CORALVILLE, IA – The Iowa Heartlanders found themselves trailing by a goal entering the second period, but responded with three unanswered tallies on their way to a 5-3 victory over the Kalamazoo Wings on Saturday. Zach White scored two goals and Tommy Parrottino had a goal and two assists in the victory. Hunter Jones had a light night, facing just 21 shots, stopping 18 of them to earn the victory. The win was the second in a row for Iowa.

Kalamazoo took the lead just 34 seconds into the contest when Justin Taylor scored his 14th goal of the year. This was a beautifully set up play by Justin Murray, who passed the puck out of his own up off the boards through the neutral zone and onto the stick of Mason McCarty, who was just outside the Iowa blueline. He tipped the puck into the center and onto the stick of Taylor, springing him for a breakaway. The Kalamazoo forward sped in on Jones, beating him with a wrist shot over the glove to make it 1-0.

The Wings looked like they had taken the crowd out of this game, but Nolan Orzeck score just 30 seconds later to tie the game at one. Parrottino passed the puck up the boards to Yuki Miura, who entered the Kalamazoo end. He moved toward the net before passing the puck across the slot to Orzeck who redirected the puck past Evan Cormier for his sixth goal of the year.

The Wings retook the lead at 8:15 when Kurt Gosselin netted his fifth goal of the season. With Kalamazoo on the power-play, Brandon Saigeon passed the puck to Gosselin in the high slot, who blasted a shot by Jones to make it 2-1.

It was a defensive struggle through much of the first as Kalamazoo outshot Iowa, 7-4. In the second, the Heartlanders took command and came out of the frame with a 3-2 lead, courtesy of two goals by White.

White scored 3:07 into the second, tying the game at two. This time it was the Heartlanders opportunity to use the power-play to get on the board. Orzeck took a shot from just above the right faceoff circle. White tipped it by Cormier for his 15th goal of the year.

At 15:23, White put his team on top. Parrottino gained control of the puck behind the Kalamazoo net, passing it to White just above the right circle. He fired a laser over the shoulder of the Wings netminder and the Heartlanders were in the lead.

Iowa extended the lead to two when Nicholas Cardelli netted his first goal of the season 4:09 into the third. Busch won the draw inside the Wings zone, drawing it back behind him. Cardelli scooped it up, firing a wrist shot for the first professional goal of his career.

A little over two minutes later, Max Humitz pulled Kalamazoo back within one, netting his 14th goal of the year. However, with 1:38 left in the game, Parrottino scored into the empty net to seal the victory.

Miuri had two assists in the game and Orzeck had a goal and an assist. Murray had two assists for the Wings.

The Iowa Heartlanders (15-30-13) head to the road on Saturday to take on the red hot Cincinnati Cyclones (37-12-9). Cincinnati is 13-0-2 in their last 15. The puck drops at 6:05 Iowa time.

Gamesheet

By Robert Pannier