11/20/87: The Comets lost to the Cleveland Force 4-1 at Richfield Coliseum before an announced crowd of 11,161. The start of the game was delayed 21 minutes because the game officials were stuck in traffic en route to the arena during an early-season snowstorm. Kai Haaskivi had two goals and 2 assists and Pasquale DeLuca also scored twice for Cleveland. The only two highlights for KC were Dave Boncek's shorthanded goal and Ed Gettemeier's block of a penalty kick attempt by Cleveland's Bernie James in the first half. Jan Goossens required four stitches over his right eye following an inadvertent collision with the Force's Michael King. The game was the second Comets broadcast on American Cablevision with Chuck Heinz and Clive Griffiths at the mics.
11/25/87: The Comets lost to the Dallas Sidekicks 4-3 in OT before 10,048 at Kemper Arena. The Sidekicks, who were without serial shirt-thrower Tatu, got the game winner just 1:47 into overtime on a goal by Beto. Doc Lawson also had a goal and two assists for Dallas.
11/27/87: The Comets jumped all over the Minnesota Strikers with 5 goals in the first quarter (3 by Kim Roentved) and held on for a 7-6 win before 10,709 at Kemper Arena. Roentved's hat trick was his first as a Comet and the 50th in team history. Jan Goossens added 2 goals and 2 assists against his former team and the late Barry Wallace scored his first goal as a Comet. Minnesota's Steve Kinsey had a hat trick as well and David Byrne had 3 assists. This was the final Comets home game I ever missed (had to work), and I attended all of them after this until the bitter end in 1991.
11/29/87: Dale Mitchell's 8th hat trick as Comet wasn't enough as the San Diego Sockers nipped KC 4-3 in front of 8,454 at Kemper Arena. The usual suspects Branko Segota and Keder had two goals each for SD in a match in which neither team scored in the first half. The Comets were off to a disappointing 2-6 start to the '87-'88 season, but this was the last time they would lose for a couple weeks.
12/2/87: The Comets knocked off Wichita for the 5th-straight time in regular season play, 4-1 before 8,111 at Kemper Arena. Dale Mitchell scored two goals and Damir Haramina added 2 assists, while Tasso Koutsoukos temporarily became the Comets' all-time leading scorer at that point with his 149th point in a K.C. uniform. Slightly odd game in that neither team scored in the 2nd or 3rd quarters.
12/4/87: 9,647 fans watched the Comets nip the Tacoma Stars 6-5 at Kemper Arena. Tasso Koutsoukos had 2 goals and an assist and Kim Roentved assisted twice. Jan Goossens missed on a penalty kick attempt, but scored a power play goal by knocking in his own rebound. KC also held Steve Zungul scoreless for the 3rd-straight time.
12/6/87: In one of the landmark games in team history, the Comets beat the Dallas Sidekicks 7-6 in TRIPLE-overtime before 7,517 at Reunion Arena. It was the longest game in Comets history (94:23) and 5th-longest in MISL history. The game began at 4:00 PM and lasted well into the evening until the late Barry Wallace completed his first hat trick as a Comet by knocking the game-winner past Krys Sobieski 4:23 into the 3rd OT. The Comets trailed 4-0 until late in the 2nd quarter and were 18 seconds away from victory in regulation until Mark Karpun tied it for Dallas on a 6th-attacker goal. Jim Schwab scored a shorthanded goal and goalkeeper Ed Gettemeier left the match with a concussion after colliding with teammate Charley Greene and Mike Jeffries of the Sidekicks and was replaced by Alan Mayer.
12/12/87: The Comets hit a milestone with the 300th regular season game in team history and a personal favorite of mine. Jan Goossens led the way with 2 goals and 2 assists as KC knocked off the Baltimore Blast 6-5 in front of 10,207 at Kemper Arena. Andy Chapman scored 2 goals for the Blast, who led 5-2 midway through the 3rd quarter, before the Comets scored 4 unanswered goals, including Kia's game-winner with 3:29 left in the game. The game holds a special place in my heart--I was sporting my Comets replica jersey with #11 and "HARAMINA" emblazoned on the back in honor of my favorite Comet, Damir Haramina. About midway through the game, some guy in the row behind us taps me on the shoulder and says "I like your shirt!" We turned around and it was the man himself, Damir Haramina, who was sitting the game out with an injury. Pretty cool that Comets players didn't mind rubbing elbows with us peons--that's what made this team special to me.
12/16/87: The Comets won their 5th game in a row, 5-2 over the Wichita Wings at Kemper Arena in front of a crowd of 8.828. Jan Goossens had two goals and Dale Mitchell contributed a goal and 2 assists in a somewhat nondescript match. But, a win is a win...
12/18/87: The Comets lost a wild one at the Old Barn in St. Louis, 7-6 to the Steamers before a crowd of 9,863. Dale Mitchell and Jan Goossens scored 2 goals each, but Daryl Doran had the hat trick for Team Steam, including the game-winner with 1:55 left in the game, just 9 seconds after Goossens tied the game at 6. Journeyman Godfrey Ingram also scored twice for St. Lou.
12/19/87: The Comets lost for the final time ever at Rosemont Horizon to the Chicago Sting 6-2 before 10,351. The Sting did most of their damage with 4th goals in the 4th quarter and Oscar "I Knew I Shoulda Made That Left Turn In" Albuquerque had a hat trick for Team Capone and goalie Cris Vaccaro even had two assists. The game also featured an incident in which former Comet Pato Margetic stepped on goalkeeper Ed Gettemeier's thigh, but was not penalized. Pato was never a big fan of Ed to begin with... (Sorry for the Chris Berman-ism there--the eggnog went to my head!)
