Stars Fall 9-6 In Divisional Match With Fury

ONTARIO, Calif. -- The Tacoma Stars (6-4) dropped a road divisional match with the Ontario Fury (4-3) by a score of 9-6 on Friday night at Citizens Business Bank Arena.

Stars forward Dan Antoniuk led the club with a brace, scoring both of his goals in the second quarter. Midfielders Michael Ramos and Joseph Cairel, defender Adam West, and forward Joey Gjertsen each contributed one goal in the losing effort. Tacoma  goalkeeper Danny Waltman recorded seven saves on 16 shots.

Ontario raced out to a 3-0 lead with goals from Juan Carlos Gonzalez, Josh Ayers, and Kiley Couch in the final six minutes of the first quarter.

The Stars mounted a furious comback in the second quarter, scoring three unanswered goals in under two minutes to tie the match at 3-3. Two of the goals came from Antoniuk, the first of which came during a Tacoma power play. Ontario’s Gonzalez responded with his second power play goal of the night late in the second quarter, giving the Fury a 4-3 lead heading into halftime.

Fury forward Juan Topete and Stars defender Adam West exchanged goals in the opening minutes of the second half, giving Ontario a 5-4 advantage. A pair of goals from Fury midfielder Israel Sesay extended Ontario’s lead to 7-4 heading into the final quarter.

Tacoma and Ontario split a four-goal fourth quarter, giving the Fury a 9-6 divisional win over the Stars.

The Stars wrap up their road weekend with a match against the Las Vegas Legends tomorrow, Saturday, Dec. 19. First kick is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. PT.

Single game tickets, season ticket packages, group outings, and suite offerings for the Tacoma Stars 2015-16 season are available now. To purchase, call 1-844-STARS-TIME or visit the Stars online at www.tacomastars.com. The most up-to-date news and notes about the Stars can be found by following the Stars on Twitter (@TacomaStarsSC) or liking the team on Facebook.