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Comets score overtime win over Syracuse

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SYRACUSE Brandon DeFazio came out as the hero for Utica as the Comets pulled out a thrilling 2-1 overtime road victory over the Syracuse Crunch in American Hockey League action on Friday night at the Onondaga War Memorial Arena.

DeFazio scored the game-winning goal with just 58 seconds left in overtime and avoid the shootout. It was the Comets second win in overtime this season as the winger took the back half of a give-and-go feed from Cal OReilly and sent the puck in for the winning score. The assist gave OReilly his third multi-point game as a Comet to finish the night with two assists, and it was DeFazios ninth goal of the season.

Goaltender Joacim Eriksson won his 14th game of the season, with 25 saves on 26 shots.

Syracuse got on the scoreboard first when Pierre-Cedric Labrie slotted one past Eriksson from the bottom of the right circle to make it 1-0. Phillippe Paradis and Mike Angelidis each picked up assists on the play, after Angelidis forced a turnover in the Utica zone.

The Comets harassed Syracuse netminder Cedric Desjardins with 15 second period shots and were finally able to break through to tie the score up at 1-1 with a power-play goal from Nicklas Jensen, his 13th of the season and seventh during the month of February. Center Pascal Pelletier also picked up a team-best 32nd assist on the play, as did OReilly.

The Comets will travel to Binghamton tonight for a 7 oclock meeting with the East Division leading Senators and on Sunday will visit the Albany Devils for a matinee contest at 3 p.m. at the Times Union Center.

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Comets score overtime win over Syracuse

Little Comets – The Blur, the Line and the Thickest of Onions (Live – Manchester Club Academy 2014) – Video

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Little Comets - The Blur, the Line and the Thickest of Onions (Live - Manchester Club Academy 2014)
Little Comets - The Blur, the Line and the Thickest of Onions (Live - Manchester Club Academy)

By: Nicholas Chadford

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Little Comets - The Blur, the Line and the Thickest of Onions (Live - Manchester Club Academy 2014) - Video

Comets defeat Binghamton

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February 22, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL) Utica Comets For the first time in franchise history, the Utica Comets completed a third period come from behind victory, as they defeated the Binghamton Senators 3-2.

Nicklas Jensen and Frank Corrado scored third period goals and captain Colin Stuart also scored for the Comets, who moved to 22-23-3-4 as they earned their fourth consecutive victory. Center Cal O'Reilly collected two assists for the second consecutive evening and goaltender Joacim Eriksson turned aside 27 of 29 shots for the victory.

The Senators struck first, as they opened the scoring in this one, with Mike Hoffman putting a shot through Eriksson from the right hand circle. Binghamton's leading scorer took a feed from defenseman Chris Wideman and netted a goal for the second straight game against Utica.

The Comets knotted the scoring at the 9:18 mark of the second period, as Stuart beat Andrew Hammond for the first time tonight. The Utica captain was set up in the slot and took a feed from Jeremy Welsh, which he potted into the top corner of the net. The goal was the fifth of the season for Stuart in three games against Binghamton and his twelfth overall. Winger Alex Mallet also picked up an assist on the play with the secondary marker, his first point since Jan. 4 in Toronto.

Binghamton extended its lead to two goals as Hoffman recorded his second of the evening, a shot that deflected off of Corrado. Hoffman's goal was his 30th marker of the season, which ties him with Colton Sceviour of the Texas Stars for the AHL lead. Mark Stone picked up the lone assist on the play, which extended his point streak to 10 games.

Utica equalized early in the third period, as Jensen knocked a loose puck past Hammond just 19 seconds into the final stanza. The goal, scored on the power-play, was Jensen's team high sixth of the season with the man advantage and his eighth during the month of February. Defenseman Patrick Mullen and O'Reilly collected assists on the play, the fifth straight game for O'Reilly with a point.

