BISON ADD JACK ROBILOTTI
By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison
Bloomington, Ill. – Bloomington Bison General Manager and Head Coach, Phillip Barski, announced today that the team has signed defenseman Jack Robilotti to an ECHL standard player contract.
Robilotti, 23, dressed in 35 games this season with UMass – Lowell tallying six points (two goals, four assists) and amassed 32 penalty minutes with a +6 rating.
The New York, New York native skated in 161 career NCAA games between the River Hawks and Holy Cross College. He totaled 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) with 185 penalty minutes.
Before his professional career, the 6-foot-3, 194-pound defensemen played two seasons in the USHL with the Fargo Force and Muskegon Lumberjacks. He amassed 52 games and collected nine points (one goals, eight assists) with 51 penalty minutes.
The Family Four Pack is available for purchase and includes 4 tickets to any remaining home game, a player autographed mystery item, and a $10 concession voucher for only $89! Visit bloomingtonbisonhockey.com or call (309) 965-HERD for more information
2025-26 Full Season Memberships are now on sale! Early bird pricing starts at just $699 per seat. Payment plans are also available for less than $59 a month. To secure your seats visit bloomingtonbisonhockey.com or call (309) 965-HERD.
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BISON EARN POINT IN TOLEDO
By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison
Toledo, Ohio – The Bloomington Bison earned a point in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Toledo Walleye on Sunday night at Huntington Center.
Six minutes into the game, Connor Lockhart scored on a rush into the offensive zone. Shane Ott and Eddie Matsushima assisted on Lockhart’s 12th of the season. The Bison grabbed a 2-0 lead with a Chongmin Lee one-timer on the power play at 10:46. Brett Budgell tallied the primary assist while Lockhart collected the secondary assist on Lee’s 16th of the year. Toledo fired back at 14:20 and scored shortly after a power play with a goal from Sam Craggs. His 20th of the season came from Mitchell Lewandowski and Colby Ambrosio. Nearly two minutes later, the Walleye evened the game with a power play strike from Craggs. His second of the game and 21st of the year was assisted by Lewandowski and Brandon Kruse. The goal sent the game into the second period tied at two.
The second period saw no scoring but Toledo posted strong offensive numbers by outshooting the Bison 15-6.
4:04 into the third period, Jalen Smereck scored on his own rebound to give the Walleye their first lead of the game. His eighth of the season came from Darian Pilon. With 3:40 remaining, Budgell scored on a Carter Berger rebound to tie the game again. Budgell’s 12th of the year sent the game into overtime tied at three.
1:02 into the overtime, Jed Pietila scored on a wrist shot in the slot to end the game in favor of Toledo. His second of the season came from Lewandowski and Dylan Moulton.
Kasimir Kaskisuo stopped 36 of 40 shots in the loss. Nick Grabko denied 25 of 28 shots to earn the win. The Bison power play went 1-for-5 while the penalty kill went 5-for-6.
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BISON WIN STREAK SNAPPED IN INDY
By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison
Fishers, Ind. – The Bloomington Bison suffered a 5-2 loss to the Indy Fuel on Saturday night at Fishers Event Center to end the team’s three-game winning streak.
Indy posted a three-goal first period that began with Kevin Lombardi scoring just 50 seconds into the contest. His 16th of the season came from Jarrett Lee. At 7:32, Kevin Lynch extended the Fuel lead with his fourth of the season. Ty Farmer and Darby Llewellyn assisted on the goal. Bryan Lemos finished the scoring in the period with his seventh of the year from Lombardi and Kyle Maksimovich at 10:49. The Fuel took a 3-0 lead into the second period and outshot the Bison by an 11-7 margin.
:49 into the second period, Josh Boyer scored on a deflection for his 10th of the season. Jonny Evans collected the primary assist while Jake Murray tallied the secondary assist. With eight minutes remaining in the frame, Evans scored his second of the year on a rush into the zone. Murray assisted on the goal to bring the game to a 3-2 score favoring the Fuel. This score carried into the third with the Bison gaining offensive momentum and outshooting the Fuel 12-7 in the stanza.
The third period remained tight with the Bison continuing an offensive push. At 11:26, Lemos scored his eighth of the year on the power play. Lee and Lombardi assisted on the goal to return the Fuel to a two-goal lead. The Bison pulled the goaltender late in the game but surrendered an empty goal to close the scoring. Matus Spodniak found the net for his fourth of the year from Lynch and Lucas Brenton with :35 remaining.
