The Bloomington Bison faced off against the Atlanta Gladiators for the third time in their last matchup at Gas South Arena. With both teams eager to secure a win, the game promised intense action right from the start. The Bison, led by their strong starting lineup, aimed to dominate early, while the Gladiators were determined to defend their home ice and clinch the series, which stood at one win apiece. The stage was set for a thrilling contest as the puck dropped and the battle began.
Bloomington Bison Starting Line
Ryan Siedem, Eddie Matsushima, Sam Coatta, Gavin Gould, Linus Hemstrom, and Yaniv Perets (Goaltender)
Atlanta Gladiators Starting Line
Brenden Datema, Andrew Jarvis, Cody Sylvester, Jackson Pierson, Ryan Cranford, and Drew DeRidder (Goaltender)
Period 1
Right after the puck dropped, Brenden Datema took the puck and unleashed a powerful shot at Yaniv Perets, but it narrowly missed the net, leaving the crowd on the edge of their seats right at the start. The Bison quickly countered, but their shot on DeRidder soared high. Moments later, Easton Armstrong had a golden opportunity, but his attempt just missed the goal, adding to the tension. Dylan Carabia, fed up with Max Neill, got into a heated exchange along the boards after a check. The gloves came off, and the two went at it near center ice, thrilling the fans. Carabia was sent to the box for a five-minute major for fighting at 3:03. As play resumed, a Bison player took a hard hit and fell to the ice, leading to another Gladiator, Connor Galloway, joining Carabia in the box for high sticking at 3:49. With Atlanta now on the penalty kill, the Bison went on the attack. They found the net as a bounce shot went up over the blocker side of DeRidder. The power play goal was scored by Sam Coatta, with assists from Ryan Siedem and Eddie Matsushima.
Then, the Bison sent a player to the sin bin as Zack Hoffman was called for interference at 8:05, after taking down Michael Marchesan to the ice. The Gladiators kept the puck in the offensive zone and had several chances at a goal but couldn’t get one past Perets. Jackson Pierson got a nice shot on net, but Perets made the stop, and the follow-up by Derek Topatigh was denied as well. Later, Anthony Firriolo had a nice shot, but again, it was denied. The Gladiators are putting pressure on the Bison netminder, but he is holding strong for now. Patriks Marcinkevics had a nice slapper on Perets, but it missed, and no one was there for the rebound attempt. Later, he had another shot on net that just missed.
With under three minutes remaining, the play got caught up behind Atlanta’s net before they were able to clear it. Randy Hernandez got a shot on Perets, but he made the stop. Brett Budgell kept the pressure on his end of the ice. Both teams fought for the puck, and there was a lot of back-and-forth play to finish the period, but we ended the period with Bloomington ahead, 1-0.
- Shots on Goal:
- Bloomington: 3
- Atlanta: 8
- Goals and Assists:
- Bloomington: Sam Coatta (5:10), assisted by Ryan Siedem and Eddie Matsushima
- Penalties:
- Bloomington: Zack Hoffman, 2 minutes for Interference at 8:05
- Atlanta: Dylan Carabia, 5 minutes for Fighting at 3:03
- Atlanta: Connor Galloway, 2 minutes for High Sticking at 3:49
Period 2
As the new period began, both teams came out with renewed energy. The Gladiators were determined to break through, while the Bison aimed to maintain their lead. The Gladiators quickly gained possession and pushed into the offensive zone, looking for an early goal to shift the momentum. The Bison, however, were ready to counter, keeping their defense tight and waiting for an opportunity to strike back.
Armstrong missed wide of the glove of Perets, and Firriolo’s one-timer was also denied. The Gladiators continued to apply pressure, but the Bison’s netminder held strong, keeping the game tight and thrilling for the fans. The Bison made a strike on the net of DeRidder but fell to the ice on the shot as it was blocked by Andrew Jarvis. Blake Murray then took a nice shot that Perets just got a touch on to force it out of danger.
Later, it was Toptaigh to Armstrong, but Perets blocked it down. Nearly an own goal by Hoffman as the Bison nearly gave that scoring chance to Atlanta. Datema got two solid hits to help the Gladiators get the clear. Denomie had a lane on the net but missed. Another solid hit by Datema on Gould led to some heated exchanges, and Patriks, near the goal, nearly beat Perets, but it was the crossbar that denied him.