The Comets completed the comeback at the 6:31 mark of the third as Corrado scored his fifth goal of the season on a shot from the right point. The goal, the second game-winner of Corrado's AHL career, came off of a feed from O'Reilly, who picked up his 20th assist as a Comet.

Eriksson collected his 16th win of the season and his second over Binghamton. The Galve, Sweden native has now stopped 69 of 73 against the Senators this season. With the victory, the Comets jumped both Hamilton and Charlotte in the Western Conference standings as they moved into 12th place. Utica also moved to within just six points of eighth place Milwaukee for the final playoff spot.

Utica is back in action tomorrow afternoon, as they complete their three games in as many days stretch with a matinee at the Times Union Center in Albany. Puck drop on the final meeting of the season between the Comets and Devils is set for 3:00 p.m.

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Comets defeat Binghamton

Gameday: Comets at Binghamton

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February 22, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL) Utica Comets UTICA COMETS (21-23-3-4) @ BINGHAMTON SENATORS (33-15-1-3)

Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena, 7 pm

Radio: 94.9 K-Rock

Tonight's Game: The Utica Comets continue their tour of New York State with a trip to the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton to take on the Senators. Utica has won three in a row, five of seven and have collected 22 of a possible 30 points entering tonight's action.

When They Last Met: The Comets surrendered a late goal with just 28 seconds on the clock, as they dropped a 4-3 decision in heartbreaking fashion at The AUD on Dec. 27. Alexandre Grenier scored twice and added an assist, but Mike Hoffman's game winner on the power play evened the season series for Binghamton. Both Nathan Lawson and Joe Cannata finished the evening with 30 saves.

Comets Outlook: Utica moved one step closer to the Galaxy Cup and a playoff push, with a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory over the Syracuse Crunch. With the win, the Comets improved to 21-23-3-4, good for 49 points in the standings. Brandon DeFazio was the overtime hero, as he scored the game winning goal with just 58 seconds left in the game. Nicklas Jensen also scored for Utica, his seventh marker during the month of February, while Cal O'Reilly added two assists. Joacim Eriksson picked up the victory, with 25 saves on 26 shots.

Senators Outlook: The Senators scored four unanswered goals in the game's final 25 minutes to defeat the Hamilton Bulldogs last evening at the Bell Centre in Montreal. Forwards Andre Petersson and Jean-Gabriel Pageau led the way with a goal and an assist apiece, while Mike Hoffman and Buddy Robinson also scored for Binghamton. Andrew Hammond collected the victory with 31 saves on 32 shots.

Fazzy Cleopatra: Winger Brandon DeFazio netted his first career AHL overtime goal, with the deciding marker against Syracuse last evening. DeFazio has now collected goals in three of his past four contests. The bruising winger is two goals shy of his career high (11), set in 2011-12 with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and matched the following season in 2012-13 with Bridgeport.

Carry On My Wayward Eriksson: Goaltender Joacim Eriksson put in another workman's effort with 25 saves on 26 shots to defeat the Syracuse Crunch. Eriksson has now held his opposition to two goals or less in 12 of his past 17 starts. Amongst all netminders in the AHL with more than 30 games played, the Galve, Sweden native ranks eighth in goals against average (2.57) and ninth in save percentage (.913).

Number Two Jensil: With a score on Friday in Syracuse, winger Nicklas Jensen now has 13 goals this season, including 12 over his past 19 games played. Jensen's goal, which came on the man advantage, tied him with Benn Ferriero and Colin Stuart for the team high with five power-play goals. Jensen also leads all Comets with seven goals during the month of February.

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Gameday: Comets at Binghamton

Comets Ready for Weekend Doubleheader

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February 21, 2014 - Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) Missouri Comets INDEPENDENCE, Missouri (February 21, 2014) - The Missouri Comets get ready for the playoffs with a pair games against their Midwest rivals, the St. Louis Ambush and the Milwaukee Wave. Saturday game at home matches the Comets against the St. Louis Ambush, before they head north to Milwaukee for Sunday afternoon tilt with the Wave.

