Ambush Face Tropics Twice This Weekend

by Jim Fossell

St. Charles, MO (January 10, 2017) – The St. Louis Ambush play two games on the road against the Florida Tropics this weekend at the Lakeland Center in Lakeland, Florida. On Friday, January 13, the two teams collide at 6:35 p.m. CT, then square off again on Sunday, January 15 at 4:35 p.m. CT.

The Ambush arrive in Florida with a 1-9 record, while the expansion Tropics kick off the weekend at 4-7. The Ambush are coming off a disappointing game on Saturday that saw them carry a 3-2 lead into the fourth quarter, only to give up three unanswered goals on their way to a 5-3 loss. The Tropics defeated the Dallas Sidekicks 8-6 in their most recent outing on Friday. The one victory thus far this season for the Ambush came when they defeated the Tropics 8-6 on December 9 at the Family Arena. While the Ambush will be looking to turn their season around during the pair of game in Florida, the Tropics will be positioning themselves for a potential playoff spot in the second half of the season. The standings in the four-team Eastern Division are tight, with three of the teams, including the Tropics, having four wins each. The top two teams in each division earn a trip to the postseason.

Florida’s offense is led by former Ambush forward Freddy Moojen, who leads the Tropics in points with 14 (eight goals, six assists). Right behind Moojen is Ricardo De Queiroz Diegues, the team’s leading scorer with 10 goals and three assists. Defensive leaders for the Tropics are veteran defender JP Reyes with 10 blocks and former Ambush midfielder Anthony Arico with nine.

Richard Schmermund leads the Ambush offense with nine points (seven goals, two assists) and is the team’s top scorer. Kentaro Takada is the team leader in assists with five, followed by Cody Costakis with four. Chris Mattingly leads the Ambush defense with 30 blocks, making him top in the league in that category.

Following this weekend’s Friday-Sunday games on the road, the Ambush return home to the Family Arena next weekend for Friday and Sunday games at home. On Friday, January 20, the Ambush host the Harrisburg Heat at 7:35 p.m. All fans in attendance at the January 20 game will receive a free ticket to X-Treme Ice Racing, slated for January 28 at the Family Arena. On Sunday, January 22, the Milwaukee Wave invade the Family Arena for a 3:05 p.m. matinee affair.

Fans can catch all Ambush games this season live on the MASLtv YouTube channel. Single game and group tickets are available for all remaining home games. For more information, call the Ambush office at 636-477-6363. Keep up to date with Ambush news by visiting the official website, stlambush.com, the team’s Facebook page and on Twitter and Instagram.