BISON FALL A GOAL SHORT IN FIRST GAME OF 2025
By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison
Bloomington, Ill. – The Bloomington Bison staged a third-period rally but suffered a 3-2 loss against the Cincinnati Cyclones on Friday night at Grossinger Motors Arena.
6:15 into the first period, Eddie Matsushima scored on a wrist shot to help the Bison take an early lead. Danny Katic assisted Matsushima’s thirteenth goal of the season. The goal extended Matsushima’s point streak to eight games and his goal streak to four games. The Cyclones evened the score at 14:29 as Lincoln Griffin snuck the puck past Bison goalie Yaniv Perets. Chas Sharpe and Dante Sheriff assisted Griffin for his seventh goal of the season. Ultimately, Cincinnati led shots on goal by a 15-11 margin.
Early in the second frame, Cincinnati took a 2-1 lead on the powerplay. Braeden Kressler scored on a wrist shot in the slot for his second goal of the season. At 15:19, Ty Voit and Kressler assisted Griffin with his second goal of the night, which came on the power play. With Griffin’s eighth on the season, Cincinnati extended the lead by a 3-1 margin.
Late in the third, Josh Boyer minimized the Cyclones’ lead to one goal with a powerplay strike. At 16:55, Boyer scored his fifth of the season on a toe-drag shot that Blake McLaughlin and Carter Berger assisted. Even with the late rally and sustained pressure, the Bison fell a goal short to lose 3-2.
Perets made 31 saves on 34 shots in the loss. Vyacheslav Peksa helped the Cyclones win by making 28 saves on 30 shots. The Bison went 1-for-4 on the power play and 1-for-3 on the penalty kill.
The Bison face the Kalamazoo Wings tomorrow at 6 p.m. at Wings Event Center.
The Bison return to Grossinger Motors Arena on Wednesday, January 8th at 7 p.m. for Elvis Presley Night featuring an impersonator of The King himself! Single-game seats are available starting as low as $20! Group pricing with benefits, suite options, and all-inclusive seating are also available. Visit bloomingtonbisonhockey.com or call (309) 965-HERD for more information.
