NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



Bloomington Blaze Weekly

October 15, 2012 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Bloomington Blaze News Release


The Bloomington Blaze, fueled by Mid-Illini Credit Union, open their second season on home ice at U.S. Cellular Coliseum this weekend.

Raise the curtain: After nearly two weeks of training camp and months of off-season preparation on and off the ice, the Blaze open the doors of the 2012-13 Central Hockey League season on home ice this Friday and Saturday. The Rapid City Rush visit downtown Bloomington for a pair of contests. The Rush lost to the eventual champion Fort Wayne Komets in the Turner Conference finals last spring. The Blaze were 2-3 against the Rush last season. The 4-1 Junior Blaze will host their home opener at 3 p.m. Friday before the Blaze opener at 7:05 p.m. The Blaze won their first-ever contest in last year's opener, a 4-3 overtime triumph over the Dayton Gems in Bloomington.

Trimming the roster: The Blaze reduced the roster on Monday as the regular season's opening weekend approaches. Released were forwards Marlon Gardner, Kevin Undershute, Chris Benias and John Goffredo and goaltender Ross McKinnon. The Blaze must still make two more moves to reach the opening night roster maximum of 19.

Pre-season ignition: The Blaze earned a 7-5 win over the Missouri Mavericks on Friday night at U.S. Cellular Coliseum in the only pre-season game for both squads. The Blaze led 3-1 after the first 20 minutes and 4-1 at the second intermission. Kyle Bochek led all scorers with two goals and an assist while Travis Granbois added three assists. Pier-Olivier Pelletier tended the Blaze net for the first half of the game, stopping seven of eight shots, while Dan Dunn finished the contest with 12 saves out of 16 shots. -more- Junior Blaze update: After dropping the first game of the season, the Junior Blaze have won four straight including a pair of games against the Michigan Ice Dogs last weekend. On Saturday, Bloomington gave up a goal in the first minute but surged back for a 3-2 win behind a goal and an assist by Jacob Lourash and 34 saves by William Rohleder. The Junior Blaze completed the weekend sweep on Sunday with a 5-3 victory that included four goals in the third period. Cody Philips registered two goals and two assists, William Widmar scored two goals plus an assist and Robert Cook took the win in net with 37 saves. The Junior Blaze host their first two home games this weekend, rematches with the Ice Dogs at 3 p.m. Friday before the Blaze opener and Sunday at 11 a.m.

Following the Blaze: All Blaze games can be heard on WJBC.com and fans inside U.S. Cellular Coliseum can listen on 93.7 FM. Like the Blaze on Facebook and follow the team on Twitter (BLMBlaze), and team information can be found at www.bloomingtonblaze.com. Season, group, and multi-game ticket packages are available by calling the Blaze office at 309-434-2980.

• Discuss this story on the Central Hockey League message board...

Central Hockey League Stories from October 15, 2012


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Bloomington Blaze Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central