By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison
Bloomington, Ill. – The Bloomington Bison were shut out by a score of 2-0 on Friday night against Indy Fuel at Grossinger Motors Arena.
The Bison were outshot by a 9-4 margin in the opening period, with neither team finding the back of the net. Each team saw one power play opportunity. With that first-period penalty kill, the Bison have diminished nine straight power plays against them.
The second frame saw both teams increase their shots on the stat sheet, as the Fuel outshot the Bison by an 11-7 margin. Neither team found the shot to break the deadlock. At the 4:26 mark, the Bison had a powerplay opportunity that the Fuel killed.
At the 8:52 mark of the final stanza, Nathan Burke slung a shot into the back of the net, breaking the stalemate. Assists on Burke’s second of the season came from Bryan Lemos and Andrew Bellant. Indy extended their lead at the 14:03 mark as Jalen Luypen snuck a shot past Mark Sinclair on a rebound for his first of the season. Colin Bilek and Kyle Maksismovic assisted on the final goal of the game. The Bison could not snap the scoring drought despite pulling the goaltender for the extra attack in the closing minutes.
Sinclair took the loss with 27 saves on 29 shots. Ben Gaudreau stopped all 22 shots in his second shutout and third win of the season. The Fuel outshot the Bison by a 29-22 margin. The Bison power play went 0-3 while the penalty kill converted on the lone opportunity.
The Bison return to Grossinger Motors Arena tomorrow at 7 p.m. for Pop Culture Night. Single-game pricing starts as low as $20! Group pricing with benefits and suite options are also available. Visit bloomingtonbisonhockey.com or call (309) 965-HERD for more information.
