DULUTH, Ga. -- Forward Sam Coatta scored two goals and an assist to complement goaltender Yaniv Perets' 36 saves as the Bloomington Bison emerged victorious from their weekend series with the Atlanta Gladiators.
Also scoring in Sunday's 3-1 win was Bison forward Linus Hemstrom, whose third-period goal was the first of his professional career. He started the season with the Bison but was on the injured reserve list for several weeks in early January.
Bloomington captain Eddie Matsushima, the team's top scorer, added two assists to bring his season record to 36 points scored.
Atlanta outshot Bloomington 37-20 in the game and 108-84 in the series.
The win bookended the Bison's weekend in Atlanta, which kicked off Friday with a 5-0 shutout tempered by the Gladiators' 3-1 win on Saturday.
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With the victory, the Bison record improves to 20-19-3 with 43 points. More than halfway through its inaugural season, the team continues to hold the fourth spot in the ECHL's central division.
Breaking down the score1-0, Bison: Sam Coatta, assisted by Ryan Siedem and Eddie Matsushima. First period, 5:10. Coatta scored his second goal on the year on the power play when he wristed the puck from the top of the slot to open the scoring.2-0, Bison: Coatta, assisted by Jake Murray and Matsushima. Second period, 12:50. Matsushima beat Atlanta goalie Drew DeRidder in the slot and Coatta knocked in the puck right before it crossed the goal line.2-1, Gladiators: Randy Hernández, assisted by Connor Galloway and Derek Topatigh. Second period, 16:00. Atlanta got on the scoresheet from a Hernández one-timer at the top of the left circle.3-1, Bison: Linus Hemstrom, assisted by Coatta and Connor Lockhart. Third period, 3:51. Hemstrom got his first goal in professional hockey when he knocked in his own rebound from the crease. The goal was the second scored on the power play by Bloomington. Goaltender performance
Yaniv Perets followed up his Friday shutout of Atlanta with another sterling effort in net. The Bison netminder only allowed one goal on 37 shots and stopped a total of 69 out of 70 across his two starts against the Gladiators over the weekend.
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Atlanta's Drew DeRidder started his third consecutive game on Sunday. He made 17 saves on 20 shots in the loss. The Gladiator goaltender came into the afternoon with a record of 6-10-4 this season and a save percentage of .906.
Power-play moments
After neither team capitalized on the man advantage the night before, the Bison were able to register a power play goal Sunday after Atlanta's Connor Galloway was whistled for a high sticking infraction at 3:49 of the first.
Bloomington scored two power play goals over the weekend while holding Atlanta's special teams unit off the scoresheet entirely. The Bison leave Atlanta with a 19% conversion rate with the man advantage.
Roster highlights
Bloomington newcomer Austin Heidemann saw his first action with the team on Sunday. The 25-year-old forward was traded from the Wichita Thunder to the Bison on Friday in exchange for future considerations. Heidemann has 12 points (7 goals and 5 assists) in 33 games played this season.
Center Max Neil returned to the lineup on Sunday after being activated from the injured reserve list. Neil last played in a game on Nov. 27. He was tagged for a five-minute major penalty after fighting Atlanta's Dylan Carabia in the first period.
What's next?
After taking two of three from the Gladiators, the Bison will continue their tour of the ECHL's southern division when they travel to Jacksonville, Florida, and Savannah, Georgia, before heading to Kalamazoo and returning home.
Fans have less than two weeks to go before the next home game on Saturday, Feb. 15, against a familiar foe, the Cincinnati Cyclones.
Bloomington will also host the Toledo Walleye at 3 p.m. the next day.
NEXT HOME GAME
WHAT: Bloomington Bison vs. Cincinnati Cyclones
WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15
WHERE: Grossinger Motors Arena, 101 S. Madison St., Bloomington
THEME: Hockey is For Lovers.
TICKETS: $20-$71, available at bloomingtonbisonhockey.com or Ticketmaster, or call the Bison ticket office at 309-965-4373, ext. 2.
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