AMBUSH EDGE DETROIT 6-5

Melvindale, MI

The St. Louis Ambush swept their season series with the Detroit Waza Flo and split their two-game weekend road trip when they edged out the Waza Flo 6-5 Saturday night at the Melvindale Ice Arena.

Danny Dragoi’s goal at 2:19 of the first quarter put Detroit on the board first. Odaine Sinclair knotted things up with his goal at 5:36. The rest of the opening stanza remained scoreless.

St. Louis took the lead (2-1) at 7:05 of the second quarter on a restart goal by Ross MacGregor. Worteh Sampson scored an equalizer for Detroit just 31 seconds later. With neither team scoring again in the period, the score remained even entering the halftime break.

The third quarter was a see-saw battle with the two teams trading goals. The Ambush wasted no time taking an early lead as Sinclair got his second goal of the contest 26 seconds into the second half. Detroit tied the match again (3-3) when Zach Bowman scored at 4:13. Less than a minute later (5:11), Ross MacGregor’s shot went wide and the rebound went to Adnan Gabeljic, who pounded it into the back of the net to regain the lead (4-3) for the Ambush. Costea Decu was sent to the penalty box for tripping at 9:53, giving the Ambush a power play opportunity. The man advantage didn’t help, however, as Miki Djerisilo scored at short-handed goal at 10:02 to draw even (4-4) once again. The momentum shifted back to St. Louis when Jeff DiMaria scored at 11:04 off a pass from MacGregor. The third quarter expired with the Ambush holding a 5-4 lead.

Early in the fourth quarter, Adnan Gabeljic went on a breakaway and was met nearly midfield by Detroit goalkeeper Trent Messic, who was unable to stop the runaway train and Gabeljic scored at 5:05 to give St. Louis their biggest lead of the night (6-4). With the game clock winding down, Detroit employed Dragoi as the sixth attacker, a strategy that proved to be effective, when Djerisilo scored his second of the night at 12:40. Djerisilo’s tally would be the last for either team, as the Ambush held on for the 6-5 victory.

Tim Kelly earned his first win in goal for the Ambush, making 32 saves on 37 shots faced. St. Louis swept the two-game season series with Detroit. The Ambush earned a 7-6 victory in the first meeting between the two clubs on December 13 at the Family Arena. The victory improved St. Louis’ record to 5-11, while Detroit dropped to 3-12.

The Ambush return home to the Family Arena when they host the Missouri Comets next Friday, February 6 at 7:35 p.m. That night, the current Ambush will honor the players and coaches of the original Ambush and the 2000-06 St. Louis Steamers when former players of both eras will take to the pitch for a halftime alumni game.

Prior to the February 6 clash between the Ambush and Comets, the Ambush will present a celebrity game kicking off at 5:45 p.m.

The first 2,000 fans in attendance February 6 will also receive a free Gordy Gurson poster, courtesy of Mercy, official medical provider of the St. Louis Ambush.

For the latest Ambush news, watch the Ambush official website, stlouisambush.com and the team’s Facebook page, facebook.com/stlouisambush. Group and single game tickets are available for both remaining Ambush home games. Call the Ambush office at 636-477-6363 for more information. Single game tickets can be purchased at the Family Arena box office or online at metrotix.com.

GAME NOTES:  Jeff DiMaria, Adnan Gabeljic, Ross MacGregor and Odaine Sinclair each had two-point games for the Ambush. Sinclair and Gabeljic each contributed two goals, while MacGregor and DiMaria each tallied a goal and an assist. Sinclair scored his eighth and ninth goals of the season. Gabeljic scored the eighth and ninth goals of his rookie season. DiMaria and MacGregor each notched their third goal and fourth assist of the season