McKay, Bison Shut out Walleye
Published on January 18, 2026 under ECHL (ECHL)
Bloomington Bison News Release
Bloomington, Ill. - Dryden McKay made 36 saves for his second-straight shutout on home ice and his fourth-straight win as the Bloomington Bison beat the Toledo Walleye 3-0 at Grossinger Motors Arena on Sunday evening.
Bloomington took a heavy shot lead early in the game, accounting for seven of the first eight, and was turned away off an offensive-zone steal in the onslaught. The Bison earned the contest's first powerplay and created numerous cross-ice chances to control momentum. Shortly after the man-advantage expired, Mikhail Abramov broke the ice by following up his own rebound for his second goal in as many games. McKay passed the puck to Abramov before the goal-scorer sped the ice length and got his chance at the Walleye net. McKay kept sharp, stopping a wraparound bid and all ensuing shots he faced on a late penalty kill. Bloomington held on to its 1-0 lead and a slim 9-7 shot edge heading to the middle stanza.
The Bison defense stood firm when Toledo tried to turn momentum to its side, including the completion of a successful penalty kill and notable breakaway denial. On the other side of the puck, Bloomington surged near the halfway mark and forced a Walleye defenseman to cover the puck with his glove in the crease to award a penalty shot to Ayden MacDonald. MacDonald buried the third Bison penalty shot of the season - to put his team up 2-0 with 11:20 remaining in the period. Twenty seconds later, Bloomington had its second powerplay chance and generated more opportunities but Toledo killed it off and pressured the net. McKay was tasked with 18 saves in the middle frame and held his ground with a two-on-one stop with less than two minutes on the clock.
Sullivan Mack deked between two defensemen at the blue line and potted the 3-0 goal five-hole from the slot just over halfway through the third for the only goal of the frame. Nikita Sedov and Brenden Datema earned assists on the goal, which brought the former's point streak to seven games. In the final six minutes, a flurry of Walleye shots was turned aside and Cullen Ferguson dove forward to block a one-timed shot from finding a yawning cage. Bloomington's puck possession was aided by a late powerplay and in total, McKay made 11 saves in the third to secure his second shutout on home ice in eight days.
The Bison return to home ice on Friday, January 23 for a 309 Night at Grossinger Motors Arena featuring $3 Busch Lights, $0 popcorn and $9 specialty T-shirts!
Single-game tickets are now available for ALL Bloomington Bison home games starting as low as $20! Visit ticketmaster.com or call 309-965-HERD to purchase tickets today.
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