Dryden McKay made 19 saves on 23 shots in the loss. Ben Gaudreau stopped 28 of 30 shots in the victory. The Bison went 0-for-4 on the power play and 1-for-2 on the penalty kill.
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BISON SCORE FIVE UNANSWERED GOALS TO COMPLETE COMEBACK
By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison
Bloomington, Ill. – Chongmin Lee’s overtime goal propelled the Bloomington Bison to a 6-5 overtime victory against the Kalamazoo Wings at Grossinger Motors Arena on Friday night.
6:40 into the first period, Zach Berzolla opened the scoring with his fourth tally of the season on the unassisted goal for Kalamazoo. The Bison quickly responded at the 9:44 mark on the powerplay when Brett Budgell found Chongmin Lee on the back door even the game at one. Shane Ott recorded the secondary assist on Lee’s 14th goal of the season. The offensive frenzy continued following a Bison infraction. Zach Okabe regained the lead for the Wings 14:06 into the period. Zach Berzolla and Josh Bloom recorded assists on Okabe’s 17th tally of the season to put the score at 2-1 to end the period.
The second period saw five goals between both teams. At the 4:39 mark, Travis Broughman found the back of the net following a Luc Salem pass. Broughman’s eighth goal of the season put the score at 3-1. Just 15 seconds later, the Wings would strike again with Berzolla’s second goal of the night. Josh Bloom recorded the assist on the goal that would put the Wings up by three. Following the goal, Dryden McKay replaced Kasimir Kaskisuo in net for the Bison. The Wings continued their offensive overhaul when Jack Clement give Kalamazoo a four-goal lead at the 6:30 mark. Lee Lapid and Ben Berard recorded assists on Clement’s second goal of the season. 16:27 into the frame, the Bison responded behind Matt Staudacher’s first goal of the season on a one-timer. Johnny Evans and Gavin Gould recorded assists. With 54 seconds remaining, Carter Berger found the back of the net on a wrist shot from the slot. Connor Lockhart and Lou-Félix Denis recorded assists on Berger’s seventh goal of the season. The second period ended with Kalamazoo leading 5-3 but with the Bison outshooting the Wings 34-22.
9:08 into the third frame, Denis sped into the offensive zone and fired a wrist shot into the net for his 10th goal of the season. The goal was assisted by Ott and Ryan Siedem to put the Bison down by one. The Bison wouldn’t stop there as Connor Lockhart found the back of the net off a rebound from Siedem at 14:04. Ott recorded the secondary assist on the game-tying goal and Lockhart’s 11th tally of the season. The goal tied the game at five to force overtime. In the closing seconds, the Bison were awarded a power play that carried into the overtime period.
The overtime period was short-lived as Lee scored on the powerplay 1:28 into the extra frame. Ott and Jake Murray recorded assists on Lee’s one-timer goal to win the game.
Kasimir Kaskisuo played 24:54 and stopped nine of 13 shots. McKay stopped 13 of 14 shots in relief. He played 36:32 and earned the victory in his Bison debut. Jonathan Lemieux recorded the loss with 40 saves. The Bison outshot the Wings 46-27. Bloomington went 2-for-3 on the power play and went 0-for-1 on the penalty kill.
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ONTARIO REIGN LOAN GOALTENDER TO BISON
By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison
Bloomington, Ill. – The Ontario Reign announced today that the team has loaned goaltender Dryden McKay to the Bloomington Bison.
McKay, 27, has appeared in 35 ECHL games with Greenville Swamp Rabbits posting a 12-17-5 record with a .910 save percentage and a 2.93 goals against average. Additionally, he appeared in one AHL game with the Reign on March 8 making 32 saves in a loss to San Diego.
The Downers Grove, Illinois native has played in 92 career ECHL games between the Swamp Rabbits and Newfoundland Growlers amassing a record of 39-27-10 with a .903 save percentage and a 3.09 goals against average.
Prior to turning pro, the 6-foot, 183-pound goaltender skated with Minnesota State University (Mankato) from 2018-2022. With the Mavericks, he possessed a record of 113-20-4 with a .932 save percentage and a 1.46 goals against average. In 2022, McKay earned the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA’s top collegiate player. He was a finalist in the two seasons prior to winning. McKay is a two-time conference champion, was named to the NCAA (West) First All-American Team twice, won conference player of the year two times, and was a regular season conference champion all four seasons with the Mavericks.
