Bloomington Bison goaltender Mark Sinclair made 21 saves on 22 shots from the Kalamazoo Wings on Friday night, bringing the team their first home win at Grossinger Motors Arena.
The ECHL holiday break ends on Friday evening, when the Bloomington Bison start a three-game weekend series with a road game against their divisional rival, the Kalamazoo Wings.
The action will then shift to Bloomington, where the Bison host the Wings at 7 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday at Grossinger Motors Arena.
The Bison enter the three-game set with a record of 10-13-2 and 22 points. They face a Wings team just behind them in the standings with a 10-13-1 record and 21 points.
The first and only time that the two teams met previously was a historic night for Bloomington, which claimed its first-ever home win with a 3-1 victory over the Wings on Nov. 8.
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The Bison are coming off of a series split against the Iowa Heartlanders, with each team winning its home game in a pair over Dec. 20-21. Bloomington dominated at home with a 5-2 win on Dec. 20, a game that saw team leading scorers Eddie Matsushima and Chongmin Lee collect a combined five assists while defenseman Jake Murray scored a pair of goals.
The following night in Coralville, Iowa, Matsushima assisted on the Bison's lone goal, scored by center Josh Boyer. Bloomington ultimately fell to the Heartlanders 6-1, with starting goaltender Hugo Ollas pulled after he allowed three goals on five shots in the first nine minutes.
Backup goalie Mark Sinclair played the final 50 minutes of the matchup, allowing three additional goals on 21 shots. It was the third time this season that Ollas has been replaced in net, all in games against the Heartlanders. Fans should look for Sinclair playing the bulk of the minutes against the Wings this weekend.
The Kalamazoo Wings won two of their last three games, splitting a two-game series with the Cincinnati Cyclones on Dec. 20-21, then besting the Wheeling Nailers 2-1 on Dec. 22.
Like the Bison, the Wings were recently forced to replace their goaltender after a less-than-optimal start. During their first game against Cincinnati last weekend, Wings goalie Ty Young lasted just a little over 20 minutes, giving up four goals on 16 shots.
Goalie Jonathan Lemieux came in as a replacement in what was only Young's fourth start of the season. Kalamazoo went on to lose 5-2.
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The following night, the Wings took their revenge, beating the Cyclones 2-1 as Lemieux allowed the lone goal on 24 shots. And Young seized the chance to bounce back on Dec. 22, stopping 35 of 36 in the Wings' victory over Wheeling.
Bison fans should expect to see both goaltenders over the course of the three-game set this weekend, with Lemieux likely getting two of the three available starts.
Players to watch
Bison winger Blake McLaughlin scored two goals the last time Bloomington faced Kalamazoo. McLaughlin, 24, ranks second-highest on the team in goals with seven this season. He has scored six points (four goals, two assists) in his last six games.
For the Wings, forward Ben Berard has been the standout this year. The 25-year-old forward from Duncan, British Columbia, leads the team in goals with eight. He scored the game-winning goal on Dec. 21 when the Wings defeated the Cyclones 2-1.
This weekend should mark the home debut of two new Bison players acquired this month. Center Mitch Walinski, acquired from the Adirondack Thunder, and defenseman Matt Staudacher, who most recently played in Europe, both appeared in their first game for Bloomington during the Dec. 21 loss to Iowa. Fans should see them rotated into the roster at some point over the weekend.
Upcoming theme nights
Saturday night's home game will be "Batman Night." The Bison will be wearing specialty themed jerseys that will be auctioned off after the game.
Prior speciality jersey auctions have benefited military veterans and local youth hockey. The game, against the Kalamazoo Wings, starts at 7 p.m. at Grossinger Motors Arena.
On Sunday, it's Family Fun Day. Kids eat free with a voucher for a free hot dog, chips and drink. After the game there will be a free postgame skate on the ice. Puck drop for Sunday's game against Kalamazoo is at 3 p.m.
Photos: Bison stomp Heartlanders in 5-2 home win Bison vs. Heartlanders Bison vs. Heartlanders Bison vs. Heartlanders Bison vs. Heartlanders 'Will trade candy for gear' Bison vs. Heartlanders Bison vs. Heartlanders Bison vs. Heartlanders Bison vs. Heartlanders Bison vs. Heartlanders
Adam Morris is a lifelong professional hockey fan who lives in Bloomington. He is the husband of Pantagraph Executive Editor Allison Petty.
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