Heartlanders’ last-minute rally not enough in 5-4 defeat to Thunder

Coralville, Iowa— Despite 18 shot attempts in the third frame, the Iowa Heartlanders were unable to tie it late against the Wichita Thunder, falling, 5-4, Wednesday at Xtream Arena. Brett Budgell (2g, 1a), Dakota Raabe, and Casey Dornbach scored Iowa’s goals.

Budgell opened up the scoring with a goal 13:16 into the opening frame, slamming it home from the left post. Jay Dickman responded for the Thunder at 15:51 of the first. Dickman deflected the puck past the pad of Hunter Jones, assisted by Bradley Marek and Dominic Dockery.

Michal Stinil cashed in on an unassisted power-play goal at 9:47 of the second, slotting a shot down low and taking the lead for the Thunder, 2-1. A minute and a half later, Dickman extended Wichita’s lead on the power play, 3-1, scoring his second goal of the night.

Budgell responded at 14:32, scoring a top-shelf power-play goal for his second of the night, slashing the Thunder’s lead to one. Raabe tied the game at three in the final seconds of the middle frame, jamming it home off the pads of Trevor Gorsuch for his first goal with the Heartlanders. Will Calverley and Louka Henault were credited with the assists.

Kobe Walker scored the go-ahead goal for the Thunder on a breakaway 13:03 into the closing frame, making the score 4-3. Three minutes later, Stinil expanded the Thunder’s lead, 5-3, on a breakaway goal assisted by Quinn Preston.

Dornbach cut the Thunder’s lead to 5-4 in the final two minutes of the third. Despite two shots in the final minute, Iowa failed to score and the Thunder survived.

Jones made 31 saves in defeat. Gorsuch made 44 saves in victory, the ninth time in his career he’s made 30 or more saves against the Heartlanders in a game (10 career games vs. Iowa).

Box Score

The Heartlanders start a seven-game road trip on Fri., Feb. 23 at 6:35 p.m. vs. Cincinnati. The road trip continues on Sat., Feb. 24 at 6:35 p.m. against the Cyclones.

The Heartlanders are next at home to take on the Wheeling Nailers March 13-16 for three games at Xtream Arena. Iowa hosts Wheeling on Wed., Mar. 13 at 6:35 p.m. and Fri., Mar. 15 at 6:35 p.m. March 16^th is St. Hat Trick’s Day, featuring a Heartlanders Mascot Dash Bobblehead giveaway to the first 500 fans, theme jerseys available for auction and a special appearance by the Kelly Cup, the ECHL’s championship trophy.

On Fri., Mar. 22 at 6:35 p.m., the Heartlanders oppose the Wichita Thunder in the 100^th home game in team history, featuring $5 youth tickets (online only, with purchase of adult ticket).

Sat., Mar. 23 at 6:05 p.m. is Heartland Heroes Night against Wichita, honoring the frontline workers that selflessly serve eastern Iowa.

On Sun., Mar. 24 at 2:05 p.m., Iowa wraps up the weekend against Wichita with Faith and Family Day, a team photo giveaway, and the final postgame skate of the season.

Join the fun at Xtream Arena in the 2023-24 season

Here are some of the best options to make sure you experience the family-friendly entertainment of Heartlanders Hockey at Xtream Arena this season!

Flex Plans: Enjoy the service, savings and game dates that work best for you! Flex plans include “any game” ticket vouchers that are good for any home game during the 2023-24 regular season.  

18-game plans: With more than half the home season remaining, join us with an 18-game ticket plan, including the many perks, savings and advantages of being a half-season member. 

12-game plans: Grab tickets to your favorite 12 games! 12-game plans include savings on individually-priced tickets!

Group Tickets: Make a big impact with your group and spend an evening with the Heartlanders. Starting at a special rate of $15/Ticket. A group comprises 10 or more people and is perfect for parties, families, co-workers, clients and more.