McKay Shines on Bluey Night as Bison Shut Out Walleye, 3–0
Written by Noah Simon on January 20, 2026
IMAGE COURTESY OF BLOOMINGTON BISON MEDIA TEAM
NORMAL, Ill, – Dryden McKay’s 36 saves and second straight shutout on home ice helped secure the Bison’s 3-0 victory against the Toledo Walleye at Grossinger Motors Arena on Sunday.
Having won three out of their last four games, the Bison looked to be on the attack early and often to start this game.
Accounting for seven of the first eight shot attempts and pressuring the Walleye earned Bloomington the first power play of the contest and put the team in firm control of the game to start.
Shortly after the power play was successfully killed off by Toledo, Mikhail Abramov scored his second goal in his last two games and put the Bison ahead after scoring off his own rebound, assisted by McKay.
McKay successfully fended off all 7 shots faced in the period, and while the Bloomington netminder was not under attack much in the period, he successfully prevented a couple of late power play chances to secure the Bison’s 1-0 lead heading into the middle period.
The Bison’s defense shone early in the second period as Toledo’s efforts to shift the momentum to their side came up short due to a successful penalty kill by the Bison and breakaway denials.
Bloomington reestablished control of the contest as an offensive surge midway through the period forced a Walleye defenseman to cover up the puck with his glove in the crease, giving the Bison a penalty shot.
Ayden MacDonald connected on the Bison’s third penalty shot of the season and extended the lead to two goals with less than 9 minutes to play in the second stanza.
More power play opportunities ensued, but Toledo’s penalty kill remained effective, and the Walleye continued to pressure the Bison’s net, as McKay was forced to save 18 shots in the period, including a 2-on-1 stop with less than 2 minutes left.
The third period saw Sullivan Mack score the Bison’s 3rd goal of the game, as he deked between two Walleye defensemen and buried a five-hole shot from the slot with less than 10 minutes remaining.
Nikita Sedov and Brenden Datema earned assists on the score, extending Sedov’s point streak to seven consecutive games.
Down the stretch of the game, the Walleye increased the pressure, but an onslaught of shots was turned aside by McKay and Cullen Ferguson, who dove forward to block a one-timer from finding the back of the net.
A late power play for the Bison allowed the team to secure the puck, and McKay’s 11 saves in the final frame secured the shutout victory, his second on home ice in the last eight days.
The Bison return to action on home ice Friday, January 23, for another 309 night at Grossinger Motors Arena, featuring $3 beers, free popcorn, and specialty $9 T-shirts.
For all things Bloomington Bison, stay tuned to wznd.com.
