Iowa scores 4 unanswered to smack Nailers, 5-2

Coralville, Iowa – Yuki Miura scored three points (1g), Mitch Benson made 41 saves and the Iowa Heartlanders scored four unanswered goals to come from behind and steam the Wheeling Nailers, 5-2, Friday at Xtream Arena. The Heartlanders trailed, 2-1, but scored three times in the second and Tommy Parrottino tallied an empty-net goal in the final ten seconds.Benson has registered at least 40 saves in back-to-back games (4 GA on last 81 shots faced). He ended the game with 28 straight saves after allowing a goal to Wheeling in the final minutes of the first.After falling behind by a goal after one, Iowa scored three times in a ten-minute span to regain the lead, 4-2, after 40 minutes. Austin Eastman scored his third goal with the Heartlanders at the slot, smacking home a centering feed from Parrottino at 7:39 of the second. Next, Iowa’s veterans went to work. First, Zach White (19th goal) gave Iowa the lead on a shot from the right dot that fooled Barone long post at 15:12 of the second. Miura fed him over the line on a perfectly-timed pass from the left point to the right circle.White returned the favor to Miura two minutes later. Miura (11th of season), drove to the slot and White pushed the puck off Barone’s leg, setting up Miura for a tap home.Steven Leonard scored the game’s first goal for Iowa, tallying on the Landers’ second shot of the game at the 7:18 mark of the first. On the play, Kevin McKernan flipped a deflectable shot in on net from the right point. Leonard flicked his stick out and connected, redirecting it through the legs of the goalie.Wheeling scored the next two goals in the final four minutes of the first period to tie (PPG, Cedric Desruisseaux with 3:37 left in first | Brooklyn Kalmikov goal with 2.8 seconds left in first).Brad Barone made 31 saves in defeat.Box ScoreThe Heartlanders final home games of the season take place Friday, Apr. 14 and Saturday, Apr. 15 vs. Wheeling. 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. View the team’s full promotional schedule at iowaheartlanders.com/promotions. 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