BLOOMINGTON BISON NEWS UPDATES

BISON ADD JACK ROBILOTTI

By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison

Bloomington, Ill. – Bloomington Bison General Manager and Head Coach, Phillip Barski, announced today that the team has signed defenseman Jack Robilotti to an ECHL standard player contract.

Robilotti, 23, dressed in 35 games this season with UMass - Lowell tallying six points (two goals, four assists) and amassed 32 penalty minutes with a +6 rating.  

The New York, New York native skated in 161 career NCAA games between the River Hawks and Holy Cross College. He totaled 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) with 185 penalty minutes.

Before his professional career, the 6-foot-3, 194-pound defensemen played two seasons in the USHL with the Fargo Force and Muskegon Lumberjacks. He amassed 52 games and collected nine points (one goals, eight assists) with 51 penalty minutes.

The Family Four Pack is available for purchase and includes 4 tickets to any remaining home game, a player autographed mystery item, and a $10 concession voucher for only $89! Visit bloomingtonbisonhockey.com or call (309) 965-HERD for more information

2025-26 Full Season Memberships are now on sale! Early bird pricing starts at just $699 per seat. Payment plans are also available for less than $59 a month. To secure your seats visit bloomingtonbisonhockey.com or call (309) 965-HERD.

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BISON EARN POINT IN TOLEDO

By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison

Toledo, Ohio – The Bloomington Bison earned a point in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Toledo Walleye on Sunday night at Huntington Center.

Six minutes into the game, Connor Lockhart scored on a rush into the offensive zone. Shane Ott and Eddie Matsushima assisted on Lockhart’s 12th of the season. The Bison grabbed a 2-0 lead with a Chongmin Lee one-timer on the power play at 10:46. Brett Budgell tallied the primary assist while Lockhart collected the secondary assist on Lee’s 16th of the year. Toledo fired back at 14:20 and scored shortly after a power play with a goal from Sam Craggs. His 20th of the season came from Mitchell Lewandowski and Colby Ambrosio. Nearly two minutes later, the Walleye evened the game with a power play strike from Craggs. His second of the game and 21st of the year was assisted by Lewandowski and Brandon Kruse. The goal sent the game into the second period tied at two.

The second period saw no scoring but Toledo posted strong offensive numbers by outshooting the Bison 15-6.

4:04 into the third period, Jalen Smereck scored on his own rebound to give the Walleye their first lead of the game. His eighth of the season came from Darian Pilon. With 3:40 remaining, Budgell scored on a Carter Berger rebound to tie the game again. Budgell’s 12th of the year sent the game into overtime tied at three.

1:02 into the overtime, Jed Pietila scored on a wrist shot in the slot to end the game in favor of Toledo. His second of the season came from Lewandowski and Dylan Moulton.

Kasimir Kaskisuo stopped 36 of 40 shots in the loss. Nick Grabko denied 25 of 28 shots to earn the win. The Bison power play went 1-for-5 while the penalty kill went 5-for-6.

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BISON WIN STREAK SNAPPED IN INDY

By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison

Fishers, Ind. – The Bloomington Bison suffered a 5-2 loss to the Indy Fuel on Saturday night at Fishers Event Center to end the team’s three-game winning streak.

Indy posted a three-goal first period that began with Kevin Lombardi scoring just 50 seconds into the contest. His 16th of the season came from Jarrett Lee. At 7:32, Kevin Lynch extended the Fuel lead with his fourth of the season. Ty Farmer and Darby Llewellyn assisted on the goal. Bryan Lemos finished the scoring in the period with his seventh of the year from Lombardi and Kyle Maksimovich at 10:49. The Fuel took a 3-0 lead into the second period and outshot the Bison by an 11-7 margin.

:49 into the second period, Josh Boyer scored on a deflection for his 10th of the season. Jonny Evans collected the primary assist while Jake Murray tallied the secondary assist. With eight minutes remaining in the frame, Evans scored his second of the year on a rush into the zone. Murray assisted on the goal to bring the game to a 3-2 score favoring the Fuel. This score carried into the third with the Bison gaining offensive momentum and outshooting the Fuel 12-7 in the stanza.

The third period remained tight with the Bison continuing an offensive push. At 11:26, Lemos scored his eighth of the year on the power play. Lee and Lombardi assisted on the goal to return the Fuel to a two-goal lead. The Bison pulled the goaltender late in the game but surrendered an empty goal to close the scoring. Matus Spodniak found the net for his fourth of the year from Lynch and Lucas Brenton with :35 remaining.

