Bednar, Walleye lull Heartlanders to sleep in 3-0 victory

TOLEDO – The Toledo Walleye defeated the Iowa Heartlanders 3-0 on Sunday evening at the Huntington Center.

What Happened:

The Toledo Walleye welcomed the Iowa Heartlanders back into the Huntington Center to close out the weekend looking for a weekend sweep.

Jan Bednar defended the home net for the Walleye. Riley McCourt and Grant Gabriele manned the defence while Brandon Hawkins, Trenton Bliss and Orrin Centazzo led the Toledo attack.

Drew DeRidder started between the pipes for the visiting Heartlanders. Ben Brinkman and Hunter Lellig staffed the defence while Pavel Novak, Adam Goodsir and Yuki Miura filled out the attack for Iowa.

The action began with the two teams exchanging blows, at 3:56, sending McCourt and Louka Henault to the Toledo and Iowa penalty boxes respectively. Both penalties were killed off.

The Walleye found the scoreboard first at 15:53 when Bliss hit paydirt for the third time in two days. Mitch Lewandowski and Matt Anderson earned assists on the icebreaker

The two teams crowded together again, resulting in another pair of penalties and another four-on-four at 11:49. Adrien Beraldo was penalized for Roughing for the Fish, while Jack Durflinger was caught Cross-Checking for the Heartlanders.

Play dropped into four-on-three and a Walleye power play at 13:08 when Casey Dornbach was sent to the Heartlanders penalty box for Hooking.

The Walleye converted the power play at 13:28 when Bliss added yet another goal - his fourth in two days – to put the Walleye up 2-0. McCourt and Hawkins were the helpers on the score.

The remainder of the exchanged penalties from 11:49 were killed off after 21 seconds of four-on-four.

That wrapped the first frame with the Walleye leading the Heartlanders 2-0.

The Walleye were outshot by the Heartlanders 7-11 in the period. Toledo was 1/1 on the power play while Iowa did not have a power play chance.

The second period began with an Iowa power play at 4:36 when Toledo was caught with Too Many Men on the ice, which Chase Gresock would serve. Toledo killed off the power play.

The Heartlanders got their next power play chance at 16:26 when Brendon Michaelian was penalized for Holding. The Walleye killed off the power play.

That wrapped the second set of 20 minutes with the Walleye leading the Heartlanders 2-0.

The Walleye were outshot 9-11 in the period and 16-22 cumulatively. Toledo did not have a power play chance in the period while Iowa was 0/2.

The third period action began with a Walleye goal at 4:56 as Riley Sawchuk gave the Fish some added insurance. Hawkins and Anderson each added their second assists of the game.

Iowa got their next man-advantage at 7:02 when Gresock was penalized for Delay of Game. Toledo killed off the man-advantage.

The horns sounded with the Walleye claiming a 3-0 shutout victory over the Iowa Heartlanders.

The Walleye outshot the Heartlanders 13-3 in the period and 29-25 overall. Toledo did not have a power play chance in the period, finishing 1/1 on the power play, while Iowa was 0/1 in the period and 0/3 overall.

Three Stars Sponsored by Local 245:

1. Jan Bednar (W, 25/25 SV, 2^nd Professional Shutout) – TOL
2. Trenton Bliss (2G; GWG) – TOL
3. Riley Sawchuk (1G) – TOL

What’s Next:

The Toledo Walleye will remain at home to welcome the Cincinnati Cyclones back into the Huntington Center to open the weekend on Friday, March 8, 2024, with puck drop coming at 7:15 pm ET.