Iowa's road trip continues against Wheeling

4 of final 5 games this season against Nailers

Wheeling, WV – The Iowa Heartlanders, proud ECHL affiliate of the Minnesota Wild and Iowa Wild, enter the final five games of the team’s regular season with a matchup at the Wheeling Nailers Friday at 6:10 p.m. The Heartlanders have won three straight games, matching the team’s longest winning streak of the season. Iowa has won four consecutive road games, a season best.Each team has five games to go and four against each other. Following this game, Iowa visits Indy Saturday and then returns home for three home games to end the season Apr. 12, Apr. 14 and Apr. 15 vs. Wheeling.Iowa is coming off one of its most-thrilling wins of the season last Sunday at Fort Wayne, 5-4. In the game, Iowa trailed twice, but fought back from a 4-2 deficit with three goals in the final seven minutes to stun the Komets. Jake Durflinger and Tommy Parrottino each scored twice in the third period.  Wheeling is looking to snap a four-game losing streak; last time out, the club fell, 4-3, at Cincinnati on Apr. 2.Iowa holds a 4-1-1-0 season-series edge on Wheeling. Broadcast Coverage: Watch online at flohockey.tv. Listen on mixlr.com/goheartlanders.Affiliates: Iowa Heartlanders (Minnesota Wild/Iowa Wild) | Wheeling Nailers (Pittsburgh Penguins/Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins)Season Series The Heartlanders are 2-1-0-0 this season at Wesbanco Arena and 4-1-1-0 overall. The last time the teams played, Iowa overcame a 4-1 deficit to force overtime, which included two goals in the final five minutes.Iowa has outscored the Nailers, 22-14, in the opening six series games.Zach White tops Iowa with eight points in six series games. Brendan Robbins and Steven Leonard lead the Heartlanders with three goals in the series. Hunter Jones is 3-0-0-0 against Wheeling, allowing five goals in his appearances.Wheeling’s Cedric Desruisseaux is best on the Nailers with three goals and five points.  Durf bringing the heatJake Durflinger generated his first multi-goal game (2g) Sunday at Fort Wayne and now has scored a goal in three straight games, a career high.With six goals in his last seven games (6g, 7 pts.), Durflinger has tripled his goal total from three to nine in less than a month. He is fourth among Landers rookies with 18 points in 45 games this season. He has more goals and points this season than any year of his NCAA career (2017-21 at Univ. of Denver, 2021-22 at Merrimack).      Tino tees up another twoRookie forward Tommy Parrottino scored two goals in the third period Sunday, helping the Heartlanders tie the game twice in a 5-4 regulation win. He tops the team in goals (22) and points (36) and is averaging the most shots/game of any Lander (3.1).Parrottino registered 11 goals and 28 points last season at Michigan Tech, completing his four-season NCAA career with 37 goals and 66 points.This season, Parrottino has four multi-goal games to lead Iowa.Scouting the Nailers The Nailers have dropped six of their last seven games and last defeated Reading, 6-5, on Mar. 25.Iowa last visited Wheeling Feb. 3-4. Entering that series, Wheeling was two games above hockey .500 (19-17-4-0). Since that game, Wheeling has dropped all but seven games (7-19-1-0).The team has played the Central Division 22 times since Jan. 8 and is 2-17-3 in those games, with their lone wins against Indy and Iowa.Cedric Desruisseaux tops Wheeling with 29 goals and 55 points in 67 games. He, Tyler Drevitch and David Drake are the only Nailers to play in every game this campaign.Upcoming home games and ticket informationView the team’s full promotional schedule at iowaheartlanders.com/promotions. 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