By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison
Toledo, Ohio – Goaltender Yaniv Perets dazzled as the Bloomington Bison defeated the Toledo Walleye 4-1 on Friday night at Huntington Center.
The first period showcased several scoring chances and great goaltending on each end of the ice. Maxim Barbashev opened the scoring with his first of the season on a 2-on-1 with a feed from Eddie Matsushima. Ryan Siedem tallied the secondary assist with the goal coming at 8:42. With 5:02 remaining in the first, Patrick Bajkov scored on a rebound for his second goal in as many games with the Bison. His third of the season came from Brett Budgell and Zach Hoffman to close the scoring in the period.
Brandon Hawkins put Toledo on the board with his 20th goal of the season at 6:18 of the second period. Jalen Smereck and Trenton Bliss assisted the goal. Josh Boyer regained the Bloomington two-goal lead with a shot atop the faceoff circle at 13:18. Connor Lockhart and Carter Berger assisted his seventh of the season. Despite Toledo outshooting the Bison 12-6 in the period, the Bison lead would carry into the third period.
Toledo continued to pound shots on Perets to come back from the 3-1 Bloomington lead. The Bison netminder remained steady in the net despite an extra attacker from the Walleye in the closing minutes. With the Toledo net empty because of the extra attacker, Boyer sank his second of the game and eighth of the year to conclude the scoring and seal the victory. Jake Murray assisted with the goal with 50 seconds remaining. Perets closed the frame, stopping all 16 shots.
Perets stopped 41 of 42 shots to improve his record to 4-2-1. Jan Bednar turned aside 17 of 20 shots in the loss. The Bison power play went 0-for-1, while the penalty kill went 2-for-2.
The Bison return to Grossinger Motors Arena on Saturday, January 11th at 7 p.m. for Star Wars Night! The team will wear specialty Star Wars-themed jerseys that will be auctioned off following the game. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Several Star Wars characters will attend a Star Wars-themed game presentation.
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.