The St. Louis game is the fifth matchup of the season and the final one at the Independence Events Center. So far, the Comets have controlled the series, outscoring the expansion Ambush 90-32 in the four previous games.

Forward Leo Gibson leads the way for the Comets and the entire MISL with 59 points. Against St. Louis, Gibson has scored 15 points including a six-point effort in the last match on January 24th.

St. Louis is in the midst of a six-game losing streak and has had trouble defending their net, giving up an average of 18 points during that span. Goalkeeper Jeff Richey has faced nearly 100 more shots than any other keeper in the league.

Milwaukee currently leads the league with a record of 14-2. Both of their losses have come against the Comets, and they needed overtime to avoid a third loss in the teams' season opener. They are led by Ian Bennett, who is tied with Gibson for the league lead in scoring.

Missouri bolstered their squad at the roster change deadline with the addition of three players. Brendan Allen (GK) and Alain Matingou (D) have been training with the team since the beginning of the season and will provide great depth.

The team also traded with the Pennsylvania Roar for forward Max Touloute. The "Haitian Sensation" played five games for the Roar this season and scored 7 of the team's 21 goals during that span.

Tickets for Saturday's match are available at Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com or the Silverstein Eye Centers Box Office at the Independence Events Center. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:35p.m. CT. Following the match, the Comets will be presented with the I-70 Trophy as the winners of the I-70 series between the Comets and the Ambush.

For group tickets and information call 855.4KC.GOAL or email tickets@kcproscoccer.com.

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Comets Ready for Weekend Doubleheader

Comets double-up on Syracuse in overtime

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February 21, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL) Utica Comets The Utica Comets moved one step closer to the Galaxy Cup, with a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory over the Syracuse Crunch. With the win, the Comets improved to 21-23-3-4, good for 49 points in the standings.

Brandon DeFazio was the overtime hero, as he scored the game winning goal with just 58 seconds left in the game. Nicklas Jensen also scored for Utica, his seventh marker during the month of February, while Cal O'Reilly added two assists. Joacim Eriksson picked up the victory, with 25 saves on 26 shots.

Syracuse got on the board first as Pierre-Cedric Labrie slotted one past Eriksson from the bottom of the right circle to make it 1-0. Phillippe Paradis and Mike Angelidis each picked up assists on the play, after Angelidis forced a turnover in the Utica zone. The tally was just the second of the season for Labrie.

Utica peppered Syracuse netminder Cedric Desjardins with 15 second period shots and were able to knot the score at one with a power-play goal from Jensen, his thirteenth tally of the season. After a scramble in front, Cal O'Reilly got the puck towards the net and found Jensen, who slotted one home from the side of the cage. The goal was the seventh during the month of February for Jensen and his fifth this season with the man advantage, which ties him for a team best. Center Pascal Pelletier also picked up an assist on the play, his team best 32nd.

Neither team was able to take the lead in the third period, despite two close calls for Syracuse. The Crunch thought they had pulled ahead when the puck squirted through Eriksson's crease, but was judged to have not cleared the line. Syracuse thought they had the go-ahead goal a second time, but Luke Witkowski's shot hit the iron, despite an original call of goal on the ice.

The nailbiting three periods set the stage for DeFazio to steal the show and avoid a shootout. The Comets won their second contest in overtime this season as the winger took the back half of a give-and-go feed from O'Reilly and beat a sprawling Desjardins for the game winner. The assist gave O'Reilly his third multi-point game as a Comet, while DeFazio picked up his ninth goal of 2013-14.

Eriksson won his fourteenth game of the season, as the Comets picked up two points towards a Galaxy Cup victory. Utica currently sits with five points from three games against Syracuse, while the Crunch have three. The final meeting of the series takes place on Apr. 5 in Syracuse.

