Iowa visits Kalamazoo Wednesday, riding 6-game winning streak

Kalamazoo, MI – The Iowa Heartlanders, proud ECHL affiliate of the Minnesota Wild and Iowa Wild, ride a season-long six-game winning streak into a pre-Thanksgiving showdown at the Kalamazoo Wings Wednesday at 6:00 p.m.

Iowa’s six-game streak is the second-longest streak in team history. In the team’s inaugural season, Iowa won seven straight games from Feb. 16, 2022 – Mar. 5, 2022.

Over the last six games, the Heartlanders have allowed seven goals, which included Iowa’s third shutout ever vs. Utah on Nov. 17. The streak started against Kalamazoo on Nov. 8. 

Iowa ranks second in the Central Division in points (14) at 6-4-2-0. Kalamazoo is sixth in the Central Division with eight points (4-7-0-0). 

The Heartlanders are on the road for the next ten games, the longest away stretch in team history. 

Iowa is next at home Dec. 15-17 vs. Toledo. 

Get tickets for Heartlanders Home games: Iowaheartlanders.com/tickets

Game Day Guide: 
5:45 PM: FloHockey broadcast and audio broadcast starts.
6:00 PM: Puck Drop 
Watch on FloHockey https://flosports.link/3tVsLmd

Listen on Mixlr mixlr.com/goheartlanders


Need to know
- The Heartlanders six-game winning streak is the second-longest streak in team history. All six wins came at home in back-to-back three-game sweeps over Kalamazoo and Utah. 
- The Heartlanders have won four one-goal games over their last six contests.
- Davis Koch has scored a goal in four straight games.

Affiliates: Iowa Heartlanders (Minnesota Wild/Iowa Wild) | Kalamazoo Wings (Vancouver Canucks/Abbotsford Canucks)

Koch named Player of the Week
Iowa Heartlanders forward Davis Koch was been named the Inglasco ECHL Player of the Week for Nov. 13-20. Koch and the Heartlanders went 3-0-0-0 last week to extend the team’s winning streak to six games, the second-longest streak in team history (7 games, 2021-22). 

Koch scored five goals and added one assist for six points in three games against Utah last week. He registered his first two ECHL multi-goal games Friday and Saturday, including a three-point effort (2g, 1a) Friday for Iowa. He is the first Heartlanders player to win ECHL Player of the Week since Kris Bennett did it in the 2021-22 season. 

Iowa has won back-to-back weekly awards; Peyton Jones was named Goaltender of the Week last week, the first goaltender in Heartlanders history to earn that distinction.

A native of Surrey, British Columbia, Koch leads the Heartlanders with seven goals and 12 points in 12 games this season.

Goaltending Union

Peyton Jones has won five straight starts (5 GA) and Drew DeRidder won his first professional game with 37 saves in Iowa’s last game vs. Utah (2 GA). DeRidder made 16 saves in the third period, holding off a late Utah burst in the final five minutes of the game. 

Jones has made 137 of his last 142 saves, which included a shutout streak of 109 minutes against Kalamazoo over two games.

DeRidder, a former K-Wings netminder, is starting his professional journey after five NCAA seasons. 

 

Next up
The Heartlanders visit Fort Wayne Thursday at 6:30 p.m., then travel to Wheeling for the only time this season Nov. 25-26.

 

Rose Club Memberships & Tickets Now Available For 2023-24 Season
Rose Club Season Ticket Memberships, Partial Plans, Mini-Plans, Flex Tickets and Single-Game Tickets are now available for the 2023-24 season, the Heartlanders’ third in the ECHL. Call 319-569-goal or visit iowaheartlanders.com/tickets for more information.