Sports stats

Blaze Take Second Straight in Dayton

February 9, 2012 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Bloomington Blaze News Release


DAYTON, Ohio - The Bloomington Blaze, presented by Mid-Illini Credit Union, never trailed as they picked up a 4-2 win over the Dayton Gems on Thursday night at Hara Arena.

Bloomington opened the scoring on a goal credited to Luke Popko, when the Gems failed to clear their zone and the puck bounced into their net with 11:21 remaining in the opening period. The Blaze extended the lead to 2-0 with only 19.6 seconds left in the opening chapter when Ryan Palmer found the upper right corner from the right wing for his second goal, assisted by Jerry Pollastrone.

The Blaze opened the lead to 3-0 when Brandon Richardson scored his first Blaze goal from the right wing on a feed from Travis Granbois, also assisted by Jerry Pollastrone, with 14:38 left in the second period. That goal ended the night for Gems netminder Mark Sibbald, who was replaced in goal by Larry Sterling. The Gems broke onto the board with 3:58 remaining in the middle period on a shorthanded goal by David Nimmo, assisted by Nick Schneider and Jonathan Ornelas.

The Gems cut the deficit to 3-2 when Brandon Naurato scored on Dayton's fourth power play of the third period with 4:45 remaining in regulation. Brodie Sheahan sealed the win with a wraparound goal with 1:16 remaining, assisted by Jerry Pollastrone and Luke Popko.

Zane Kalemba improved to 13-13-2 in the Blaze net behind 33 saves. The Gems outshot the Blaze 35-33. The Blaze improve to 16-24-4 and have earned points in three straight games, while the Gems fall to 15-22-8.

The Blaze come home for three straight games begin with an activity-packed Friday night game against the Arizona Sundogs. The first 1,200 fans receive a Blaze cap compliments of Carpets Plus Color Tile, and the Blaze will wear special jerseys to be auctioned after the game commemorating the Central Hockey League's 20th anniversary season. It's also Pepsi Date Night, when fans who bring a Pepsi product to the U.S. Cellular Coliseum box office when buying a reserved ticket receive a second ticket free, and combo meals are priced two-for-one.



Central Hockey League Stories from February 9, 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