Jacksonville, Fla. – In a goaltending duel, the Bloomington Bison suffered a 2-1 overtime loss to the Jacksonville Icemen on Tuesday afternoon at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.
1:26 into the game, Davis Koch gave Jacksonville an early lead for his tenth of the season on his own rebound. Christopher Brown assisted on the lone goal in the period despite scoring chances from each team. The Bison outshot the Icemen 14-12 in the period.
The goaltending showcase continued into the second period with more great saves from Mark Sinclair and Matt Vernon. With 3:53 left in the period, Max Neill tied the game with his first professional goal on a shot from the slot. Linus Hemstrom and Austin Heidemann assisted on the period’s only goal. The game moved into the third tied at one. Jacksonville outshot Bloomington 15-12 in the stanza.
The third period saw more of the same from each netminder. Neither team could find the back of the net and the game was forced to overtime. The shots in the third favored the Bison 9-8.
:07 into overtime, Eddie Matsushima was whistled on an interference penalty that the Bison successfully killed. However, a too many men penalty later in overtime; doomed the Bison. Jacksonville’s Brown ended the game with his 13th of the season at 4:22. Noah Laaouan and Brendan Harris assisted on the game winning goal.
Sinclair stopped 40 of 42 shots in the loss. Vernon made 34 saves on 35 shots to earn the victory. The Bison went 0-for-2 on the power play and 4-for-5 on the penalty kill.
Bloomington continues the nine-game road trip on Friday night against the Savannah Ghost Pirates. Faceoff is set for 6:30 p.m. at Enmarket Arena.
The Legacy Weekend Package is now available for purchase! The package includes one platinum center ice seat on Friday, February 21 (All-You-Can-Eat Night), one platinum center ice seat on Saturday, February 22 (New York Rangers Night), a VIP meet-and-greet with a Rangers legend and a Bison hat for just $49! To purchase, click HERE, or call (309) 965-HERD.