By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison
Bloomington, IL – The Bloomington Bison dropped the series finale against the Utah Grizzlies by a 4-1 score on Sunday night at Grossinger Motors Arena.
8:18 into the first period, Derek Daschke broke the deadlock with his seventh tally of the season. Cole Fonstad and Reed Lebster recorded assists on the powerplay goal. The Grizzlies wouldn’t stop, extending the lead to 2-0 at 13:17. Hunter Warner tallied his first goal of the season with helpers from Fonstad and Daschke. The Bison outshot the Grizzlies by a 10-9 margin despite not recording a goal.
The Grizzlies kept their momentum in the second period, recording the lone goal of the frame at 8:13. Adam Berg bagged his second goal of the season, with Bryan Yoon and Daschke recording the assists. The Bison failed to convert on their lone powerplay opportunity of the period. Despite not recording a tally on the scoresheet, the Bison outshot the Grizzlies by a 15-5 margin in the middle stanza.
The Bison answered late in the third period as Josh Boyer scored on a wrist shot at 15:06. Case McCarthy and Brett Budgell recorded assists on Boyer’s ninth goal of the season. McCarthy extended his assist streak to three games, while Budgell extended his point streak to seven games. With three minutes left, the Bison pulled the goaltender to even the score. The Grizzlies capitalized on the empty net, scoring at 17:18. Briley Wood recorded his 13thtally of the season with an unassisted goal to give Utah the 4-1 win.
Bison goaltender Yaniv Perets stopped 20 of 23 shots in the loss. Jake Barczewski earned the win with 33 saves on 34 shots. Bloomington didn’t score on two power play attempts and killed one of two penalties.
The Bison return to Grossinger Motors Arena on Friday, January 24 at 7 p.m. for 309 Night, featuring $3 beers, hot dogs, sodas, $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.
