Heartlanders back at home for three games vs. first-place Walleye

Coralville, Iowa – The Iowa Heartlanders, proud ECHL affiliate of the Minnesota Wild and Iowa Wild, start a six-game homestand Friday at 6:35 p.m. against the Toledo Walleye. Iowa is home Friday, Saturday at 6:05 p.m. and Sunday at 2:05 p.m. 

Friday is Iowa’s first home game in a month and the Heartlanders are riding a six-game home winning streak, the longest streak in team history. Iowa swept Kalamazoo and Utah in back-to-back three-game series Nov. 8-18 at Xtream Arena. 

The Heartlanders are second in the Central Division with a 10-8-3-1 record (24 points). Toledo is first in the division with a 13-4-1-2 record (29 points). 

Both teams enter the week off of victories; Iowa bested Fort Wayne in overtime, 2-1 last Sunday and Toledo is coming off a thrilling, 6-5 win in overtime vs. Cincinnati last Saturday. 

On Sat., Dec. 16 at 6:05 p.m., Iowa hosts Toledo for Teddy Bear Toss Night, pres. by DASH Auctions. The Heartlanders will wear specialty holiday jerseys available for auction on the DASH Auctions app. Fans are encouraged to bring Teddy Bears to throw on the ice after Iowa’s first goal, which will be donated to local charitable organizations helping those in need this holiday season. 

On Sun., Dec. 17 at 2:05 p.m., the Heartlanders take on Toledo for Elementary School Day, pres. by MidWestOne Bank. The day also features a postgame skate pres. by The Family Dental Center.

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

Game Day Guide: 
5:35 PM: Doors Open
6:25 PM: Be In Your Seats For Pregame Show 
6:35 PM: Puck Drop

Bag Policy: Xtream Arena will implement a clear bag policy for all ticketed events.  A clear 12” x 6” x 12” bag or smaller will be permitted as well as small clutch style purses or wallets. Patrons will be asked to return any bag that does not meet this criteria to their vehicle prior to entry. Diaper bags or medical bags are allowed to exceed that size limit, but will be searched. Small clutch style purses or wallets no larger than 4.5” x 6.5” are permitted as well.

Need to know
- Davis Koch leads Iowa with three game-winning goals and five first goals this campaign. 

- Iowa has played six overtime games and has overcome a deficit to force an extra session four times this season.  

- The Heartlanders have won three times this season when scoring two or fewer goals (3-4-0-0 record).

Affiliates: Iowa Heartlanders (Minnesota Wild/Iowa Wild) | Toledo Walleye (Detroit Red Wings/Grand Rapids Griffins)

Done with the road for a couple weeks

The Heartlanders completed the ECHL’s longest road trip (10 games) with a 4-4-2-0 record to maintain second place in the Central Division. Iowa faced three straight weekends on the road during the trip and traveled more than 3400 miles. 

Over the trip, Iowa saw fairly balanced point production. Davis Koch led all players with six goals and was tied with Louis Boudon and Casey Dornbach for a team-best eight points during the road trip. Jake Durflinger led Iowa with 36 shots on goal over the ten games. 

Peyton Jones won three games and Hunter Jones won once while Iowa was on the road the last month. 

The ten-game trip was part of a stretch where Iowa plays 17 of 23 games on the road. After this six-game homestand, Iowa faces another seven-game road trip to Rapid City, Fort Wayne and Tulsa from Dec. 29 – Jan. 13.

Benny banking a few points

Defenseman Ben Brinkman has contributed points in back-to-back games for the first time in his career, including his first career goal Saturday vs. Kalamazoo. In addition to the goal, Brinkman started overtime for Iowa and contributed an assist on Davis Koch’s goal to secure the win. 

The left-handed shot has three points this season, one away from matching his total last season at Notre Dame.

Next up
The Heartlanders host the Walleye for Teddy Bear Toss Night presented by DASH Auctions on Sat., Dec. 16 at 6:05 p.m. On Sun., Dec. 17 at 2:05 p.m., the Heartlanders take on Toledo for Elementary School Day, pres. by MidWestOne Bank with a postgame skate pres. by The Family Dental Center.

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.