barrier

Comets Sign Aviani to ATO

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April 1, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL) Utica Comets Utica Comets Director of Hockey Operations Pat Conacher announced today that the Comets have signed forward Mike Aviani (av-ee-ON-ee)to an amateur tryout contract (ATO).

Aviani, 20, recently completed his final season with the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League (WHL). He finished second on the team in goals (38), points (81) and penalty minutes (116). In four WHL playoff games he also contributed two assists.

The 5'11=80", 195-pound center played his entire junior career with Spokane and appeared in 273 games since the 2009-10 season. He finished his career with 89 goals and 118 assists for 207 points, along with 338 penalty minutes and a plus-100 rating.

A native of North Vancouver, BC, Aviani was given the Chiefs Humanitarian of the Year award following the 2012-13 season. He was taken in the fifth round of the 2008 WHL Bantam Draft and made his Spokane debut as a 16-year-old in 2009-10.

Utica Comets season tickets are now on sale for the 2014-15 season for as low as $390. Lock in your seat with a deposit of just $100 and enjoy all the benefits of being a Comets season ticket holder. Call the Comets office at 315-790-9070 or stop by the Utica Memorial Auditorium to pick out your seat today.

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Comets Sign Aviani to ATO

Chris Mills believe Workington Comets will revel in being among favourites

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by James Broadhurst

Last updated at 13:18, Wednesday, 02 April 2014

Workington Comets are fired up and ready to rise to the challenge of being one of the favourites for the Premier League title, according to Chris Mills.

Chris Mills

The Essex-based rider was part of the Comets line-up that cruised to victory over Glasgow Tigers in the League Cup at Derwent Park on Saturday.

Mills, who rides at reserve, scored an impressive eight points as Workington thrashed Glasgow 60-31. The other top scorers were captain Rene Bach with 17 points and number one Josh Grajczonek with 13.

Mills, who celebrated his 31st birthday on Saturday, said: We are tipped as the favourites for the league and scores like Saturdays and winning the Ian Thomas Shield are important.

Its a long season but everyone is really fired up. The expectations are there. Now we have to rise to it and hopefully we can pull it off.

Everyone can add to there average this season. There is no reason why we cant get some more silverware. All the way through the team there is competition. I dont want to be at reserve all year I want to push on.

Mills will spend most Saturdays making the 650-mile round trip from his home to Derwent Park stadium for home matches, added to the many away fixtures at places such as Glasgow, Edinburgh and Berwick.

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Chris Mills believe Workington Comets will revel in being among favourites

Chris Mills believes Workington Comets will revel in being among favourites

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by James Broadhurst

Last updated at 13:18, Wednesday, 02 April 2014

Workington Comets are fired up and ready to rise to the challenge of being one of the favourites for the Premier League title, according to Chris Mills.

Chris Mills

The Essex-based rider was part of the Comets line-up that cruised to victory over Glasgow Tigers in the League Cup at Derwent Park on Saturday.

Mills, who rides at reserve, scored an impressive eight points as Workington thrashed Glasgow 60-31. The other top scorers were captain Rene Bach with 17 points and number one Josh Grajczonek with 13.

Mills, who celebrated his 31st birthday on Saturday, said: We are tipped as the favourites for the league and scores like Saturdays and winning the Ian Thomas Shield are important.

Its a long season but everyone is really fired up. The expectations are there. Now we have to rise to it and hopefully we can pull it off.

Everyone can add to there average this season. There is no reason why we cant get some more silverware. All the way through the team there is competition. I dont want to be at reserve all year I want to push on.

Mills will spend most Saturdays making the 650-mile round trip from his home to Derwent Park stadium for home matches, added to the many away fixtures at places such as Glasgow, Edinburgh and Berwick.

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Chris Mills believes Workington Comets will revel in being among favourites

Being Involved Has Always Been Important to DeFazio

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April 2, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL) Utica Comets Any Comets fan that attended the St. Patrick's Day game on March 7th experienced a whirlwind of emotions, as Brandon DeFazio tied the game with less than eight seconds remaining. DeFazio did it again this past Sunday, as he scored the game-winning goal at the start of the third period.