The Comets continue their road swing as they travel to Binghamton tomorrow for a 7:00 pm meeting with the East Division leading Binghamton Senators. The stretch ends on Sunday with a matinee contest in Albany against the Devils. Puck drop for that game is set for 3:00 p.m. at the Times Union Center.

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Comets double-up on Syracuse in overtime

Gameday: Comets at Syracuse

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February 21, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL) Utica Comets UTICA COMETS (20-23-3-4) @ SYRACUSE CRUNCH (18-23-3-5)

War Memorial at Oncenter, 7:05 pm

Radio: 94.9 K-Rock | TV: Time Warner Sports (Ch. 26)

Tonight's Game: The Utica Comets travel up the Thruway to Syracuse for the first meeting in franchise history at the War Memorial at Oncenter. Tonight's action is the second of four straight away from home, with the Comets on the road tomorrow in Binghamton and Sunday in Albany as well.

When They Last Met: The Comets defeated the Crunch 3-1 in front of an electric crowd at The AUD for Pink The Rink night on January 31. Brandon DeFazio, Pascal Pelletier and Darren Archibald each scored for Utica, while Joacim Eriksson turned aside 31 of 32 shots to earn the victory. Defenseman Andrej Sustr scored the lone goal for Syracuse and Cedric Desjardins took the loss with 26 saves.

Comets Outlook: The Utica Comets capped off a three games in three days set with a thrilling 2-1 victory over the Toronto Marlies at the Ricoh Coliseum Sunday afternoon. The Comets rode a penalty killing unit that killed off 8 of 9 Toronto power play opportunities, and Joe Cannata's 25 saves for the victory. With the win the Comets improved to 20-23-3-4, and have collected a point in 11 of its past 14 games. The Comets recorded goals from Jeremy Welsh and Pascal Pelletier. Colin Stuart, Kent Huskins, and Alex Biega picked up the Comets assists.

Crunch Outlook: The Crunch dropped the eleventh out of their past twelfth and fourth straight in a 2-1 defeat to the Norfolk Admirals. Defenseman Dmitry Korobov scored the lone goal for the Crunch, while Chris Wagner and Emerson Etem found the back of the net for Norfolk. John Gibson turned aside all but one of the 29 shots he faced for the victory, while Cedric Paquette took the loss with 25 saves.

The Dream Joacim: Goaltender Joacim Eriksson held the opposition to two goals or less for the seventeenth time this season with his 31 save effort in Utica's 2-1 win over Rochester. The Galve, Sweden native is 14-1-0-2 in such situations. Eriksson leads all Utica goaltenders in wins (14), save percentage (.912) and goals against average (2.68). Eriksson is also tied for second in the AHL with five shutouts.

Ready Or Cannat: Netminder Joe Cannata has recorded victories in each of his past three starts. Cannata has amassed a .946 save percentage over his past four appearances. With the win over Toronto, Cannata is 4-1-0-1 against Canadian opposition, with a .932 save percentage and a 2.30 goals against average.

Alex In Wonderland: In addition to his three game point streak, Alex Biega has five assists over his past five games played. Biega has overtaken teammate Peter Andersson for the team lead in plus/minus this season at +10 and leads all Utica defensemen with 14 assists.

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Gameday: Comets at Syracuse

Comets fall out of MWC race with loss at Tri-County

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WOLCOTT Fridays matchup in Wolcott between Tri-County and Caston had its share of storylines.

Both teams entered with similar records at 10-6 and 11-7, respectively. J.R. Howells team was looking to capitalize on two dramatic wins over Maconaquah and North White last weekend and shake the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde disparity between their sparkling 10-1 home record and 1-6 road record.

A win Friday would mean an opportunity to claim at least a share of the Midwest Conference title at Winamac Tuesday. The Cavaliers started the season 6-0, with three of those victories coming in extra sessions. Since Dec. 21, Tyler Scherers group has cooled off a bit, going 4-6 in that stretch.

