SINCLAIR SHINES, BISON END LOSING SKID
By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison
Fishers, IN – Goaltender Mark Sinclair stopped 26 shots as the Bloomington Bison snapped their losing streak with a 3-1 victory against the Indy Fuel on Wednesday night at Fishers Event Center.
The teams skated through a scoreless first period that only saw one infraction against the Bison. Each team fired five shots on the net.
Thomas Stewart opened the scoring at 4:02 of the second period with a wrist shot from the top of the faceoff circle. His second of the season came from Ryan Siedem. With just 25 seconds remaining in the middle frame, Blake McLaughlin tallied a power play goal on a back door shot. His sixth of the season came from Eddie Matsushima and Chongmin Lee. The goal carried the Bison into the third period with a 2-0 lead.
Just 46 seconds into the last stanza, Darby Llewellyn scored his third of the season, bringing the game to a 2-1 score. Kevin Lombardi and Jordan Martin assisted on the goal. Indy pulled goaltender Joe Vrbetic in the closing minutes for the extra attacker. Matsushima took advantage of the opportunity and potted a goal in the vacant net to secure the victory. His ninth of the season came from McLaughlin and Bryce Montgomery.
Sinclair’s performance improved his record to 7-5-1. Vrbetic suffered his first season loss with 13 saves on 15 shots. The Bison power play went 1-for-2 while the penalty kill converted on two occasions.
The Bison return to Grossinger Motors Arena on Friday, December 20 at 7 p.m. for 309 Night, featuring $3 beers, hot dogs, and soda, $0 popcorn, and a $9 specialty t-shirt. Single-game seats are available starting 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.
