MACDONALD LEADS BISON OVER WINGS ON JAN 7
MACDONALD LEADS BISON OVER WINGS ON JAN 7
By: Erik Konwinski, Bloomington Bison
Bloomington, Ill. – Ayden MacDonald scored twice and registered an assist to help propel the Bloomington Bison to a 4-3 win over the Kalamazoo Wings at Grossinger Motors Arena on Wednesday evening.
The Bison created early defensive success by getting sticks in shooting lanes and limiting Wings chances in the team’s first game back from a four-games-in-five-nights road trip. Following an early Bloomington redirection chance, Kalamazoo countered with an odd-man break and snuck the puck in to gain a 1-0 lead four minutes into the opening frame. After the goal, momentum was all with the Bison, who would eventually finish the period with a 15-8 shot advantage. Bloomington had an odd-man rush of their own but it was capped off by a whiffed one-timer chance on the response shift following Kalamazoo’s tally. Ninety seconds later, the Bison looked to capitalize on recent powerplay success as a Wings skater was called for tripping, and although they did not score, they built momentum. Parker Gavlas scored the game-tying-goal exactly eight minutes after Kalamazoo went ahead when Mark Kaleinikovas got the netminder out of position and MacDonald set up Gavlas. Hugo Ollas saved the remaining shots he faced in the period, including Grade-A saves on a two-on-one and a breakaway.
Dominance continued for the Bison, who outshot Kalamazoo 10-0 in the first six minutes of the second stanza. MacDonald gave Bloomington a 2-1 lead just 1:40 in by tapping in a Sullivan Mack dish from behind the net. Gavlas earned the secondary assist for his first multi-point game on home ice. MacDonald scored 100 seconds later after following his own rebound to the net. Nikita Sedov helped create the play and Kaleinikovas recorded his second assist. Bloomington held a 3-1 lead within the first four minutes but the Wings sliced the Bison lead in half following a faceoff play just over six minutes in. Kalamazoo took advantage of its only powerplay soon after and tied the game just over halfway through regulation. Dryden McKay replaced Ollas, who finished his night with nine saves on 12 credited shots faced. Chongmin Lee helped turn the tide back in favor of Bloomington and scored the eventual game-winning goal at 17:24 on a rush from Shane Ott and Cooper Moore.
Heading into the third period with a 4-3 lead, McKay shined bright in the final frame and saved all 11 Wings shots he faced in the final 20 minutes for a game total of 14. His highlights started early when he robbed a backhand bid with a full cross-ice extension,and continued throughout. The netminder, who was highlighted on a trading card given to the first 1,000 fans through the doors Wednesday, was helped by his teammates. The Bison had noticeable puck possession through the first half and Mack stopped a breakaway with a strong backcheck effort around the midway mark. McKay made one last highlight-worthy save with just under three minutes remaining on a no-look dive while on the ice to hold the one-goal lead. MacDonald nearly came up with his third professional hat-trick but was denied on a breakaway from the top of the zone in. The Bison denied Kalamazoo all shot attempts while the visitors put out an extra attacker in the final two and a half minutes and clamped down for the one-goal win.
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