The Comets mounted a furious third-quarter comeback after a 16-point deficit. But much like the snow covered fields of western White County, a fourth-quarter meltdown flooded the Comets, as they fell to Tri-County 62-49.

After jumping out to a quick 5-0 lead following Brayton Jellisons 3 in the first, things started to look bleak for Caston. The Cavaliers used second-chance points and free throws to fuel a 14-3 run to close the period, and enjoyed a 22-12 lead. Zack Patton led the way for Tri-County, scoring four of his nine first-quarter points from the line.

A pivotal play opened the second quarter, as Patton was intentionally fouled by Jellison on a 3 attempt and cashed in at the stripe. The ensuing possession saw the Cavaliers open a 16-point lead as fellow senior Kyle Miller drilled a 3 at the 7:14 mark. Fullcourt pressure rattled the Comets, with their senior leader Quentin Douglass on the bench with early foul trouble. Howell made the choice to bring Douglass back in shortly after and it paid off initially. The Comet point guard slashed the Cavalier defense, scoring three consecutive buckets to cut the lead to eight. Miller answered with two devastating 3s to close the half, and extended Tri-Countys lead back to 14.

Caston opened the third with a vengeance, behind consecutive treys by Dustin Offenberger and Jellison. Junior Jake Kingery scored on a layup, and was followed by a bucket and-one by Douglass to cut the lead to one. Caston took its first lead since the opening minutes after two Offenberger free throws. The junior scored 13 points in the game.

The surge didnt stop there, as Offenberger scored again on the and-one, followed by Douglass swipe and layup to extend their lead to six. Douglass led Caston with 17 points.

With Caston now the aggressors, using fullcourt pressure to unravel Tri-County, it was again Miller who answered the call. The senior sharpshooter dialed up two more huge 3s to keep his team alive, ending the Comets 20-0 run in the period. He finished the night with 17 points for the Cavaliers.

Fellow senior Patton followed suit, finishing the quarter with a three of his own and two more free throws to take the lead back at 49-46.

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Comets fall out of MWC race with loss at Tri-County

Bill Haley Jr and Comets promise night of rock n roll

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21 February 2014

Bill Haley Jr and Comets promise night of old fashioned rock n roll

Bill Haley and the Comets are rock n roll legends - they were there at the birth of rock n roll and changed the face of music forever.

And now Bill Haleys son Bill Haley Jr, and his five-piece band, are coming to Rotoruas Energy Events Centre for a rock n roll celebration on Saturday 29 March.

They will be playing all the 50s rockers classics, including Rock Around The Clock; See You Later Alligator; Shake, Rattle & Roll; Chantilly Lace; Johnny B Good; That's Alright Mama; Kansas City and Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On.

Energy Events Centre operations manager, Joelene Elliott, says the band will be bringing the songs that many Kiwis grew up with and which earned Bill Haley and the Comets a place in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame.

But Ms Elliot says people can expect much more than just a regular concert. She says it promises to be a fun-filled 50s rock n roll party.

For one amazing night, locals will be transported back to the days of Richie and the Fonz, with hot rods and Harleys, big swinging dresses and gum-chewing waitresses.

In keeping with an American diner theme, concert-goers will have the option of front-of-stage dining with a selection of American favourites on the menu including pre-ordered meals like T-bone steaks, and other options available on the night like barbecue ribs, burgers, hot dogs, shakes and Pepsi, or something stronger. Therell also a dance floor and the chance to win prizes.

Bill Haley Jr and the Comets are playing two solid hours of classic rock and roll, so were encouraging people to get into the spirit by dressing in 50s get-up. Put on your glad rags and dancing gear cause theres going to be a whole lot of shakin going on.

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Bill Haley Jr and Comets promise night of rock n roll

Comets face ranked opponents in regionals

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VELMA In a matchup more fitting for the area final, the No. 5 Sterling girls will face No. 16 Velma-Alma in the first round of the regional tournament on Thursday.

