Tung’s 37-Save Shutout Powers Bison Past Komets, 5–0

IMAGE COURTESY OF BLOOMINGTON BISON MEDIA TEAM

NORMAL, Ill.—Stellar goaltending and a two-score performance from Sullivan Mack propel the Bloomington Bison to a 5-0 victory over the Fort Wayne Komets at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum on Sunday afternoon.

The Bison began this matchup in control right from puck drop. Mere 104 seconds in, Lou-Felix Denis gave head coach Phillip Barski’s side the lead on a beautifully finished shot, assisted by Brad Morrison.

Firmly in control throughout the opening frame, captain Eddie Matsushima set up Shane Ott, who doubled the Bison lead with 7 minutes left to play, scoring his ninth goal of the season.

In the Bloomington crease, Callum Tung showed off his positional awareness and ability, keeping the Komets at bay and turning away all 12 shots sent his way in the opening stanza.

The second frame of the game saw the Bison continue to dominate in the attacking third before being rewarded with the third goal of the game on a Sullivan Mack odd-man rush attack, assisted by Morrison and Matsushima.

Not done yet, Zakary Karpa added the Bison’s fourth goal of the night with a little less than 2 minutes remaining in the middle period.

Karpa connected on a beautiful shot that was set up by Ayden MacDonald on the far side of the ice and Mikhail Abramov.

Defensively, Bloomington continued to hold firm, with Tung turning away 10 more shots this period and preventing the Komets from getting into the scoring column through 40 minutes of play.

In the final period, an opening power play opportunity for the Bison due to a Fort Wayne slashing penalty to end the second period set up the fifth and final goal for the Bison.

With 20 seconds left on the one-man advantage, Mack netted his second goal of the contest with Abramov and Denis earning assists on the play, as all three players finished the contest scoring multiple points.

However, the remaining 18 minutes of the final frame saw the Bison slow down significantly on the offensive end.

Fort Wayne outshot the Bison 15-3, and Callum Tung was tasked with enduring a continuous Komets attack for the majority of the final 10 minutes of game time.

Tung successfully preserved the shutout by making full-extension stops down the stretch, finishing the contest with 37 saves, earning his first career shutout victory, and showcasing the incredible depth the Bison have between the pipes in goal this season.

The dominant victory also pushes the Bison further ahead in the standings of the Central Division, as they grab sole possession of third place ahead of the Indy Fuel and now only trail the Fort Wayne Komets by five points for second place.

Bloomington will continue their road trip with a 3-night, 3-game stint against the Utah Grizzlies starting Friday, February 13, before returning home for back-to-back home games at Grossinger Motors Arena on February 20 & 21 for College Night and Country Night.

For all things Bloomington Bison, stay tuned to wznd.com.