Ambush Defeat Cedar Rapids 8-6 in Pre-Season Contest

Ambush get the Win at Fan Fest 2016

Sunday October 9, 2016

St. Charles, MO, October 8, 2016 — If pre-season games don’t count, no one told the players from the St. Louis Ambush and Cedar Rapids Rampage. The two teams squared off Saturday night at the Family Arena and judging by the intensity of play, one would have thought it was the post-season, not the pre-season. The Ambush came away with a hard-fought 8-6 victory, much to the delight of the enthusiastic home crowd. The match was the second in a home-and-home series between the two teams over the weekend. Cedar Rapids prevailed in the first duel when they defeated the Ambush 6-2 Friday night, October 7 in Cedar Rapids.

The Ambush got on the board first, thanks to Kory Dowell’s goal. Vadim Cojocov scored two for St. Louis and Jonatan Santos tallied one for Cedar Rapids, to give the Ambush a 3-1 lead at the end of the opening stanza. The home team opened up a 6-2 lead by the halftime break, on second quarter goals from Richard Schmermund, Kentaro Takada and Victor France. Player-coach Hewerton Moreira scored for the visitors.

While most of the offense in the first half belonged to the Ambush, the Rampage held a 4-2 advantage in the second half. The third period was all Cedar Rapids, with another goal from Moreira, along with goals from Jamar Beasley and Patrick Kelly. Cedar Rapids had moved within a goal of St. Louis (6-5) by the end of the third quarter.

The final quarter saw former Ambush forward Gordy Gurson score the equalizer for the Rampage. St. Louis would take the lead on Schmermund’s second tally of the night and Cody Costakis found the back of the net with one second left in the game to seal the 8-6 victory for the Ambush.

Nikola Marojevic and Casey Clark split time in goal for the Ambush. Marojevic registered eight saves in the first half and Clark saved six in the second half.

Officials handed out 17 fouls to St. Louis, while Cedar Rapids collected 23.

The Ambush now return to training camp to finish preparing for the season. Several players are vying for roster spots and half of Saturday night’s roster included those players. The Ambush start their 2016-17 regular season on the road when they visit division and cross-state rival Kansas City Comets on Sunday, November 13. The home opener for the Ambush is slated for Saturday, November 19, when they host the Tacoma Stars at 7:05 p.m. at the Family Arena.

(Photos by Ambush Photographer Scott Neer)

Single game, season and group tickets are available for the upcoming season. For more information, call the Ambush office at 636-477-6363.