Dryden McKay made 19 saves on 23 shots in the loss. Ben Gaudreau stopped 28 of 30 shots in the victory. The Bison went 0-for-4 on the power play and 1-for-2 on the penalty kill.

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BISON SCORE FIVE UNANSWERED GOALS TO COMPLETE COMEBACK

By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison

Bloomington, Ill. – Chongmin Lee’s overtime goal propelled the Bloomington Bison to a 6-5 overtime victory against the Kalamazoo Wings at Grossinger Motors Arena on Friday night.

6:40 into the first period, Zach Berzolla opened the scoring with his fourth tally of the season on the unassisted goal for Kalamazoo. The Bison quickly responded at the 9:44 mark on the powerplay when Brett Budgell found Chongmin Lee on the back door even the game at one. Shane Ott recorded the secondary assist on Lee’s 14th goal of the season. The offensive frenzy continued following a Bison infraction. Zach Okabe regained the lead for the Wings 14:06 into the period. Zach Berzolla and Josh Bloom recorded assists on Okabe’s 17th tally of the season to put the score at 2-1 to end the period.

The second period saw five goals between both teams. At the 4:39 mark, Travis Broughman found the back of the net following a Luc Salem pass. Broughman’s eighth goal of the season put the score at 3-1. Just 15 seconds later, the Wings would strike again with Berzolla’s second goal of the night. Josh Bloom recorded the assist on the goal that would put the Wings up by three. Following the goal, Dryden McKay replaced Kasimir Kaskisuo in net for the Bison. The Wings continued their offensive overhaul when Jack Clement give Kalamazoo a four-goal lead at the 6:30 mark. Lee Lapid and Ben Berard recorded assists on Clement’s second goal of the season. 16:27 into the frame, the Bison responded behind Matt Staudacher’s first goal of the season on a one-timer. Johnny Evans and Gavin Gould recorded assists. With 54 seconds remaining, Carter Berger found the back of the net on a wrist shot from the slot. Connor Lockhart and Lou-Félix Denis recorded assists on Berger’s seventh goal of the season. The second period ended with Kalamazoo leading 5-3 but with the Bison outshooting the Wings 34-22.

9:08 into the third frame, Denis sped into the offensive zone and fired a wrist shot into the net for his 10th goal of the season. The goal was assisted by Ott and Ryan Siedem to put the Bison down by one. The Bison wouldn’t stop there as Connor Lockhart found the back of the net off a rebound from Siedem at 14:04. Ott recorded the secondary assist on the game-tying goal and Lockhart’s 11th tally of the season. The goal tied the game at five to force overtime. In the closing seconds, the Bison were awarded a power play that carried into the overtime period.

The overtime period was short-lived as Lee scored on the powerplay 1:28 into the extra frame. Ott and Jake Murray recorded assists on Lee’s one-timer goal to win the game.

Kasimir Kaskisuo played 24:54 and stopped nine of 13 shots. McKay stopped 13 of 14 shots in relief. He played 36:32 and earned the victory in his Bison debut. Jonathan Lemieux recorded the loss with 40 saves. The Bison outshot the Wings 46-27. Bloomington went 2-for-3 on the power play and went 0-for-1 on the penalty kill.

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ONTARIO REIGN LOAN GOALTENDER TO BISON 

By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison

Bloomington, Ill. – The Ontario Reign announced today that the team has loaned goaltender Dryden McKay to the Bloomington Bison.

McKay, 27, has appeared in 35 ECHL games with Greenville Swamp Rabbits posting a 12-17-5 record with a .910 save percentage and a 2.93 goals against average. Additionally, he appeared in one AHL game with the Reign on March 8 making 32 saves in a loss to San Diego.

The Downers Grove, Illinois native has played in 92 career ECHL games between the Swamp Rabbits and Newfoundland Growlers amassing a record of 39-27-10 with a .903 save percentage and a 3.09 goals against average.

Prior to turning pro, the 6-foot, 183-pound goaltender skated with Minnesota State University (Mankato) from 2018-2022. With the Mavericks, he possessed a record of 113-20-4 with a .932 save percentage and a 1.46 goals against average. In 2022, McKay earned the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA’s top collegiate player. He was a finalist in the two seasons prior to winning. McKay is a two-time conference champion, was named to the NCAA (West) First All-American Team twice, won conference player of the year two times, and was a regular season conference champion all four seasons with the Mavericks.

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BISON SIGN DEFENSEMAN EVAN STELLA 

By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison

Bloomington, Ill. – Bloomington Bison General Manager and Head Coach Phillip Barski announced today that the team has signed defenseman Evan Stella to an ECHL standard player contract.

