BISON WIN OVERTIME THRILLER OVER IOWA
By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison
Bloomington, Ill. – Thomas Stewart scored his professional goal in overtime as the Bloomington Bison defeated the Iowa Heartlanders 3-2 on Sunday night at Grossinger Motors Arena.
The Bison held Iowa shotless through the first 20 minutes but could not find the back of the net. Each team saw two power play opportunities. At 19:44, Bison forwards Chongmin Lee and Dalton Duhart and Heartlanders forward Will Calverley were all penalized for roughing to conclude the period.
At 6:29 in the second frame, Heartlanders defenseman Jules Boscq was penalized for a boarding major, giving the Bison another power play opportunity. During this man advantage, Eddie Matsushima found forward Brett Budgell in front of the net to give the Bison a 1-0 lead. Budgell scored again similarly at 18:48. Jackson Leppard and Linus Hemstrom assisted his second of the game and sixth of the season. The Bison completed two penalty kills in the second frame.
1:06 into the third period, Heartlanders forward Gavin Hain assisted Matthew Sop, who snuck the puck past Bison goalie Mark Sinclair to put Iowa on the board. Sop’s seventh of the year moved the score to a 2-1 margin. At 4:02, Heartlanders forward Ryan Miotto scored his fourth of the year, assisted by T.J. Walsh to even the score. The remainder of the period remained scoreless, sending the teams to overtime.
Fifty seconds into overtime, Stewart blasted a one-timer to score his first professional goal and end the game. Lee and Matsushima assisted on the goal. The Bison outshot the Heartlanders 27-18. The Bison power play went 1-4, scoring in five consecutive games. The penalty kill went 3-3, remaining perfect through the weekend. Sinclair stopped 16 shots, moving his record to 5-2-1, and won his fourth straight game. Samuel Hlavaj took the overtime loss for the Heartlanders, allowing three goals on 27 shots.
The Bison return to Grossinger Motors Arena on Friday at 7 p.m. for 309 Night, which includes $3 beers, hot dogs and soda, $0 popcorn, and a $9 specialty t-shirt. Single-game pricing starts as low as $20! Group pricing with benefits and suite options is also available. Visit bloomingtonbisonhockey.com or call (309) 965-HERD for more information.
