Heartlanders Home Again Friday - 5 Home Games Left

Coralville, Iowa – The Iowa Heartlanders, proud ECHL affiliate of the Minnesota Wild and Iowa Wild, host the Wichita Thunder for Star Trek Night Friday at 7:05 p.m. It’s the second of three straight games between Iowa and Wichita. The Heartlanders have five home games and five road games left in the regular season.Iowa has picked up a point in the first two games of the season series; Wednesday, Wichita led for 40 minutes of the game, but Zach White tied the game at two five minutes into the third and the Heartlanders forced overtime in a 3-2 defeat. Michal Stinil scored the winner. Each of the first two series games has been decided, 3-2, in overtime.The Heartlanders and Thunder complete the weekend Saturday at 7:05 p.m. on Heartland Heroes Night.Broadcast Coverage: Watch online at flohockey.tv. Listen on mixlr.com/goheartlanders.Affiliates: Iowa Heartlanders (Minnesota Wild/Iowa Wild) | Wichita Thunder (San Jose Sharks/San Jose Barracuda)White the new leaderZach White scored his 36th Heartlanders goal Wednesday vs. Wichita, surpassing Kris Bennett (35) for the most goals in team history. Bennett scored 35 in his rookie season and was named ECHL MVP. He was flanked on a line with Ryan Kuffner and White for most of the second half of last season and that group helped push the Heartlanders to the brink of postseason contention.This season, White started off with seven goals in the opening three months of the season, but has come alive with 11 goals and 22 points since the start of February. He ranks second on the team with 31 points. White has 82 points his Heartlanders career and leads Iowa in games played ever (113).Jacques’ first shot is goldenJesse Jacques scored on his first professional shot in the first period Wednesday and played to a +1 rating Wednesday. On the play, Jacques patiently waited for the Heartlanders to set him up at the left slot and he whammed home a one-timed slap shot for his first as a professional.Jacques scored four goals this season at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. He played five seasons for UMD and joined the Heartlanders earlier this week.Maybe see you more next season? Iowa and Wichita are located 500 miles away from each other, making the Thunder nearly as close of an opponent as three of Iowa’s divisional opponents: Toledo (450 miles), Cincinnati (475 miles) and Wheeling (660 miles).Despite the Heartlanders’ relative proximity to INTRUST Bank Arena, Iowa has only visited Wichita one time ever and the Thunder and Heartlanders have played twice this season entering Friday’s game.Wichita Playoff Race UpdateThe Thunder hopped three teams with their overtime win Wednesday, moving from a fourth-place tie to second place at 63 points (29-28-5-0). At the same time, the team received help from Idaho (beat 3rd place Allen) and Cincinnati (defeated 5th place Utah).Idaho leads the Mountain Division with 101 points, followed by Wichita (63), Allen (62), Kansas City (62), Utah (61) and Rapid City (59). Tulsa is in seventh at 46 points. The top-four teams in each division qualify for the 2023 Kelly Cup Playoffs.Upcoming home games and ticket informationView the team’s full promotional schedule at iowaheartlanders.com/promotions. On Mar. 24, the Heartlanders host the team’s first-ever Star Trek Night, showcasing our love for the show with fellow Trekkies. Fans are encouraged to dress as a Trekkie for a chance to win in-game activations and prizes. On Mar. 25, it’s Heartland Heroes night where the team will celebrate the selfless contributions of frontline workers and heroes that help make eastern Iowa a special place.The Heartlanders final three home games of the season take place Wednesday, Apr. 12, Friday, Apr. 14 and Saturday, Apr. 15 vs. the rival Wheeling Nailers. On Apr. 12 at 7:05 p.m., it’s a Wednesday night matchup presented by Mercy Iowa City. On Apr. 14-15, it’s fan appreciation weekend, with puck drops both nights at 7:05 p.m. The game on Apr. 14 is presented by United Iowa Financial. On Apr. 15, we’re extending stick tapes to our fans with a jam-packed final home game of the regular season, including a game-worn jersey auction, player card giveaway presented by Iowa City Area Sports Commission and a fanbango giveaway presented by Steindler Orthopedic Clinic.Single-game tickets, group ticket options, partial plans and season ticket memberships are available for Heartlanders home games at Xtream Arena.  Call 319-569-goal or visit iowaheartlanders.com/tickets for more information.Tickets are available for all Heartlanders home games by visiting iowaheartlanders.com/tickets. Find the full promotional schedule at iowaheartlanders.com/promotions