12/26/87: Following a full week off, the Comets lost the back end of a home-and-home with the Chicago Sting, 3-1 at Kemper Arena. They simply couldn't buy a goal against goalkeeper Cris Vaccaro, but not for a lack of trying--Shots on goal: KC 30, CHI 13. The 13 SOG by the Sting enabled goalie Ed Gettemeier to tie the MISL record for fewest shots on goal faced in one game. The game also marked Pato Margetic's first game back at Kemper since leaving the Comets, but there were no incidents between him and Gettemeier this time. The announced crowd of 14,588--a most-impressive turnout on a night when the roads around town were very treacherous because of freezing rain--put the Comets over the 2,000,000-mark for all-time attendance.
Two-minute card on yours truly for delay of game--I'm a day late with this one, sorry! 25 years ago yesterday, 1/2/88: The Comets lost their 4th game in a row, 4-2 to the Wings at Wichita in front of 9,045. Erik "The Wizard" Rasmussen scored a natural hat trick (his 3rd vs. the Comets) and Mike Stankovic had 2 assists for the Wings. The game marked Kim Roentved's not-so-triumphant return to Kansas Coliseum in a Comets uniform. Dale Mitchell scored both goals for KC.
1/6/88: The streaky 1987-88 Comets followed their 5-game December winning streak with a 5-game losing streak, capping it off with a 4-3 OT loss to the Baltimore Blast before 8,633 at Kemper Arena. Tim Wittman wasted little time, scoring just 20 seconds in to overtime for the win. Dave MacKenzie had two assists for the Blast.
1/8/88: The Comets snapped their 5-game losing streak with a 6-4 win over the Tacoma Stars on a game televised nationally on FNN-Score (remember them?) in front of 11,586 at Kemper Arena. Dale Mitchell scored 2 goals, while Tasso Koutsoukos and Jan Goossens contributed a goal and 2 assists each. Steve Zungul scored twice for the Stars and Preki had a goal and 2 assists. The Comets should've won based on shots on goal alone: KC 45, TAC 25.
1/13/88: The Comets, who couldn't buy a goal two weeks earlier in a 3-1 loss to Chicago, exploded in a 12-4 clock-cleaning of the Sting, tying the team record for most goals in a regular season game in front of 8,469 at Kemper Arena. KC scored 5 times in the 2nd quarter and led 11-1 at one point in the 4th. It was a memorable night for Dale Mitchell, who set a team record for most points in a game (4 goals, 3 assists), including his 200th MISL career goal. Tasso Koutsoukos, Kia and Armando Betancourt each scored twice, and Jan Goossens had a goal and 3 assists. Chicago goalkeeper Cris Vaccaro uncharacteristically gave up 6 goals and was pulled at halftime. The blowout was the Comets' way of bidding goodbye to the Sting, as this was Team Capone's final appearance ever in K.C. at Kemper Arena, where they went 4-5 all-time in the regular season.
1/16/88: Following their 12-point night against Chicago, the Comets set a team record for most goals in back-to-back matches (21) in beating the St. Louis Steamers 9-6 in front of 13,350 at Kemper Arena. Kim Roentved had four of those goals, Barry Wallace had two, Jan Goossens had a goal and two assists and Tonnie Wareman scored his first MISL career goal. The Steamers struck three times on the power play and Ade Coker and Poli Garcia scored two goals each. Both teams made the most of their shots on goal: KC 19, STL 13 (in a 9-6 game).
1/20/88: In yet another frustrating trip to the Twin Cities, the Comets lost to the Minnesota Strikers 8-7 in front of mostly green, white and yellow seats (plus 3,682 fans) at the Met Center. Jan Goossens scored his 5th hat trick as a Comet, Damir Haramina scored twice and Chris Hundelt (cousin of Kevin Hundelt) scored his first MISL career goal. David Byrne had a hat trick, Hector Marinaro had two goals and two assists and Dwight Lodeweges had three assists for the Strikers.
1/23/88: The Comets lost their 5th-straight regular season road match, 7-4 at Baltimore Arena in front of 12,004. Both starting goalkeepers were casualties in this game: Ed Gettemeier required stitches after hitting his head on the crossbar, and Scott Manning took a shot on goal by Tasso Koutsoukos in the face. Stan Stamenkovic and Freddie Thompson scored two goals each for the Blast.
1/24/88: In their final appearance at Richfield Coliseum ever vs. the Force, the Comets came away with their usual result, losing 7-6 in front of 10,238. The Comets trailed 5-2 at halftime and tied the game with 2:36 left before the Force took the lead for good with 40 seconds remaining. It was KC's 6th-straight regular season road loss and 8th-straight at Richfield, where the Comets finished 1-10 all-time vs. the Force. Dale Mitchell and Tasso Koutsoukos had two goals each, as did Craig Allen and Andy Schmetzer for Cleveland.
1/27/88: The Comets defeated the Wichita Wings for the 7th-straight time at Kemper Arena 7-4 in front of 8,194. Kia had his first hat trick as a Comet and Damir Haramina scored twice. Mickey Thomas took time out from singing with Starship and had a natural hat trick for the Wings. Well, not really...
1/29/88: The Comets beat the St. Louis Steamers 4-3 at The Arena in front of 6,889. Four different Comets scored goals, and the late Barry Wallace assisted on two of them.