BIG SECOND QUARTER FOR FURY DOES TACOMA IN
ONTARIO, CA. – The Stars (3-6-1) concluded their five-game road swing with an 8-2 loss at Toyota Arena to the Ontario Fury (7-3-2) on Monday night. For the first time this season, the Stars lost a game in which they score first. The Stars matched the Fury goal-for-goal for three of the four quarters, but a six-goal second quarter for Ontario did Tacoma in.
The Stars struck first in this one with 3:35 remaining in the opening quarter. Logan Jones slid a pass forward to Mike Ramos on the right side. Ontario keeper Chris Toth came out to challenge Ramos, but the Tacoma forward got the shot off and put the Stars up 1-0.
Allowing goals late in the quarter has been an issue for the Stars and the Fury added to that with Jesus Pacheco’s sixth goal of the season with 23 seconds left in the first and after 15 minutes of play, it was a 1-1 game.
The second quarter was all Ontario and that proved to be the difference in the game. Six unanswered goals including Pacheco’s second of the game, two from Christian Alvarado, and one each from Franck Tayou, Alan Perez, and Abdul Mansaray gave the Fury a 7-1 lead at halftime.
After the action of the second quarter, the third was quiet in scoring terms as neither team picked up a goal. Both teams put their penalty-killing teams on display as both teams were unsuccessful on power play opportunities.
Already with a six-goal lead, Ontario scored the first goal of the second half off the foot of Jorge Deleon, who also had an assist earlier in the game. That put the Fury up 8-1 with 7:57 to play. Danny Waltman, Tacoma’s starting goalkeeper was replaced with Mike Arguello at the start of the fourth quarter but for a majority of the second half, Ramos was on the field wearing the Stars’ sixth attacker jersey.
Ramos was on as the extra attacker when Alex Megson found Vini Dantas on the left side of the box with a pass and Dantas beat Toth with a low shot to the far post for the final goal of the game.
The Stars are now 1-1 against Ontario and will meet the Fury on March 4 and 5 at the accesso ShoWare Center. That will be Ontario’s only visit to the Northwest during the regular season.
SCORING SUMMARY
1st – TAC Ramos (Jones) 11:25; ONT Pacheco (Goncalves) 14:37. Penalties – None.
2nd – ONT Alvarado (F. Tayou) 4:21; ONT Pacheco (Perez) 5:43; ONT F. Tayou (Deleon) 7:41; ONT Mansaray 10:26; ONT Perez (Pacheco) 11:41; ONT Alvarado (Toth) 11:59. Penalties – None.
3rd – None. Penalties – TAC Ford (blue- holding) 4:15; ONT U. Tayou (blue- tripping) 8:22.
4th – ONT Deleon 7:03; TAC Dantas (Megson) 9:01. Penalties – None.
Power Play – Stars 0/1, Ontario 0/1
Shots – Stars 26, Ontario 22
Attendance – 697
The Stars return to the accesso ShoWare Center for a weekend double-header with the Western Division-leading San Diego Sockers on February 11th and 12th. Get your tickets to both games at tacomastars.showare.com today.
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