DeFazio has always been a standout on the Utica Comets, but recently, he has stepped up his play and become a clutch goal scorer. When asked what has spurred his recent surge in points, Brandon explained, "I don't know if I've necessarily changed anything, but I definitely feel more confident. I think your play mimics how the whole team's doing, and we've found our groove and have experienced a lot of recent success."

In his third year playing professional hockey, DeFazio ranks fifth on the Comets in points scored, with 15 goals and 14 assists over 67 games played. He is also the only Comet to appear in all games during the inaugural season so far, with only nine games remaining.

Perhaps Defazio's biggest impact since arriving in Utica in October has been with the community. Last season with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, DeFazio was named the IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year for his outstanding contributions to the community. He also won the same award during the 2011-12 season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

"For me, there's no reason not to be involved," he said. "We're fortunate enough to be able to do what we love for a living, and any time you can help someone, whether it's putting a smile on a kid's face or cleaning up the city, those things go a long way."

This past Sunday was especially special for DeFazio, who helped put together an Alzheimer's Awareness night. It just so happened that he scored the game winning goal and was able to celebrate with members of the Alzheimer's Association of Central New York who attended the game.

"[Alzheimer's] is something that's close to my heart," he explained. "My nana went through the disease, and my mom and aunt went through it with her. It's very important to me, and it was the perfect night to get the game winner. It added to the whole feel of the game, and was definitely meant to be."

As such a selfless and generous player, it is without a doubt that DeFazio's impact has and will continue to be felt throughout Utica. When asked what the most rewarding part of working so closely with charities is, DeFazio didn't hesitate, responding, "You look at what we give them, but we often forget how much they give back to us."

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Comets claim opener

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The Oakwood Comets came a calling to the Armstrong-Potomac Trojans in the first conference game for both teams. An outstanding pitching effort from Kyle Girton and timely hitting from Vinson Blake and Skyler Slade led the Comets to a six-inning 12-1 victory over the Trojans.

Oakwood had a 7-1 lead going into the sixth inning when the Comets broke the game open with a five-run inning. The inning started when reliever Jon Snyder walked three consecutive batters to load the bases. He got Slade, the cleanup hitter for the Comets, to line out, but then there was a passed ball and then Vinson delivered two runs on a single to stretch the lead to 10-1.

The Comets got two more runs on another passed ball and a RBI single from Wade Abbott to end the scoring in the sixth and take a 12-1 lead over the Trojans.

I thought we got some timely hitting and the lead and that led to us being more aggressive at the plate, Oakwood coach Bob Sermak said. I also thought that it allowed us to try to do more things offensively.

Girton was very strong on the mound for the Comets, recording seven strikeouts and allowed just one run on two hits in his five innings. Slade needed just eight pitches to finish off the game in the sixth inning.

I thought Kyle (Girton) did a nice job of switching up speeds and hitting his spots, Sermak said.

Armstrong-Potomac pitchers were just a little off as they could not get the third strike past the Oakwood hitters.

Our pitchers just missed their spots, Armstrong-Potomac coach Darren Loschen said. We didnt do a good enough job on defense. And, we didnt get the hits to get the win.

The Trojans scored their only run in the bottom of the first inning, but the Comets responded with six in the next three innings to build their 7-1 lead.

Dentler Loschen took the loss for Armstrong-Potomac.

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Virtual Star Party December 1, 2013 – Dying Comets, Smashing Galaxies & Cosmic Bees – Video

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Virtual Star Party December 1, 2013 - Dying Comets, Smashing Galaxies Cosmic Bees
This video is sponsored by XE.com. Streamed live on Dec 1, 2013 Hosts: Fraser Cain and Scott Lewis Astronomers: Gary Gonella, Roy Salisbury, Steven Coates, T...

