Tacoma Bests Cedar Rapids, 7-5

by Brett Gleason

TACOMA, Wash. -- The Tacoma Stars (9-5) topped the Cedar Rapids Rampage (3-11) by a score of 7-5 on Friday night at the ShoWare Center.

Midfielder Michael Ramos and forward Dan Antoniuk each posted a brace for the Stars, while forward Adam West contributed his third goal in two games. Forward Derek Johnson and midfielder Joseph Cairel each contributed single goals to the offensive effort. Tacoma goalkeeper Danny Waltman notched seven saves on 12 shots.

Ramos took a feed from forward Derek Johnson and opened the scoring with his fourth goal of the season just under three minutes into the opening quarter. Rampage forward Gordy Gurson equalized the score with a goal 21 seconds later, knotting the game up at 1-1.

After 11 minutes of scoreless action in the second quarter, Cairel threaded a go-ahead goal for the Stars, giving Tacoma a 2-1 lead. With under one second remaining in the first half, Gurson found the back of the net for the Rampage to pull the game even 2-2 at the half.

The Stars and Rampage combined for five goals in a back-and-forth third quarter. With under a minute left in the quarter, Antoniuk took a pass from Johnson and capitalized for his first goal of the night to give the Stars a 5-4 lead heading into the fourth.

Falling down in front of the Stars goal early in the fourth quarter, Neto took a pass off the head and knocked it past Waltman to tie the game at 5-5. Johnson pushed in his eighth goal of the season eight minutes later to give Tacoma a 6-5 lead, and Antoniuk banked in an empty net goal as time expired to give the Stars the 7-5 victory.

The Stars continue their three-game homestand when they host the Turlock Express next Friday, Jan. 29 at 7:35 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.