AMBUSH PLAY TWO ON THE ROAD THIS WEEKEND

by Jim Fossell

St. Charles, MO

The St. Louis Ambush kick off the second half of their 2014-15 MASL season with back to back road games against division rivals this weekend. The first stop is Independence, where the Ambush will battle the Missouri Comets Friday, January 16 at 7:00 p.m. Following the clash with the Comets, the Ambush head east into Kansas to face off with the Wichita B-52s Saturday, January 17 at 7:05 p.m.

With ten games played and ten to go, St. Louis finds themselves in fifth place in the MASL Central Division. The top three teams in each division earn a playoff berth and the Ambush are three games behind the third-place Chicago Mustangs, so St. Louis is very much in the hunt for a trip to the post-season.

The undefeated Comets have a stranglehold on first place in the division and the Ambush would love nothing more than to hand their cross-state rivals their first defeat. Both teams will take to the pitch Friday night without the services of their starting goalkeepers. Missouri’s Danny Waltman is out of action due to a right ankle injury suffered last weekend. The club announced the signing of Stephen Paterson this week. Ambush starter Greg Crook is out for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL, suffered in last Saturday’s duel against Wichita. Backup goalkeeper Alan Hagerty (right) has been working out with the team all season and will be ready to go for this weekend’s games. Hagerty said, “I am ready to make my debut with the Ambush. I’ve been training my entire career for this opportunity. It’s unfortunate that it had to come under these circumstances but I believe we have the talent and determination to beat anyone. Now it’s time to prove it.”

Saturday’s battle with the B-52′s is a rematch of last Saturday’s game that saw the Ambush lose in the final minute of action. Given how close that game was, another fierce duel is expected Saturday night as St. Louis plans to turn the tables on their division rivals.

The Ambush enter the weekend with more offensive firepower than they’ve had all season, thanks to roster moves made by team owner Andrew Haines this week. On Monday, Haines traded forward Stefan St. Louis (six goals, six assists in nine games played) to the Milwaukee Wave for cash, then turned around and made a similar deal with the Seattle Impact to acquire Gordy Gurson (left), the league’s leading goal scorer (36 goals, 12 assists in 13 games played).

The Ambush already had two of the league’s best defenders in Chad Vandegriffe and Chris Mattingly (second and third in the league in blocks, respectively) and now they enter the weekend with Gurson, who ranks first in the league in goals and second in points (48). Clearly, the team is well stocked both offensively and defensively. It should be an exciting weekend for Ambush fans.

For fans not making a trip to either game, both will be webcast at golivesportscast.com. Links to the video will be posted on the Ambush website, stlouisambush.com and on the team’s Facebook page, facebook.com/stlouisambush.

The Ambush return home to the Family Arena for back-to-back home games the weekend of January 23 and 24.  The Ambush host the Tulsa Revolution for the first time ever on Friday, January 23 at 7:35 p.m., then the Wichita B-52s invade the Family Arena for a 7:35 p.m. match on Saturday, January 24.

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 all 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.