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Virtual Star Party December 1, 2013 - Dying Comets, Smashing Galaxies & Cosmic Bees - Video

Workington Comets maul Glasgow Tigers in cup match

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By John Walsh

Last updated at 16:43, Monday, 31 March 2014

Workington Comets 60 Glasgow Tigers 31: Workington Comets powered their way to a clear-cut home victory in their opening Premier League Cup tie at Derwent Park.

Comets Kyle Howarth on the inside and former Comet Rusty Harrison

The result was never in doubt after the Comets had opened-up a 15-point lead after six heats, and by which time the visitors had used their first tactical ride.

The Comets blasted out seven heat maximums and all five contracted riders had at least one victory on the night. Reserve guest Chris Schramm was the only one to miss out on a personal victory.

Workington had gone into the match without Ricky Wells and Ashley Morris, who were both on Elite League duty with Wolverhampton. Schramm filled in at reserve while the Comets used the rider replacement facility for Wells.

With the Ian Thomas Shield already on the Comets sideboard, Workington had started the competitive season installed as favourite to lift the Premier League crown.

The best way to justify that tag is to dominate the early-season League Cup competition and Workington certainly showed in this opener that they have the personnel capable of going all the way.

Skipper Rene Bach was beaten by ex-Comet Rusty Harrison in his second ride of the night but apart from that turned in a faultless performance, knocking out five straight wins afterwards for a 17-point tally.

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Workington Comets maul Glasgow Tigers in cup match

Gameday: Comets vs. Iowa

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March 30, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL) Utica Comets IOWA WILD (26-30-6-4) @ UTICA COMETS (29-29-4-4)

Utica Memorial Auditorium, 3pm

Radio: 94.9 K-Rock

Tonight's Game: The Utica Comets look to rebound after a tough two game set with Abbotsford, as they host the fellow first year Iowa Wild. Tonight's contest is a crucial one for the Comets, as they sit seven points out of the Western Conference's final playoff position.

When They Last Met: The Comets rode a career high 43 saves from Joe Cannata to defeat the Iowa Wild 3-2 in a shootout back on February 5 at Wells Fargo Arena in Iowa. Nicklas Jensen and Colin Stuart scored for Utica and Alex Biega found the game winner in the ninth round of the shootout. Jeremy Welsh and Patrick Mullen also scored shootout goals for Utica.

Comets Outlook: The Utica Comets were handed one of the worst defeats in franchise history, as they dropped a 7-2 decision to the Abbotsford Heat. Jeremy Welsh and Alex Biega scored for Utica, which fell to 29-29-4-4 with the defeat. The Comets received 18 saves form Joacim Eriksson, who took the loss, and 12 saves from Joe Cannata in relief. Ben Street led all scorers with three points (1-2-3) for Abbotsford, while Brett Olson had two goals. Netminder Joni Ortio made 32 saves on 34 shots to earn the victory.

Wild Outlook: The Wild picked up a 2-1 shootout victory over the Toronto Marlies last evening at Ricoh Coliseum. Jamie MacQueen scored in his first game with the Wild while Johan Gustafsson recorded 38 saves on 39 shots to earn the victory. Carson McMillan and Zack Phillips scored during the 2-0 shootout victory. Peter Holland was the lone goalscorer for Toronto, while Garret Sparks made 25 saves on 26 shots for the victory.

To Biega Or Not To Biega: Defenseman Alex Biega recorded his third goal of the season, with a marker during the third period. Biega is now tied with Colin Stuart for the team lead with two shorthanded goals. The Harvard University graduate now has 19 points (3-16-19) in 64 games to lead all Utica defenseman this season.

Friesen Willy: Center Alex Friesen was the only Comet with a multi-point evening on Saturday, with assists on both Utica goals. Friesen now has nine points (3-6-9) over eleven games this month, which places him second on the team behind only Cal O'Reilly.

I Don't Jer. I Love It: Center Jeremy Welsh scored for the first time on home ice last evening, with a second period tally against Abbotsford. Welsh, who now has nine points (3-6-9) since he was returned on loan from Vancouver, was also tied with Biega for the team lead with five shots on goal.

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Gameday: Comets vs. Iowa


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