It was a pass by Jake Murray to Eddie Matsushima that Coatta shot on net, and the puck trickled in past DeRidder, who just lost tracking on that puck. However, the play went under review by officials, and the goal stood. We now have a score of 2-0 with that goal at 12:50, putting Coatta on hat-trick watch. Perets blocked a shot later by Denomie, keeping the pressure off from Atlanta.
Dominiks Marcinkevics had a nice shot on the net of Perets, but he blocked it. The Gladiators got on the board with a sliding shot by Hernández to the upper right of the net, beating Perets. The goal was assisted by Galloway and Topatigh. We now stand at 2-1, Bloomington, with 4 minutes remaining.
There was a bit more feistiness up by the net after a following play, but the officials quickly broke that up. From the same side of the net as the goal by Hernández, Atlanta made another shot, but Dominiks Marcinkevics was stopped by Perets. Later, a shot by Hanzel nearly made it, but again, the shot was stopped by the netminder. We ended the period at 2-1.
- Shots on Goal:
- Bloomington: 10
- Atlanta: 13
- Goals and Assists:
- Bloomington: Sam Coatta (12:50), assisted by Eddie Matsushima and Jake Murray
- Atlanta: R. Hernández (16:00), assisted by Connor Galloway and Derek Topatigh
- Penalties:
- None
Period 3
Connor Lockhart played the puck out from Atlanta, halting a surge on the net. Patrick Bajkov’s shot on DeRidder was stopped, and a poke check gave Jake Murray a chance. The Gladiators were called for hooking as they tried to prevent the goal, sending Carabia to the penalty box at 2:11. Now, the Bison are on the power play.
Coatta took a shot, but Jarvis blocked it. Then, Linus Hemstrom capitalized on the power play, scoring a rebound goal at 3:51, assisted by Coatta and Lockhart, putting them ahead 3-1. Perets blocked the rebound shot, as well as the subsequent shot by Datema. Datema hit the ice, sliding into the wall as he blocked the shot.
With less than ten minutes remaining, the Gladiators continued to search for another shot to get past Perets. A hand pass caused a stoppage of play. Jeremey Hanzel appeared to score, but the official said no goal, and there was no review. The Marcinkevics brothers each took a shot on Perets, but neither found the back of the net. Hernandez nearly scored, but Perets made the save. Cody Sylvester’s shot was stopped, leading to some discussion between Jackson Pierson and Kohei Sato in front of the net. On the rush, Cipollone was sticked away by Perets.
Firriolo had a shot on net, but it was blocked by Bajkov with under five minutes left in the game. Marcinkevics had a solid shot after Hernandez’s rebound, but Perets made the save. DeRidder was pulled for the extra attacker, and Hernandez’s shot was saved by Perets. Toptaigh’s shot missed.
With one minute left, Atlanta kept pushing, even as time ran down. Siedem’s shot on the empty net went wide right. The Gladiators took a timeout with 28.8 seconds left in the game. A shot on the net by the Bison was denied by Pierson, ending Coatta’s hat trick moment.
- Shots on Goal:
- Bloomington: 7
- Atlanta: 16
- Goals and Assists:
- Bloomington: Linus Hemstrom (3:51), assisted by Sam Coatta and Connor Lockhart
- Atlanta: None
- Penalties:
- Atlanta: Dylan Carabia, 2 minutes for Hooking at 2:11
Final Game Summary:
The Bloomington Bison secured a 3-1 victory over the Atlanta Gladiators, taking the three-game series 2-1. Key moments included Sam Coatta’s two goals, including a power-play goal in the first period, and Linus Hemstrom’s power-play goal in the third period. Yaniv Perets was stellar in goal, making crucial saves throughout the game for Bloomington.
Three Stars of the Game:
- Sam Coatta (BLM) – Scored two goals, including a power-play goal.
- Eddie Matsushima (BLM) – Provided crucial assists and played a key role in the offense.
- Linus Hemstrom (BLM) – Scored a power-play goal in the third period to secure the win.
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