Coralville, Iowa — The Iowa Heartlanders fell to the Bloomington Bison, 5-1, Sunday at Xtream Arena. Dryden McKay made 31 saves on 32 shots to shut down Iowa in his third-straight start against the Heartlanders. Iowa’s Riley Mercer made 20 saves on 25 shots in defeat.
Bloomington opened the scoring 1:06 into the first period on the game’s first shot. Shane Ott found a loose puck in the crease and tapped it past Mercer for his third goal of the year. Eddie Matsushima scored the eventual game winner with 5:58 remaining in the frame, sending Bloomington to the first intermission with a 2-0 lead.Jonny Sorenson got the Heartlanders on the board at 1:33 of the second period, beating McKay on the left side with a rip from the left dot, cutting Bloomington’s lead to one. The Bison answered back with a goal from Sullivan Mack at 4:01 of the frame, giving Bloomington a 3-1 advantage over Iowa.
Bloomington added to their lead with a goal from Jonny Evans at 5:06 of the third period. Brett Budgell found the back of the net on the power play, giving the Bison a 5-1 lead at 6:44 of the frame.
The Heartlanders visit Kansas City on Wed., Dec. 3 at 7:05 p.m. and then host Kansas City for the Best Field Trip Ever on Dec. 10 at 10:30 a.m, presented by Mid-American Energy Company.