Hawkins Net Two as Toledo Downs Iowa, 4-1
TOLEDO, OH – For the second straight night, the Iowa Heartlanders dropped a 4-1 decision on the road, this time to the Toledo Walleye. A night after losing to the Cincinnati Cyclones by an identical score, Iowa found themselves trailing by three thanks to a pair of goals by Brandon Hawkins and two assists by both Kirill Tyutyayev and Ryan Lowney. Sebastian Cossa made 32 saves for the Walleye. Yuki Miura scored the only goal for Iowa.
Toledo took control of this game early, scoring two goals within the first 14 minutes of the contest. The first came with the Walleye on the power-play when Hawkins netted his 28th tally of the season at the 4:23 mark. Toledo was doing a great job of moving the puck around the perimeter inside the Iowa zone, eventually passing it to Hawkins who was just above the left face-off circle. He blasted a one timer low to the far post to put the Walleye on top.
At 13:44, Gordie Green extended the lead to two. A perfect pass by Lowney at the Heartlanders blueline sprung Green, who split between two defensemen before getting Iowa netminder Darion Hanson to lean one direction. Green then tucked the puck inside the right post for his 23rd goal of the year.
Toledo outshot Iowa in the first period, 17-5, but the Heartlanders were able to get more pressure in the second. However, it would be the Walleye scored the only goal of the period when Hawkins netted his second tally of the night. Just after the four minute mark, Tyutyeyev sped down the boards inside the Iowa zone, moving like he would go behind the net, then firing a backhand pass toward the left face-off circle where Hawkins blasted a one-timer to make it 3-0.
At 5:22 of the third, Miura finally got the Heartlanders on the board. Tommy Parrottino made a pass from just inside the Toledo blueline across that hit off the boards and bounced out toward the net. Miura outraced a Toledo defensemen for the puck, scooping it up before putting it past the Cossa with his eighth goal of the year.
With 1:18 left in the contest, Andrew Sturtz delivered an empty net tally to close out the scoring.
Hanson finished with 35 saves for Iowa.
The Iowa Heartlanders (13-28-13) travel to take on the Fort Wayne Komets (26-21-6) on Sunday. The puck drops at 4:00 Iowa time
by Robert Pannier