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BISON SIGN DEFENSEMAN EVAN STELLA
By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison
Bloomington, Ill. – Bloomington Bison General Manager and Head Coach Phillip Barski announced today that the team has signed defenseman Evan Stella to an ECHL standard player contract.
Stella, 23, appeared in 35 NCAA games this season with American International College posting seven points (one goals, seven assists) and 16 penalty minutes.
The Karlstad, Sweden native served as the captain of AIC this season. Last season, Stella was named to the NCAA (AHA) All-Academic Team.
The 5-foot-11, 181-pound defenseman totaled 150 career NCAA games posting 36 points (six goals, 30 assists) and 108 penalty minutes. He was a member of the Yellow Jackets AHA championship team in 2021-22.
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MATSUSHIMA AND KASKISUO POWER BISON TO VICTORY
By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison
Bloomington, Ill. – Eddie Matsushima’s three-point night and Kasimir Kaskisuo’s 47 saves launched the Bloomington Bison to a 4-2 victory over the Tulsa Oilers at Grossinger Motors Arena on Sunday evening.
The first period saw no scoring. The Bison successfully completed a two-minute penalty kill and were outshot by the Oilers 15-6.
The Bison struck at 8:44 in the second as Lou-Félix Denis scored on a rebound for his ninth of the season. Jonny Evans and Matsushima claimed the assists on the powerplay goal. At 15:17, Max Neill took advantage of a Matsushima rebound extending the Bison lead. Neill’s third of the season was also assisted by Chongmin Lee. Twenty-seven seconds later, Josh Boyer found Dustin Manz in the slot to give the Bison a 3-0 lead. Renat Dadadzhanov also assisted on Manz’s third of the season and first goal as a Bison. The Oilers outshot the Bison in the second by a 20-11 margin.
The Oilers closed the gap at 9:28 in the third as Solag Bakich scored on a wrist shot. Reid Petryk and Andrew Lucas registered the assists on Bakich’s tenth of the season. Tulsa made it a one-goal game at 16:11 as Sean Olson scored on a pass from Tyler Poulsen. Anthony Constantini received the secondary assist on Olson’s 13th of the season. With ten seconds remaining, Matsushima solidified the 4-2 victory with an empty net goal. Matsushima’s 26th of the season was unassisted.
Kaskisuo secured the win seeing 49 shots. Luke Lush took the loss for Tulsa making 18 saves on 21 shots. The Bison went 1-for-3 on the powerplay and the penalty kill went 1-for-1.
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DANNY KATIC DRILLS OILERS IN 6-3 WIN
By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison
Bloomington, Ill. – Danny Katic’s two-goal performance led the Bison to a 6-3 victory over the Tulsa Oilers at Grossinger Motors Arena on Saturday night.
The Bison took the lead early as the offense applied pressure to Oilers goaltender Talyn Boyko. 3:58 in the first, Connor Lockhart scored his 10th of the season from the slot. Skating in his first professional game, Sean Ott tallied the primary assist on the goal. Lou-Félix Denis notched the secondary assist. Tulsa responded as Conner Roulette found Sean Olson on a tic-tac-toe play to even the score at 11:05. Jack Clement also collected an assist on Olson’s 12th of the season with the man advantage. The Bison reclaimed the lead at 19:04 as Jonny Evans snapped a wrist shot into the back of the net for his first of the season. Gavin Gould and Matt Staudacher collected the assists to give the Bison a 2-1 lead heading into the second.
:32 into the second period, Thomas Stewart found Katic to give the Bison a 3-1 lead. Katic’s 12th of the season was also assisted by Jake Murray. The Bison continued to surge as Katic scored on a rebound from Chongmin Lee at 10:10. Lockhart earned the secondary assist on Katic’s 13th of the season and second of the night. Tulsa closed the gap as Matt Koethe scored on a wrist shot at 17:07. Koethe’s first professional goal went unassisted and sent the Bison into the third ahead by a score of 4-2.
At 10:13 of the third, Alec Butcher capitalized on a powerplay making it a 4-3 score. Anthony Constantini and Solag Bakich collected the helpers for Butcher’s 16th goal of the season. Eddie Matsushima returned the Bison to a two-goal lead by scoring on a breakaway at 13:17. Matsushima’s 25th of the season went unassisted. At 15:47, Mike McKee and Katic received roughing minors with McKee also receiving a five-minute major to give the Bison a powerplay for the remainder of the period. With twelve seconds remaining, Matsushima found Lee to secure a 6-3 victory. Carter Berger tallied the secondary assist on Lee’s 13th of the season.
