Sports stats



Blaze Drop Back-And-Forth Affair to Bees

February 24, 2012 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Bloomington Blaze News Release


HIDALGO, Texas - The Bloomington Blaze, presented by Mid-Illini Credit Union, gave up two early goals and lost a back-and-forth affair 6-4 on Friday night at State Farm Arena.

The Killer Bees scored just 45 seconds into the game when the Blaze turned the puck over behind their own net and Brady Leavold registered his second goal of the season. The Bees made it 2-0 quickly with 17:20 left when Jason Dixon found a pass at the far post and buried it on the glove side. The Blaze got one of the goals back with 13:31 remaining in the opening period when Vladimir Nikiforov took a pass from Jason Dale and rifled a blast from the slot into the net on the stick side.

The Blaze tied the game quickly in the second period when Jon Booras scored his 18th goal of the season, assisted by Mark Znutas and Travis Granbois, just 2:13 into the second period. The Killer Bees' Aaron Lee scored his second goal of the game when he was awarded a penalty shot with 15:10 left in the middle period and converted it on the glove side. The Blaze tied the game again with 7:27 left in the second period when he lifted the puck top shelf from the top of the crease, assisted by Travis Granbois and Jon Booras, sending the teams into the second intermission at 3-3.

The Killer Bees gained the advantage with 11:36 left in regulation when Dan Gendur reached a bouncing puck and scored a shorthanded breakaway goal to go up 4-3. The Blaze again earned an equalizer with 5:56 left when Chris Chambers untangled from a scrum on the left boards and raced to the crease just in time to take a pass from Kyle Laughlin and pound it inside the right post, with the second assist given to Travis Granbois for his third helper of the night. The Bees regained a 5-4 lead with 1:53 left on a rush completed by Dan Gendur's slap shot from the right point. Gendur sealed the win and his second hat trick of the season with an empty net goal with 27.3 seconds left.

The Bees outshot the Blaze 29-27. Each goaltender made 23 saves, as Zane Kalemba took the loss and Wylie Rogers picked up the win.

The Blaze face the Killer Bees in a rematch on Saturday night at 7:30 at State Farm Arena, with a 7:15 p.m. pre-game on WJBC.com and CHL-TV. Fans are invited to watch road games at Gill Street Sports Bar and Restaurant, 3002 Gill Street in Bloomington. The Blaze travel to Laredo for a 4 p.m. Sunday contest, then visit Fort Wayne on Wednesday night before returning home on Thursday and Friday evenings to face Quad City and Tulsa respectively. Thursday's 7:05 p.m. game against the Mallards will feature a visit from hockey's top prize, the Stanley Cup, and fans will be able to have a personal picture taken with the trophy for $5. Gates open at 6 p.m.

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

Central Hockey League Stories from February 24, 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