Bloomington, Ill – Ayden MacDonald scored on the powerplay and the penalty kill was perfect but the Bloomington Bison fell 3-1 to the Indy Fuel at Grossinger Motors Arena on Saturday evening.

The Bison began the game with strong defensive play and killed off a first-minute penalty. While shorthanded, Lou-Felix Denis created the best chance for either team on an offensive-zone breakaway after deking through two Indy defensemen. Bloomington got a powerplay chance around seven minutes in but could not find the back of the net. MacDonald had a shot in the crease that got turned aside in desperation. The Fuel then notched the first goal, scoring just over the halfway mark. With just over five minutes remaining, Hugo Ollas stood tall on an odd-man rush and blocked a point-blank chance with his pads. Indy doubled its lead in the final 20 seconds of the period and took the 2-0 lead into the second frame.

Less than five minutes into the middle stanza, Bloomington looked to spark its offense with two early powerplay opportunities. Although the puck did not go in, the Bison had numerous chances at the goal line and one-time set ups to create energy. Ollas fended off a Fuel shorthanded breakaway chance to keep his squad within two goals of tying the contest. With around eight minutes remaining in the period, the Bison had a five-on-three penalty kill for over 80 seconds and continued the strong penalty kill numbers. The final three minutes of momentum was all Bison. On Bloomington’s final powerplay chance of the frame, Sullivan Mack rang a shot off the post and in the final minute Shane Ott got stopped on a two-on-one.

Bloomington would outshoot Indy 11-5 in the final period but was held off the scoreboard on further attempts. While shorthanded again, Eddie Matsushima was stopped on a breakaway. Just over the halfway mark, the Bison finally broke through on their fifth powerplay chance of the game. MacDonald redirected a Nikita Sedov blue line shot off the post to cut the Indy lead in half. Immediately following the goal, four-on-four play was due up as a scuffle ensued at the celebration in front of the net. Ollas made a key save, stopping a two-on-one while four-on-four to keep the deficit at one but the Fuel later added another tally into an empty net to secure the 3-1 final score.

Join the Bison for a Sunday Family Fun Day when the team celebrates Hockey is for Everyone with Rivian on January 24! Kids will 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.