Fort Wayne, Ind. – Dryden McKay made 37 saves and the powerplay scored three times as the Bloomington Bison defeated the Fort Wayne Komets 5-2 at the Memorial Coliseum on Friday evening.

Bloomington surrendered the first five shots of the game, and Dryden McKay fended off a tip-play rebound at the top of his crease three minutes in before a Bison powerplay broke up the Komets momentum. Ayden MacDonald came away with the best chance on the man-advantage when he tipped the puck inches wide of the net with 45 seconds remaining in the opportunity, and moments after five-on-five hockey resumed, Bloomington was assessed a high-sticking infraction. Seven ticks into its first powerplay, Fort Wayne scored on a set passing play to take a 1-0 lead at 6:23 of the opening period. Sixty-four seconds after the icebreaking goal, the Bison were awarded another powerplay and Fort Wayne fended off a Sullivan Mack attempt and pressure in front of the net to stay ahead on the scoreboard. McKay was tested again with about seven minutes left when he denied a wraparound attempt with his right pad and quickly stopped an effort on the other side of the cage with his left to keep Bloomington within one goal of tying the game. After stopping a Komets surge, the Bison earned a third powerplay with under three and a half minutes left, and generated multiple chances to eventually take a lead in the shot column, but continued to be stymied on the scoreboard. Zak Karpa created last-minute chaos for the Komets after stealing the puck in neutral ice and leading one last rush for Bloomington, but time expired and the visiting team went to the intermission up 13-9 in shots, but down 1-0 where it mattered most.

The Bison continued the pressure generated down the stretch of the first period to begin the middle frame, and less than a minute in, Lou-Felix Denis tied the game. After Denis won a faceoff in his own zone, Mikael Robidoux powered the puck out the far side with a man on his back. After gaining neutral ice, he pushed it forward to Mikhail Abramov, who finished the give-and-go with Denis. Two minutes later, Chongmin Lee drew a tripping penalty and Mack cashed in on Bloomington’s fourth powerplay of the game from Nikita Sedov and Denis to gain a 2-1 lead at 4:02. Less than 90 seconds later the Bison went back to the powerplay and Mark Kaleinikovas slammed in his third powerplay goal against Fort Wayne this season to increase the lead at 7:32. Just after the halfway point of regulation, Mack blasted home his second powerplay goal of the period from Kaleinikovas and Shane Ott, and Bloomington went up 4-1 at 10:04. The Bison were assessed a double-minor penalty for high-sticking at 11:51, and McKay made more stops to keep Fort Wayne off the board. Before the second of the penalties could take full effect, however, the Komets were called for another infraction and scored a four-on-four goal with four minutes and 15 seconds remaining in the period.

Early in the third, Bloomington looked to add to its lead, and Kaleinikovas set himself up for a breakaway just 96 seconds in after blocking a shot but was thwarted by the goaltender’s glove. Despite the quick surge, twelve of the final 16 shots in the game came from the Komets and McKay continued his favorable play, turning aside all 14 shots faced in the frame. Brenden Datema blocked a point-blank shot with six minutes left and later in the same sequence, Sedov dove to deny a two-on-one passing play across the defensive zone. Karpa punctuated the game with an empty-net goal at 18:07, and Bloomington scored five goals for a second-straight game, and won its third straight. 

Join the Bison on Bluey Night on Sunday, January 18 when Bluey will be on the concourse for meet and greets with fans, kids receive a free meal coupon and fans can skate with Bison players after the game!

Single-game tickets are available for ALL Bloomington Bison home games starting as low as $20! Visit ticketmaster.com or call 309-965-HERD to purchase tickets today.