Heartlanders Weekly Recap: Missed Opportunities, Gritty Comebacks, and a Shootout Win Before the Break

The Iowa Heartlanders wrapped up a busy week at Xtream Arena with three home games, showing flashes of resilience and late-game fight, but also continuing to battle slow starts and special teams struggles as the season heads into its second half.

Monday: Wings Strike Late in 3–2 Loss

The week began with the Heartlanders hosting the Kalamazoo Wings after facing them on the road the previous weekend. Once again, Iowa found itself playing catch-up early, allowing two Kalamazoo goals within the first 12 minutes of the opening period.

Just when it looked like the Wings would take full momentum into the intermission, Brandon Schultz gave the Heartlanders life, scoring with just 10 seconds left in the first period to cut the deficit to 2–1. Elliott McDermott picked up the assist on the late goal.

The Heartlanders carried that momentum into the second period, and at the 15:10 mark, Jaxon Nelson tied the game at 2–2 with assists from Matthew Sop and former Quad City Storm standout Noah Massie.

The third period remained quiet until a costly penalty shifted the outcome. Lucas Helland was called for high-sticking just over nine minutes into the period, and Kalamazoo wasted little time capitalizing. Only 17 seconds into the power play, Andre Ghantous buried the game-winning goal, sealing a 3–2 Wings victory.

Friday: Heartlanders Fall Late to Division-Leading Toledo

Friday night brought a tough test as the Central Division-leading Toledo Walleye came to town seeking revenge after Iowa defeated them the previous weekend.

Toledo set the tone early, with Nate Roy scoring just 1:10 into the first period. Tempers flared midway through the frame when Iowa’s Ryan McGuire and Toledo’s Colin Swoyer were both assessed majors following a fight at the 10:14 mark.

Scoring remained scarce until Brandon Hawkins extended Toledo’s lead at 4:39 of the second period. The Heartlanders responded quickly, however, as Max Patterson sparked a comeback at 9:46, finishing a play assisted by Anthony Firriolo and Rasmus Kumpulainen.

Kumpulainen tied the game himself at 17:10 of the second period, beating the goaltender with help from Luke Mobley and Schultz to make it 2–2 heading into the third.

Early in the final frame, Jordan Ernst gave Toledo the lead back, but Heartlanders veteran Yuki Miura answered just two minutes later, tying the game at 3–3 with assists from Liam Coughlin and Firriolo.

Iowa finally earned its first power play of the night when Sam Craggs was called for cross-checking, but the opportunity went unanswered. With 3:35 remaining, Hawkins struck again, scoring his second of the night and lifting the Walleye to a 4–3 win.

Saturday: Dash’s Birthday Ends in Shootout Celebration

Saturday night doubled as Dash’s fifth birthday, and while the start was rocky, the ending was worth the wait.

Toledo once again jumped ahead early, with Jed Pietila scoring just 3:34 into the first period. Hawkins followed late in the frame at 18:28, pushing the Walleye lead to 2–0.

Coming out of the intermission, the Heartlanders made a goaltending change, turning to Rousseau. The move paid off as Nick Carabin scored the lone goal of the second period at 7:42, cutting the deficit to 2–1.

After a penalty-free third period that appeared destined to end scoreless, the game flipped in the final moments. With just 26 seconds left, Liam Coughlin buried the tying goal, assisted by Matthew Sop, sending Xtream Arena into a frenzy and forcing 3-on-3 overtime.

Overtime featured fast-paced, back-and-forth action with both teams generating chances, but neither could find the winner. The game headed to a shootout, where Brandon Schultz opened the scoring and Rousseau shut the door completely, stopping every Toledo attempt to secure the win for Iowa.

Looking Ahead

The Heartlanders now head into All-Star week with a few days off. Friend of the show David Fine did an excellent job on the call during the All-Star festivities.

As the second half of the season approaches, Iowa’s focus must sharpen on capitalizing during power play opportunities and maintaining better discipline to limit penalties. If the Heartlanders can clean up those areas while continuing their late-game grit, the results should follow.