Stella, 23, appeared in 35 NCAA games this season with American International College posting seven points (one goals, seven assists) and 16 penalty minutes.

The Karlstad, Sweden native served as the captain of AIC this season. Last season, Stella was named to the NCAA (AHA) All-Academic Team.

The 5-foot-11, 181-pound defenseman totaled 150 career NCAA games posting 36 points (six goals, 30 assists) and 108 penalty minutes. He was a member of the Yellow Jackets AHA championship team in 2021-22.

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MATSUSHIMA AND KASKISUO POWER BISON TO VICTORY 

By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison

Bloomington, Ill. – Eddie Matsushima’s three-point night and Kasimir Kaskisuo’s 47 saves launched the Bloomington Bison to a 4-2 victory over the Tulsa Oilers at Grossinger Motors Arena on Sunday evening.

The first period saw no scoring. The Bison successfully completed a two-minute penalty kill and were outshot by the Oilers 15-6. 

The Bison struck at 8:44 in the second as Lou-Félix Denis scored on a rebound for his ninth of the season. Jonny Evans and Matsushima claimed the assists on the powerplay goal. At 15:17, Max Neill took advantage of a Matsushima rebound extending the Bison lead. Neill’s third of the season was also assisted by Chongmin Lee. Twenty-seven seconds later, Josh Boyer found Dustin Manz in the slot to give the Bison a 3-0 lead. Renat Dadadzhanov also assisted on Manz’s third of the season and first goal as a Bison. The Oilers outshot the Bison in the second by a 20-11 margin.

The Oilers closed the gap at 9:28 in the third as Solag Bakich scored on a wrist shot. Reid Petryk and Andrew Lucas registered the assists on Bakich’s tenth of the season. Tulsa made it a one-goal game at 16:11 as Sean Olson scored on a pass from Tyler Poulsen. Anthony Constantini received the secondary assist on Olson’s 13th of the season. With ten seconds remaining, Matsushima solidified the 4-2 victory with an empty net goal. Matsushima’s 26th of the season was unassisted.

Kaskisuo secured the win seeing 49 shots. Luke Lush took the loss for Tulsa making 18 saves on 21 shots. The Bison went 1-for-3 on the powerplay and the penalty kill went 1-for-1. 

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DANNY KATIC DRILLS OILERS IN 6-3 WIN

By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison

Bloomington, Ill. – Danny Katic’s two-goal performance led the Bison to a 6-3 victory over the Tulsa Oilers at Grossinger Motors Arena on Saturday night.

The Bison took the lead early as the offense applied pressure to Oilers goaltender Talyn Boyko. 3:58 in the first, Connor Lockhart scored his 10th of the season from the slot. Skating in his first professional game, Sean Ott tallied the primary assist on the goal. Lou-Félix Denis notched the secondary assist. Tulsa responded as Conner Roulette found Sean Olson on a tic-tac-toe play to even the score at 11:05. Jack Clement also collected an assist on Olson’s 12th of the season with the man advantage. The Bison reclaimed the lead at 19:04 as Jonny Evans snapped a wrist shot into the back of the net for his first of the season. Gavin Gould and Matt Staudacher collected the assists to give the Bison a 2-1 lead heading into the second. 

:32 into the second period, Thomas Stewart found Katic to give the Bison a 3-1 lead. Katic’s 12th of the season was also assisted by Jake Murray. The Bison continued to surge as Katic scored on a rebound from Chongmin Lee at 10:10. Lockhart earned the secondary assist on Katic’s 13th of the season and second of the night. Tulsa closed the gap as Matt Koethe scored on a wrist shot at 17:07. Koethe’s first professional goal went unassisted and sent the Bison into the third ahead by a score of 4-2.

At 10:13 of the third, Alec Butcher capitalized on a powerplay making it a 4-3 score. Anthony Constantini and Solag Bakich collected the helpers for Butcher’s 16th goal of the season. Eddie Matsushima returned the Bison to a two-goal lead by scoring on a breakaway at 13:17. Matsushima’s 25th of the season went unassisted. At 15:47, Mike McKee and Katic received roughing minors with McKee also receiving a five-minute major to give the Bison a powerplay for the remainder of the period. With twelve seconds remaining, Matsushima found Lee to secure a 6-3 victory. Carter Berger tallied the secondary assist on Lee’s 13th of the season.

Yaniv Perets made nine saves on 10 shots before being replaced by Kasimir Kaskisuo. Kaskisuo made 22 saves on 24 shots to collect the win. Boyko took the loss for Tulsa with 28 saves on 34 shots. The Bison went 2-for-7 on the powerplay, and the penalty kill went 4-for-6.