Yaniv Perets made nine saves on 10 shots before being replaced by Kasimir Kaskisuo. Kaskisuo made 22 saves on 24 shots to collect the win. Boyko took the loss for Tulsa with 28 saves on 34 shots. The Bison went 2-for-7 on the powerplay, and the penalty kill went 4-for-6.
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THREE-GOAL THIRD FROM TULSA DOOMS BISON
By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison
Bloomington, Ill. – The Bloomington Bison allowed three third period goals and four unanswered goals in a 4-2 loss to the Tulsa Oilers at Grossinger Motors Arena on Friday night.
The Bison began the scoring 7:53 into the first period as Danny Katic stuffed the puck past Talyn Boyko. Chongmin Lee collected the assist on Katic’s 11th of the season. At 18:56, Lou-Félix Denis extended the lead with a wrist shot over Boyko’s glove. Denis’s eighth of the season was assisted by Gavin Gould. The Oilers outshot the Bison by a 14-10 margin to conclude the first frame.
13:53 in the second, Connor Roulette found Sean Olson in the slot to put Tulsa on the board. Justin Michaelian tallied the secondary assist for Olson’s 11th goal of the season. The remainder of the period saw no scoring with Bloomington holding a 2-1 lead. The Oilers continued to outshoot the Bison with a 13-8 margin in the second period.
Tulsa evened the score at 11:26 of the third period as Reid Petryk scored his 12th of the year from Michael Farren. Twelve seconds later, Tulsa took a 3-2 lead as Tyler Poulsen found Daneel Lategan who scored on a one-timer. Lategan’s go-ahead goal was his fifth of the season. Poulsen furthered Tulsa’s lead at 17:14 on a goal from the slot. Alec Butcher assisted on Poulsen’s 15th of the season to seal the victory for Tulsa.
Kasimir Kaskisuo made 36 saves on 40 shots in the loss. Boyko secured the win for Tulsa with 23 saves on 25 shots. The Bison went 0-for-1 on the powerplay and were not penalized during the game.
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BISON INK SHANE OTT OUT OF NIAGARA UNIVERSITY
By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison
Bloomington, Ill. – Bloomington Bison General Manager and Head Coach, Phillip Barski, announced today the team has signed forward Shane Ott to an ECHL standard player contract.
Ott, 24, appeared in 35 NCAA games this season with Niagara University posting 34 points (nine goals, 25 assists) with a +6 rating.
The Centennial, Colorado native totaled 100 points (32 goals, 68 assists) in 149 career NCAA games, all with the Purple Eagles.
The 6-foot-1, 181-pound forward finished third among the team in points this season and finished tied for second during the 2022-23 season with 28 points.
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FOUR-GOAL THIRD PERIOD PROPELS BISON TO VICTORY
By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison
Bloomington, Ill. – After trailing twice in the game, a four-goal third period sealed a 5-4 regulation win for the Bloomington Bison over the Iowa Heartlanders at Grossinger Motors Arena on Saturday night.
The Bison faced two penalties early in the game, giving Iowa a two-man advantage. At 4:47 Matt Hubbarde opened the scoring on a pass from Keltie Jeri Leon. Bogdans Hodass had the secondary assist on Hubbarde’s first of his pro career. The rest of the first remained scoreless. Iowa outshot the Bison by a 10-4 margin to conclude the period.
:27 into the second period, Iowa capitalized on another powerplay as Hodass scored on a wrist shot. Hodass’s third of the season was assisted by T.J. Walsh and Hubbarde. Zeteny Hadobas and Max Neill dropped the gloves at 3:31. Both received a fighting major with Neill serving an additional two minutes for roughing. At 9:11, the Bison closed the gap as Lou-Félix Denis’s slapshot entered the net on the powerplay. Patrick Bajkov and Jonny Evans assisted on Denis’ seventh of the season. While seeing many penalties, the 2-1 scored remained throughout the second frame.
