Heartlanders late rally not enough in 4-3 loss to Walleye

Coralville, Iowa – The Iowa Heartlanders fell to the Toledo Walleye, 4-3, in their first home game in a month Friday at Xtream Arena. Davis Koch led the way for Iowa with two goals, including one midway through the third to bring the game within one. Koch took a shot from the goal line, and the puck bounced off the back of John Lethemon and into the back of the net. With two minutes left in the game, a shot from Chris Lipe went in the back of the net, but was waived off due to goaltender interference, ending Iowa’s hopes of forcing overtime.

Koch also opened the scoring 7:12 into the first period with a one-timer that went top shelf after a Casey Dornbach pass. 

Toledo scored four goals in the second period. Five minutes into the second, Matt Anderson found Conlan Keenan at the top of the right circle and fired a top-shelf wrister to tie the game. Anderson gave Toledo the lead on a short-handed goal after going coast-to-coast and shooting. Anderson notched his third point after feeding the slot for Orrin Centazzo, who shot on net, and Brandon Kruse pushed it home to give Toledo a 3-1 lead. Mitchell Lewandowski extended the Walleye lead to three after the puck bounced around in the crease and Lewandowski finally flipped it in. Late in the second period, Max Cajkovic received a long pass from Odeen Tufto, went one-on-one with Lethemon, and scored by going top shelf to bring the game back within two.  

Peyton Jones finished the night with 27 saves for Iowa.

Lethemon saved 28 of 31 shots for Toledo. 

Box Score 

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.

The Heartlanders are home on Thurs., Dec. 21 at 6:35 p.m. against Fort Wayne. Iowa also hosts the Komets on Fri., Dec. 22 at 6:35 p.m. and Sat., Dec. 23 at 6:05 p.m.

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.