By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison
Coralville, Iowa – The Bloomington Bison defeated the Iowa Heartlanders to register the first franchise victory by a score of 4-2 at the Xtream Arena on Thursday night.
There was no scoring in the first period, with the Heartlanders outshooting the Bison 8-6 in the opening 20 minutes.
Forty-two seconds into period two, Jackson Leppard scored on a two-on-one to break open the scoring. Brett Budgell and Jonny Evans assisted his first of the season. 2:07 into the period, Jake Murray was whistled on a tripping call for the game’s first infraction. Iowa would capitalize with a Will Calverley goal on a sharp angle. Matthew Sop and Jack O’Brien assisted his second of the season. At 4:07, Budgell scored his first of the season on a rebound opportunity to regain the one-goal lead. The initial shot came from Leppard, and Connor Lockhart also assisted. The goal was scored on transition after a dazzling Mark Sinclair save. With 6:14 remaining in the second, the Heartlanders tied the game at two after a turnover at the Bloomington blue line. Dakota Raabe collected a pass atop the crease from Sop to beat Sinclair. The scoring would shift to the Bison’s favor once more on a goal from Danny Katic with 2:41 left. The forward scored his first of the season on a one-timer from Sahil Panwar. The period closed with Bloomington holding a 3-2 lead but outshot in the stanza by a 14-13 mark.
The third period featured three penalties in the first 2:40, and emotions began to accelerate. The Bison controlled their 3-2 lead throughout the period and dominated shots by a 13-6 margin. In the closing minutes, Iowa pulled their netminder for an extra attacker to tie the game. Bloomington thrashed the plans with an empty net tally from Katic for his second of the game. Murray and Thomas Stewart assisted. The goal concluded the scoring and sealed the first victory for the franchise.
Sinclair collected the victory with 26 saves on 28 shots. William Rousseau took the loss for Iowa, stopping 28 shots on 31 attempts. The Bison power play was held scoreless on one attempt, while the penalty kill converted one of two chances.
The Bison return to the Grossinger Motors Arena at 7 p.m. on Saturday against the Iowa Heartlanders. All fans are encouraged to join the Halloween Celebration, which includes a costume contest. Fans can enjoy a special $5 deal for pizza and 16oz beer. In addition, fans can select a $5 Bison lanyard, a $5 Bison pennant, or $5 Bison stickers! For more ticket information, visit bloomingtonhockey.com, ticketmaster.com, or call (309) 965-HERD. Sign up for the newsletter on the Bison webpage to receive all the latest Bison news.
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