1:06 into the third, Evans found Gavin Gould from the crease to even the score. Carter Berger collected the secondary assist for Gould’s fifth of the season. However, Iowa responded quickly as Austen Swankler scored his fifth of the season at 3:36. Jeri-Leon assisted on the goal to give Iowa a 3-2 lead. Wasting no time, Neill scored on a Bajkov rebound to tie the game :27 later. Neill’s second of the season was also assisted by Dustin Manz. The Bison continued the scoring surge at 8:03 as Danny Katic converted on a partial breakaway, giving the Bison their first lead of the night. Denis assisted on Katic’s tenth of the season. The scoring continued 11 minutes in as Yuki Miura connected with Nathan Noel to sneak the puck past Yaniv Perets. Noel’s second of the season was scored shorthanded. At 18:16, Chongmin Lee scored on a wrist shot claiming the victory. Chase Spencer and Manz collected the assists for Lee’s twelfth of the season.
Perets secured the win for the Bison, making 25 saves on 29 shots. William Rousseau took the loss for Iowa with 18 saves on 23 shots. The Bison went 2-for-3 on the powerplay, and the penalty kill went 2-for-4.
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CARTER BERGER SECURES OVERTIME WIN
By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison
Bloomington, Ill. – Defenseman Carter Berger scored the overtime game winning goal to elevate the Bloomington Bison to a 3-2 victory against the Iowa Heartlanders at Grossinger Motors Arena on Friday night.
The first period began with a powerplay for each team, but neither could convert. At 15:01 Jake Murray scored on a wrist shot from the point on the team’s second powerplay. Murray’s fifth of the season was assisted by Chongmin Lee and Dalton Duhart. Following the period, Mikael Robidoux and Nico Blachman dropped the gloves with both players receiving a fighting major and a game misconduct. Blachman was assessed an extra five-minute major.
The Bison could not capitalize on the man advantage to begin the second frame. The period remained scoreless until the final minute. With :20 remaining, Austen Swankler evened the score on the powerplay as he found the back of the net for his fourth of the season. Keltie Jeri-Leon and Louka Henault collected the assists. Concluding the period, Iowa outshot the Bison by a 10-6 margin.
A penalty-filled third started with Swankler and Dustin Manz fighting at 5:51 following a Manz charging penalty on Heartlander’s goaltender, Kyle McClellan. Later in the period, the Heartlanders had a five-on-three advantage. Gavin Hain stuffed the puck past Kasimir Kaskisuo at 12:03 for his tenth of the season. Hain’s goal went unassisted to give the Heartlanders a 2-1 lead. With 44 seconds remaining in the game, Lee found Gavin Gould for a one-timer to force overtime. Gould’s game-tying goal was his fourth of the season with the secondary assist coming from Connor Lockhart.
Overtime saw back-and-forth action with plenty of Bloomington chances. At 4:16, Lee set up Carter Berger to score on his own rebound and end the game. The goal was Berger’s sixth of the season to give the Bison a 3-2 victory and end the team’s three-game losing streak.
Kaskisuo secured his first win for the Bison, making 34 saves on 36 shots. McClellan made 24 saves on 27 shots in the loss. The Bison went 2-for-4 on the powerplay, and the penalty kill went 6-for-8.
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BISON DROP MIDWEEK MATCHUP
By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison
Bloomington, Ill. – The Bloomington Bison lost their third straight game with a 4-3 regulation loss against the Fort Wayne Komets on Wednesday at Grossinger Motors Arena.
7:48 into the first period, Kyle Mayhew opened the scoring with his 10th tally of the season. Justin Taylor assisted on the Komets goal that would give them a 1-0 lead. The Bison responded at the 14:06 mark with Thomas Stewart cleaning up a rebound after a shot from Chongmin Lee. Katic recorded the secondary assist on Stewart’s fifth goal of the season. The Bison would take the lead at 16:25 when Johnny Evans found Katic on the backdoor. Kohei Sato also assisted on Katic’s ninth goal of the season to put the Bison up 2-1 at the end of the first.
The second period saw both teams add to their respective score. The Komets responded first at 7:26 as Zach Jordan evened the game at two. Noah Ganske and Kirill Tyutyayev assisted on Jordan’s 13th goal of the season. With Jack Dugan committing a tripping infraction, the Bison were rewarded a powerplay at 12:56. Taking advantage of the penalty, Lee found the back of the net for this 11th tally of the year. Connor Lockhart and Jake Murray assisted on the goal to give the Bison a 3-2 lead to end the second frame.
With a penalty rolling over from the second period, the Komets wasted no time scoring on the powerplay to equalize the score 39 seconds into the third. Mayhew scored his second of the night, with assists from Jack Dugan and Tyutyayev even the game at three. The Komets would continue their applied pressure, taking the lead at the 14:39 mark with Dugan recording his second point on the night and 18th goal of the season on the unassisted tally. The Bison were unable to even the score despite pulling the goalie in the closing minutes.
