Coralville, Iowa- Heartlanders fans filed excitedly into Xtream Arena for a second consecutive night, hoping for a second consecutive win. Following a first-minute goal from Kalamazoo’s Cooper Walker and Iowa only getting one shot off for the entire first period, the fewest they have had since also mustering one shot in the second period of a January 22, 2022, matchup at the Wheeling Nailers, a game they won. Iowa fans were just happy the Landers were only down 1-0 after that opening performance.
In the second period, Iowa put the pedal to the medal, as Landon Kosior put the tying goal past Kalamazoo goalie Hunter Vorva, a familiar foe to Heartlander fans. Kosior is now on a 4-game point streak with two goals. In the third period, Will Calverley buried a pass from Jake Durflinger, getting Calverley his first goal in the buck and rose, while Durflinger extended his points streak to 5 games. The scoring ended there, and Iowa was able to notch their first come-from-behind win and first winning streak of the season, by a final score of 2-1.
A scary moment occurred early in the second period. It is not entirely clear what happened, but following a face-off, David Keefer of the K-Wings came up bleeding. While it is not entirely clear what happened, Keefer was rushed to the University of Iowa Hospital. Not long after his arrival at the hospital, Kalamazoo reported that Keefer was doing okay. Fans around the league hope to see him in action in the near future.
Peyton Jones: Jones was incredible again tonight. Rarely does a goalie play a full 60 minutes of hockey on two consecutive nights, but Head Coach Derek Damon reinforced that he earned it. After letting the first shot into the net, Peyton had 59 minutes of net protection, including multiple candidates for save of the week. Jones saved one shot while lying flat on his back and three on K-Wings breakaways. Peyton displayed impressive post-to-post coverage, which TV and Radio announcer David Fine explained was the reason they brought him in from the Nottingham Panthers of the British Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL). A few tough shots to Jones had him examined by the trainer throughout the game, but Jones stayed strong and performed at 100%.
Special Teams: Of course, no goalie can perform without assistance from their defense. Iowa’s penalty kill shined again, allowing no goals on 3 penalty kills and two 4 vs. 4 stretches, continuing a dominant special teams run that has not been matched by any other ECHL team yet this season. The stellar performance of only allowing two goals over 120 minutes of hockey is something that Coach Damon will certainly notice when deciding on defensive partnerships for upcoming games.
Iowa has taken 2 of the first 3 of this 6-game homestand and 2 of the first 11 games this season against the K-Wings. The Heartlanders will look to complete the series sweep on Saturday, November 11th at 7:05 pm. Any fan coming to Xtream Arena from the Iowa Hawkeye Football game will be delighted to know that discounted tickets will be available to any fan who shows up to the box office before the game wearing black and gold.
ITR 44: We Have A Champion…Again – Inside The Rink
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