Heartlanders visit Newfoundland for first time ever

Heartlanders in City of Legends for Wednesday showdown with GrowlersThe Iowa Heartlanders visit the Newfoundland Growlers for the first time ever Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. The clubs face off three times - Wednesday, Friday and Saturday in St. John's - to complete Iowa's five-game road trip.

Iowa last played Saturday at Trois-Rivieres, coming from behind with back-to-back goals from Cole Stallard to force overtime and earn a point in a 5-4 overtime loss. Iowa completed the week with a 1-1-1-0 record.

The Growlers also played three games last week, all at home vs. North-Division-leading Worcester. Newfoundland took the final game of the week Sunday, 3-2, on a game-winning strike from Brett Budgell.

Iowa is playing its 10th team already this season. Following the three games this week, the Heartlanders only have to play one more team for the first time the rest of the regular season (division foe Toledo). By contrast, the Heartlanders are the first out-of-division opponent to play the Growlers this season (Newfoundland's 7th unique foe). The Growlers also play 11 ECHL teams this season.

All In The FamilyThe Iowa Heartlanders are under the direction of Deacon Sports & Entertainment, the same group that owns the Newfoundland Growlers and Trois-Rivieres Lions. All teams are led by the Chairman of Deacon Sports Dean McDonald. 

This road trip, the Heartlanders started with back-to-back games at the Lions before moving further east for a three-game series against the Growlers.

Broadcast Coverage: Watch online at flohockey.tv. Listen on mixlr.com/goheartlanders  

Affiliates: Iowa Heartlanders (Minnesota Wild/Iowa Wild) | Newfoundland Growlers (Toronto Maple Leafs/Toronto Marlies)

Last Time OutThe Iowa Heartlanders earned a point at the Trois-Riviéres Lions Saturday in a 5-4 overtime loss at Colisée Vidéotron. Cole Stallard scored Iowa’s last two goals for his second multi-goal game of the campaign, helping Iowa tie it at three and then providing a 4-3 lead with 9:21 gone in the third. He has a team leading eight goals this season for Iowa. After the Lions tied it at four, Anthony Beauregard won it in at 60 seconds of overtime for the Lions.

Scouting the Growlers The Growlers sit second in the North Division with 14 wins and 29 points; the team has existed for four seasons and since coming into the ECHL the club has been over .500 at the 20-game mark every season (15-5-0 last season, 12-8-0 in 2019-20, 14-6-0 in 18-19). Newfoundland won the 2019 Kelly Cup in the team's inaugural season, defeating the Toledo Walleye in six games. That championship marked the first time an ECHL or AHL team from the province of Newfoundland & Labrador has won a championship. The Growlers hold an all-time record of 79-27-4 (.764) at their home rink the Mary Brown's Centre since coming into the ECHL (162 of 212 possible points).