The game is high risk, high reward. If the Lady Comets (18-4) can make it past the Lady Tigers (22-3), they would have a great opportunity to make it to the state tournament.

With such a tough draw, coach Kenny Bare is focused on this game and how the Lady Comets can pull the upset.

Were going to show up, play and do the best we can, Bare said. Sterlings got good athletes, size, quickness, good shooters and a really good coach.

Velma-Alma counters that with a 14-game winning streak and home-court advantage. Part of why they have been able to build that streak has been the teams speed in transition. They can compete with the Sterling in that area of the game, but the size is another story.

The Lady Comets will be going up against much taller opponents, and that has been hard for Bare to gameplan against.

Weve practiced against our junior high boys, and they have some size, Bare said. Hopefully that will help us, but you cant make your second team girls be big and tall for practice purposes.

If the Comets can push their win streak to 15, it will be a while before they are tested at the same level again. In the regional final they would play either Blair or Alex.

Blair (17-5) on paper would look to be the toughest task, but it barely escaped district after being picked by Hollis to play in the first round. They beat Hollis and Navajo, which both have losing records, by a combined seven points.

Alexs (11-10) resume isnt much more impressive. Though it beat Macomb 62-24 to win its district, it lost seven out of its last 10 games before entering the playoffs, a contradiction from the surging Comets.

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Comets face ranked opponents in regionals

Comets Busy Before Roster Freeze Date

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February 19, 2014 - Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) Missouri Comets INDEPENDENCE, Missouri (February 19, 2014) - The Missouri Comets were active as the deadline for making roster changes approached. Prior to the 2013-2014 Roster Freeze deadline at 4:00p.m. CT, the Comets added three players to the roster and placed one on Injured Reserve.

Missouri added players to both ends of the field, signing defender Alain Matingou from Park University, goalkeeper Brendan Allen from Baker University and trading for forward Max Touloute from the Pennsylvania Roar. All three players are expected to be available for Saturday's match against the St. Louis Ambush.

Matingou, originally from Paris, France, played four years at Park University. A stout defender for the Pirates, he became a starter in his freshman year. In 2010 he led a defense that carried Park University to a first-place finish in the AMC Regular Season and earned 2010 AMC 1st Team All-Conference Honors.

Allen began training with the Comets after graduating from Baker University. In his senior year with the Wildcats, Allen played nine games and turned in three clean sheets. He is originally from Kansas City, MO and graduated from Park Hill South High School.

Max Touloute joined the Roar in January of this season. In the five games he played with Pennsylvania, Touloute tallied 16 points and seven goals. In 2012 he played seven games with the Wichita Wings in a reserve role. Pennsylvania will receive financial considerations from Missouri in the trade.

In other roster moves, defender Coady Andrews was placed on Injured Reserve today. Andrews suffered a broken ankle during training February 11th. He is expected to make a full recovery in 6-10 weeks.

The Comets will play their final regular season home game Saturday against cross-state rivals, the St. Louis Ambush. Game time is scheduled for 7:35p.m. CT at the Independence Events Center. The I-70 Trophy will be presented following the conclusion of the game. This trophy, sponsored by Independence Tourism, is awarded to the Missouri team with the best head-to-head record throughout the season. The Comets currently hold a 4-0 lead in the six-game season series.

The Comets have clinched a spot in the MISL Playoffs and will host Game One of the Semi-Finals series on March 9th at 3:10p.m. CT. Fans can receive FREE playoff tickets by reserving and paying in full for their 2014-2015 Missouri Comets Season Tickets by March 4, 2014. Single game tickets for the MISL Semi-Finals at the Independence Events Center are now on sale.

For tickets and information call 855.4KC.GOAL or email tickets@kcproscoccer.com.

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Comets Busy Before Roster Freeze Date


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