Bison goaltender Yaniv Perets stopped 30 of 34 shots recording the loss. Brett Brochu recorded the win with 27 saves. The Komets outshot the Bison 34-30. Bloomington went 1-for-4 on the power play and the penalty kill went 1-for-2.
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BISON SIGN FORMER SPHL CHAMPION
By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison
Bloomington, Ill. – Bloomington Bison General Manager and Head Coach, Phillip Barski, announced today the team has signed defenseman Chase Spencer to an ECHL standard player contract.
Spencer, 25, dressed in 28 SPHL games this season with the Peoria Rivermen tallying 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists) with a +18 rating. He has also skated in 16 games with Kansas City Mavericks collecting four points (two goals, two assists) with a +6 rating.
The Georgetown, Ontario native was a member of the 2023-24 Peoria Rivermen SPHL championship team.
The 6-foot-2, 192-pound defenseman played with Adrian College from 2020-2023 collecting 45 points (nine goals, 36 assists) with a +58 rating in 83 games.
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BISON ACQUIRE FORWARD LOU-FELIX DENIS
By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison
Bloomington, Ill. – Bloomington Bison General Manager and Head Coach, Phillip Barski, announced today that the team has acquired forward Lou-Felix Denis from the Reading Royals in exchange for future considerations.
Denis, 21, has dressed in 50 games this season with the Royals collecting 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) with 37 penalty minutes.
The Farnham, Quebec native is skating in his first professional season out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. From 2019-2024, Denis appeared in 197 career QMJHL games between the Halifax Mooseheads, Shawinigan Cataractes, and the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. He totaled 113 points (47 goals, 66 assists) and 182 penalty minutes.
The 5-foot-10, 172-pound forward was a member of the Cataractes 2022 QMJHL Championship team.
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MURRAY’S FOUR-POINT NIGHT NOT ENOUGH AS BISON LOSE
By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison
Worcester, Mass. – Defenseman Jake Murray collected a career-best four-point game as the Bloomington Bison fell by a 6-4 score to the Worcester Railers on Saturday night at DCU Center.
Chongmin Lee opened the scoring 9:08 into the game on a deflection goal. His ninth of the season came on the power play from Murray and Connor Lockhart. The lead evaporated as Worcester’s power play added a goal at 12:21. Lincoln Hatten tallied his sixth of the year from Mason Klee and Cam McDonald to tie the game at one. The Railers collected a lead at 15:39 with a goal from Griffin Loughran. His eighth of the year came from JD Dudek and Matthew Kopperud. Matt DeMelis added to the lead with his fifth of the year at 17:01 from Hatten. The scoring in the frame wasn’t over yet as Lee potted his 10th of the year on a one-timer with 2:05 remaining. Danny Katic and Murray assisted on Lee’s second goal of the game to end the period with Worcester leading 3-2. The Railers led in shots 17-12.
1:29 into the second period, Dalton Duhart scored his first professional goal to tie the game at three. The goal came on the power play assisted by Katic and Murray. However, 1:14 later, Worcester regained the lead with a goal from Kopperud. His 14th of the year was assisted by Loughran. At 7:30 of the second period, Murray tied the game again with his fourth of the year assisted by Sam Coatta. The goal sent the game into the third period tied at four.
Worcester gained the lead once more 7:24 into the third with a strike from DeMelis. His second of the game came from Hatten who tallied his third point of the content. With the Bison net empty for the extra attacker, Anthony Callin scored his 17th of the season at 18:21 to seal the Railers victory.
Yaniv Perets started in net for the Bison and allowed four goals on 18 shots while playing 22:43. Kasimir Kaskisuo played 36:26 in relief stopping 20 of 21 shots but was credited with the loss. Worcester’s Hugo Ollas turned aside 20 of 24 shots to earn the win. The Bison power play went 2-for-4 while the penalty kill went 2-for-3.
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BISON DROP FIRST GAME IN MASSACHUSETTS
By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison
Worcester, Mass. – The Bloomington Bison lost by a 3-1 score to the Worcester Railers on Friday night at DCU Center.
9:02 into the game, Matthew Kopperud tallied his 13th of the year to open the scoring in favor of the Railers. The power play goal was assisted by Anthony Callin and Connor Welsh. The period closed with Worcester outshooting the Bison 10-7 and leading 1-0.
