Landers trek 300 miles north for Sunday matinee at Kalamazoo

Kalamazoo, MI – The Iowa Heartlanders, proud ECHL affiliate of the Minnesota Wild and Iowa Wild, visit their second city of the weekend Sunday, traveling north to face the Kalamazoo Wings for the finale of a 3-in-3 Sunday at 2:00 p.m.Iowa has faced Kalamazoo nine times already this season, going 4-2-2-1 in the opening nine matchups. The teams played eight days ago in Coralville, a 5-3 come-from-behind win for Iowa led by Zach White (2g). Despite facing off a week ago, the K-Wings roster is much different since the last matchup; the team completed six trades at the ECHL deadline, acquiring five players and future considerations.Saturday at Cincinnati, the Heartlanders scored twice in the final five minutes to make it a one-goal game a pair of times, but an empty-netter from Louie Caporusso ended the game and Iowa lost, 4-2.Kalamazoo is in the midst of three straight at home; the team lost Friday vs. Fort Wayne and Toledo vs. Saturday.The Heartlanders’ next home game is Wednesday, Mar. 22 vs. Wichita.Broadcast Coverage: Watch online at flohockey.tv. Listen on mixlr.com/goheartlanders.Affiliates: Iowa Heartlanders (Minnesota Wild/Iowa Wild) | Kalamazoo Wings (Columbus Blue Jackets/Cleveland Monsters)Busch’s first AHL call-up this seasonTyler Busch earned a PTO with the AHL Iowa Wild Saturday, becoming the 9th player this season to earn a call-up from the Heartlanders to the AHL. An excellent center with a knack for face-off victories, Busch has set a career high this season with 14 goals and 28 points in 54 games.The former Arizona State captain is in his third professional campaign and second in the ECHL. He played four games on an AHL PTO for Henderson last season while on an ECHL contract with Fort Wayne.The other Heartlanders players to earn recalls this season are Patrick Curry, Hunter Jones, Mitchell Balmas, Kevin Conley, Matt Murphy, Riese Zmolek, Bo Hanson and Matthew Boucher.Yuki hits 100Forward Yuki Miura became the second Heartlanders player ever to skate in at least 100 games with the team in Saturday’s game vs. Cincinnati, joining forward Zach White.Miura has nine goals and 21 points this season, which is one off a matching a career high in each category.The Toyko, Japan native signed with Iowa in November 2021 and has been a staple in Iowa’s top-six each of his first two years with the club, in addition to a regular role on the team’s penalty kill.Miura also became the third Japanese-born player ever to skate in at least 100 ECHL games, joining forward Yushiroh Hirano and goaltender Yutaka Fukufuji.Season SeriesThe Heartlanders have at least a point in seven of nine season-series matchups against Kalamazoo (4-2-2-1) and Iowa is on a four-game point streak in the series (3-0-1-0). Over those four games, Iowa has outscored Kalamazoo, 14-9.Tyler Busch (currently on a PTO in AHL Iowa) and James Sanchez are best on the team with seven points each, while Zach White has scored a series-best five goals (6 pts.).K-Wings forward Brandon Saigeon has scored nearly a third of his points this season against Iowa (9 points in 9 series games) and is best among all skaters with seven assists.Hunter Jones is 3-1-1-0 in head-to-head meetings (13 GA, 2.59 GAA, .910 sv. %). Darion Hanson has not faced the K-Wings yet.In the other crease, Evan Cormier is 4-2-0-0 with a 2.96 goals against average and .901 save percentage. Hunter Vorva is 1-1-1-0 against Iowa this season (8 GA in 4 games).Iowa is looking for its first win at Wings Event Center this season (0-1-1-0). The last time Iowa visited Kalamazoo was Nov. 23, a 3-2 overtime loss.All-Time Series The Heartlanders and Wings have played 19 games ever and Iowa is 8-5-5-1 in the all-time series. The close nature of the games speaks to the all-time goals in the series; the Heartlanders have tallied 63 goals and allowed 61 goals in the all-time series. Additionally, the clubs are nearly even in first goals, with Iowa tallying the game’s opening strike in ten of the 19 games.The K-Wings hold the edge in one-goal decisions against Iowa, taking eight of the ten contests (IA: 2-2-5-1).At Wings Event Center, Iowa is 2-2-3-0. Upcoming home games and ticket informationView the team’s full promotional schedule at iowaheartlanders.com/promotions. Iowa is next at home for three games Wednesday Mar. 22, Friday, Mar. 24 and Saturday, Mar. 25 vs. Wichita, with all puck drops at 7:05 p.m. 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