CORALVILLE, IA – The Toledo Walleye defeated the Iowa Heartlanders 4-1 on Saturday night at Xtream Arena.
What Happened:
The Toledo Walleye won their twelfth consecutive game as they finished out the three game series in Iowa, finishing the season series against them at 9-0-1.
Jan Bednar started between the pipes for the visiting Walleye. Michael Prapavessis and Jacob Graves protected the blue line while Brandon Hawkins, Trenton Bliss and Conlan Keenan led the Toledo attack.
Drew DeRidder split the iron for the host Heartlanders. Chris Lipe and Kyle Masters manned the defense while Pavel Novak, Yuki Miura and Louis Boudon filled out the Iowa front.
The Walleye got on the board first at 3:15 when Keenan lit the lamp for his 24th goal of the season. Hawkins and Graves added assists to the icebreaker.
That was the lone score of the period as the first frame ended with the Walleye leading the Heartlanders 1-0. Toledo was outshot in the period by Iowa 8-11.
Toledo stuck again to start the second period on the power play at 4:59 when Sam Craggs hit twine. Jason Willms and Grant Gabriele added helpers on the advantage tally.
The Heartlanders got one back at 16:21 when Novak scored for the second time in as many days. Miura and Masters assisted the score to make it 2-1.
The Fish pushed the lead back to two goals at 3-1 when Orrin Centazzo put one past DeRidder. Graves nabbed a solo assist, his second helper of the evening.
That wrapped the second set of 20 minutes with the Walleye leading the Heartlanders 3-1. Toledo outshot Iowa in the period 12-10, but trailed 20-21 overall after two frames.
A back-and-forth third period saw the Heartlanders pull DeRidder in the winding minutes. The Walleye took advantage as Jason Willms found the empty net for his first professional goal unassisted.
The empty-netter put the game at its final resting place of 4-1 in favor of the Toledo Walleye. Toledo was outshot by Iowa 11-13 in the period and 31-34 overall.
Bednar’s win in net matched the team-high winning streak by a goaltender this season at seven games.
Three Stars Sponsored by Local 245:
- Orrin Centazzo (1G) – TOL
- Pavel Novak (1G) – IA
- Conlan Keenan (1G) – TOL
What’s Next:
The Toledo Walleye will take Sunday off before heading to Wheeling, WV to do battle with the Wheeling Nailers for the final time in the regular season on Friday, April 12, 2024 at WesBanco Arena with puck drop coming at 7:10 pm ET.
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