Iowa forces overtime with Walleye, but falls, 5-4

Coralville, IA –  The Iowa Heartlanders got a point in a 5-4 overtime loss vs. the Toledo Walleye Sunday at Xtream Arena. Louis Boudon scored twice. Max Cajkovic (1g) and Odeen Tufto (2a) also registered multi-point games. Chase Gresock scored on a wraparound at 6:04 of overtime to secure a come-from-behind victory for the Walleye.   

Orrin Centazzo scored on Toledo’s second power play of the game at 5-on-3, giving the Walleye the game’s opening goal at 9:55 of the first.

Iowa struck for three in a seven-minute span in the second to take the lead. First, Cajkovic sent a laser from the left-circle over the shoulder of the goaltender and in for his ninth of the season, assisted by Tufto and Robbie Stucker with 12:55 to go in the period. On Iowa’s next shift, Boudon snuck to net front and redirected a pass from Jake Durflinger through the five-hole, tying the game. To finish the period, Boudon turned a backhanded shot in out of a net-mouth scramble with 5:47 to go in the second.

Pavel Novak scored Iowa’s fourth goal at 5:22 of the third on a wrister from the left circle. 

Hunter Jones blocked 37 shots in defeat. John Lethemon made 17 saves in victory.

Box Score 

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. The game on Sat., Dec. 23 features a team trading card giveaway presented by the Iowa City Area Sports Commission.

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.