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THREE-GOAL THIRD FROM TULSA DOOMS BISON 

By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison 

Bloomington, Ill. – The Bloomington Bison allowed three third period goals and four unanswered goals in a 4-2 loss to the Tulsa Oilers at Grossinger Motors Arena on Friday night.

The Bison began the scoring 7:53 into the first period as Danny Katic stuffed the puck past Talyn Boyko. Chongmin Lee collected the assist on Katic’s 11th of the season. At 18:56, Lou-Félix Denis extended the lead with a wrist shot over Boyko’s glove. Denis’s eighth of the season was assisted by Gavin Gould. The Oilers outshot the Bison by a 14-10 margin to conclude the first frame.  

13:53 in the second, Connor Roulette found Sean Olson in the slot to put Tulsa on the board. Justin Michaelian tallied the secondary assist for Olson’s 11th goal of the season. The remainder of the period saw no scoring with Bloomington holding a 2-1 lead.  The Oilers continued to outshoot the Bison with a 13-8 margin in the second period.

Tulsa evened the score at 11:26 of the third period as Reid Petryk scored his 12th of the year from Michael Farren. Twelve seconds later, Tulsa took a 3-2 lead as Tyler Poulsen found Daneel Lategan who scored on a one-timer. Lategan’s go-ahead goal was his fifth of the season. Poulsen furthered Tulsa’s lead at 17:14 on a goal from the slot. Alec Butcher assisted on Poulsen’s 15th of the season to seal the victory for Tulsa.

Kasimir Kaskisuo made 36 saves on 40 shots in the loss. Boyko secured the win for Tulsa with 23 saves on 25 shots. The Bison went 0-for-1 on the powerplay and were not penalized during the game.

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BISON INK SHANE OTT OUT OF NIAGARA UNIVERSITY 

By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison 

Bloomington, Ill. – Bloomington Bison General Manager and Head Coach, Phillip Barski, announced today the team has signed forward Shane Ott to an ECHL standard player contract.

Ott, 24, appeared in 35 NCAA games this season with Niagara University posting 34 points (nine goals, 25 assists) with a +6 rating.

The Centennial, Colorado native totaled 100 points (32 goals, 68 assists) in 149 career NCAA games, all with the Purple Eagles.

The 6-foot-1, 181-pound forward finished third among the team in points this season and finished tied for second during the 2022-23 season with 28 points.

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FOUR-GOAL THIRD PERIOD PROPELS BISON TO VICTORY

By: Andy Zilch, Bloomington Bison 

Bloomington, Ill. – After trailing twice in the game, a four-goal third period sealed a 5-4 regulation win for the Bloomington Bison over the Iowa Heartlanders at Grossinger Motors Arena on Saturday night.

The Bison faced two penalties early in the game, giving Iowa a two-man advantage. At 4:47 Matt Hubbarde opened the scoring on a pass from Keltie Jeri Leon. Bogdans Hodass had the secondary assist on Hubbarde’s first of his pro career. The rest of the first remained scoreless. Iowa outshot the Bison by a 10-4 margin to conclude the period.   

:27 into the second period, Iowa capitalized on another powerplay as Hodass scored on a wrist shot. Hodass’s third of the season was assisted by T.J. Walsh and Hubbarde. Zeteny Hadobas and Max Neill dropped the gloves at 3:31. Both received a fighting major with Neill serving an additional two minutes for roughing. At 9:11, the Bison closed the gap as Lou-Félix Denis’s slapshot entered the net on the powerplay. Patrick Bajkov and Jonny Evans assisted on Denis’ seventh of the season. While seeing many penalties, the 2-1 scored remained throughout the second frame.

1:06 into the third, Evans found Gavin Gould from the crease to even the score. Carter Berger collected the secondary assist for Gould’s fifth of the season. However, Iowa responded quickly as Austen Swankler scored his fifth of the season at 3:36. Jeri-Leon assisted on the goal to give Iowa a 3-2 lead. Wasting no time, Neill scored on a Bajkov rebound to tie the game :27 later. Neill’s second of the season was also assisted by Dustin Manz. The Bison continued the scoring surge at 8:03 as Danny Katic converted on a partial breakaway, giving the Bison their first lead of the night. Denis assisted on Katic’s tenth of the season. The scoring continued 11 minutes in as Yuki Miura connected with Nathan Noel to sneak the puck past Yaniv Perets. Noel’s second of the season was scored shorthanded. At 18:16, Chongmin Lee scored on a wrist shot claiming the victory.

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