WAVE HANDILY DEFEAT ST. LOUIS AMBUSH SUNDAY; BENNETT SCORES 6 GOALS

MKE WAVE HANDILY DEFEAT ST. LOUIS AMBUSH SUNDAY AFTERNOON AT UW-MILWAUKEE PANTHER ARENA;

BENNETT SCORES 6 GOALS.

By Jason Howarth

The Wave definitely had their hands full with the St. Louis Ambush and army of canine supporters in the house. It didn’t get any easier with St. Louis scoring in the opening five minutes of the first period. The Wave tied the score a mere 30 seconds later with a goal from Guilherme Veiga (his 3rd) with an assist from Max Ferdinand. The assist gave Ferdinand his 17th consecutive game with at least one point, a streak stretching back to the Wave’s championship win last season. Ferdinand would add two goals (one in the second period and one in the third period) and two more assists to his resume for 5 points total. 

The Ambush follow Veiga’s goal with one of their own a mere 12 seconds later, giving the Ambush a 2-1 after the first period. Ferdinand would even things up with the first of his two aforementioned goals one minute into the second period with an assist from Ian Bennett. St. Louis would score another goal to retake the lead halfway through the second period. The Wave would counter two minutes later with a goal from Andrew Wiedabach (assisted by Ferdinand). The Ambush would score one more goal before the end of the half to gain a 4-3 lead. 

The Wave would begin to take control in the second half starting with a power play goal by Luan Oliveira assisted by Max Ferdinand tied the game and an unassisted goal by Oliviera put the game on top for the first time all game 5-4. The Ambush would tie the game in the third with just under six minutes in the third period. However, after that the Wave and perhaps more notably Ian Bennett went on a tear, as just 20 seconds after the last Ambush goal Bennett would go on to score 6 goals for the Wave! The performance gives Bennett 37 goals on the season and 374 goals overall as member of the Wave. Stuart Grable, Andre Hayne, Alex Bradley, Derek Huffman, and Oliviera all provided assists for Bennett’s goals (plus one unassisted).

Max Ferdinand spoke after the game, admitting he was even aware of his points’ streak, saying “it’s far more important to produce in whatever way I can so we can win as a team.” Ferdinand also said that it was definitely important to win home games like this with their tough road schedule.

Coach Giuliano Oliviero said that he felt the Wave had a good first half despite being down 4-3 and “I felt confident that we could change momentum in the second half.” Oliviero also spoke of Bennett and his achievements on the field, calling Bennett “the most exciting player I have seen out here as a coach and he brings hard work and dedication to the game. He’s definitely of the most entertaining Wave players ever.”

Final Score: Milwaukee Wave 12, St. Louis Ambush 6.

The Wave (12-4) go on a two game road trip to take on the San Diego Sockers on Saturday February 29th at 9:05 pm (central time) and the Ontario Fury on Sunday March 1st at 5:05 pm.

Both games can be viewed online and for free via MASL.tv @ MASLSoccer.com.

When the Wave return home it will be on Saturday March 7 for game 1 of a rare home back-to-back pair of games against the Orlando SeaWolves. First Kick will be at 6:07 pm and will also be our On Wisconsin night! Performance by the Echoes of Camp Randall! Enjoy a performance from members of the UW- Madison Marching Band.

For tickets and more information visit MilwaukeeWave.com