BISON LOSE 4-1 TO MARINERS

IMAGE COURTESY OF BLOOMINGTON BISON MEDIA TEAM 

NORMAL, Ill. – Despite a high shooting match between both teams, the Bloomington Bison only managed to find the back of the net once, thanks to an elite performance from goalie Brad Arvanitis.  

The first period belonged to the Mariners, as they outshot the Bison 11-5. McKay remained solid, not allowing any point until just over six minutes left into the period, after Robert Cronin scored his first goal in nine games. 

In the second period, the Bison took control, over tripling their number of shots taken. At 8:28 in the second they shot ten consecutive times in under four minutes, but none of them ended in points.  

The Mariners also failed to score in the second period, getting only nine shots off, and drawing two fouls. They only had one other foul occur in this game, which took place in the middle of the first. 

The third period is where things fell apart for the Bison. The Mariners came out hot, getting the first seven shots off in under five minutes. They managed to score one of those shots at 1:00, increasing their lead 2-0. 

The Bison failed to respond back despite several attempts at the net. But it was the Mariners who scored next, putting the game out of reach with just under eight minutes remaining, and a three-goal lead. 

At 18:27 the Bison finally managed to find the back of the net, but by then it was too late, and the Mariners quickly responded, getting their fourth and final goal with 1:03 remaining. 

Maines’ goalie Brad Arvanitis had his third best game of the season, saving 33 shots, giving him a save percentage of 97.1%, which is 5 percent better than his season average. 

The Bison would go on to lose their next two games against the Mariners, all at home. Their next match will be in Iowa against the Heartlanders on February 25th. 

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