:29 into the second period, Lincoln Hatten gave the Railers a 2-0 lead with his fifth of the season. Welsh and Tanner Schachle assisted on the goal. With 2:55 remaining in the period, Danny Katic deflected a shot from Matt Staudacher for his eight of the year. Kohei Sato also assisted on the goal to bring the game into the third with Worcester leading 2-1.
The Bison poured on the shots in the third to stage a potential comeback. However, 4:53 into the final frame, Jordan Kaplan scored his 17th of the season from Griffin Luce and Schachle to close the scoring. Despite outshooting Worcester 10-3 in the final period, Bloomington suffered a 3-1 loss.
Yaniv Perets stopped 21 of 24 shots in the loss. Worcester’s Hugo Ollas denied 23 of 24 shots to earn the victory. The Bison power play went 0-for-1 while the penalty kill went 3-for-4.
The teams face each other tomorrow for a 5:05 p.m. faceoff at DCU Center. The Bison are hosting a Watch Party at Shake it Up Cocktail Lounge and Eatery beginning at 4 p.m. featuring food and drink specials with Bison prizes throughout the event.
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MATSUSHIMA RECEIVES CALL TO THE AHL
By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison
Bloomington, Ill. – Bloomington Bison General Manager and Head Coach, Phillip Barski, announced today that the team has loaned forward Eddie Matsushima to the San Diego Gulls.
Matsushima, 31, was named the first captain in franchise history on October 17, 2024. He has tallied 21 assists and currently leads all Bison players with 24 goals, 45 points, 151 shots and four game winning goals in 52 games played.
In the last Bison game, the Verona, Wisconsin native tallied the only two goals of the game, one shorthanded, in a 2-0 victory against the Indy Fuel. He leads all Bison players with 12 multi-point games and is tied for the team lead with the longest point streak of the season lasting eight games.
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound forward debuted in the AHL last season skating in two games with the Gulls. Matsushima has skated in 254 career ECHL games totaling 192 points (95 goals, 97 assists) with 167 penalty minutes.
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BISON ACQUIRE FORWARD MIKAEL ROBIDOUX
By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison
Bloomington, Ill. – Bloomington Bison General Manager and Head Coach, Phillip Barski, announced today that the team has acquired forward Mikael Robidoux from the Greenville Swamp Rabbits in exchange for forward P.J. Fletcher.
Robidoux, 25, has dressed in 46 games this season with the Swamp Rabbits, collecting five points (three goals, two assists).
The La Prairie, Quebec native has skated in 182 ECHL games earning 39 points (19 goals and 20 assists) with 849 PIM as a member of the Swamp Rabbits, Allen Americans and Kansas City Mavericks.
Prior to turning professional, the 5-foot-11, 201-pound forward played five seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League between the Shawinigan Cataractes and Quebec Remparts. He logged 203 games tallying 53 points (27 goals and 26 assists) with 316 PIM.
The Bison return to Grossinger Motors Arena at 10:30 a.m. on March 5th for an Education Day game featuring a stem book giveaway! Single-game seats, group pricing with benefits and suite options are available. Visit bloomingtonbisonhockey.com or call (309) 965-HERD for more information.
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BISON INK DEFENSEMAN
By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison
Bloomington, Ill. – Bloomington Bison General Manager and Head Coach, Phillip Barski, announced today the team has signed defenseman Marko Jakovljevic to an ECHL standard player contract.
Jakovljevic, 24, appeared in 28 games with Ontario Tech University this season totaling five points (two goals, three assists) and amassing 34 penalty minutes.
The Brantford, Ontario native totaled 97 games with Ontario Tech University from 2021-2025 posting 23 points (four goals, 19 assists) and registering 100 penalty minutes.
The 6-foot-4, 206-pound defenseman played with the Sarnia Sting from 2017-2020 collecting 17 points (three goals, 14 assists) with 148 penalty minutes in 143 games.
The Bison return to Grossinger Motors Arena at 10:30 a.m. on March 5th for an Education Day game featuring a stem book giveaway! Single-game seats, group pricing with benefits and suite options are available. Visit bloomingtonbisonhockey.com or call (309) 965-HERD for more information.
The Family Four Pack is available for purchase and includes 4 tickets to any March home game, a player autographed game puck, and a $10 concession voucher for only $89! Visit bloomingtonbisonhockey.com or call (309) 965-HERD for more information.
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