Bloomington, IL – The Toledo Walleye defeated the Bloomington Bison in the regular season premiere at Grossinger Motors Arena with a final score of 2-0.
How it Happened:
The starting lineup for the Walleye were Tyler Spezia, Trenton Bliss, and Brandon Hawkins leading the attack. On defense was Chaz Reddekopp and Colin Swoyer, and in-between the pipes was Jan Bednar.
Through a quiet opening period, the game remained scoreless after one. Though evenly played on both sides, Toledo led 9-7 in shots on goal.
The second frame brought a bit more action which included the first goal of the season and the first penalties of the game.
After Bloomington took a tripping penalty, the Walleye took advantage of the man-up opportunity and scored the first goal of the 2024-25 regular season at the 6:38 mark of the period. Walleye newcomer Colin Swoyer took credit for the goal with Casey Dornbach and Sam Craggs assisting the power play goal.
Although there were multiple penalties on both sides throughout the remainder of the period, neither team were able to capitalize on the man advantage. The Walleye had the 1-0 lead going into the 3rd period.
With little action throughout the third, the Bison went on the power play at 12:37 after an interference call on Tyler Spezia. At 13:50, Brendon Michaelian got called for tripping and Bloomington then went on a 5-3 power play.
The Walleye remained strong defensively and Bednar stayed solid in net. Despite heavy pressure and multiple power play opportunities for the Bison, the Walleye sealed the deal with an empty-net goal courtesy of Mitchell Lewandowski and secured the shut-out.
Three Stars Sponsored by Local 245
- TOL - J. Bednar (24 SVS, SO)
- TOL - C. Swoyer (1G)
- BLM - M. Sinclair (31 SVS)
What’s Next:
The Walleye will remain in Bloomington for a Sunday evening matchup against the Bison. Puck drop will be at 3 p.m. CDT (4 p.m. EST.)
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