Toledo, OH – The Toledo Walleye defeated the Iowa Heartlanders by a score of 4-2 tonight at the Huntington Center, the team’s third consecutive win over the Heartlanders and their fifth straight win overall. Brandon Hawkins had a goal and two assists for his fifth three-point night of the season, Riley McCourt and Denis Smirnov each had a goal and an assist, Mitch Lewandowski had two assists, and Nolan Lalonde stopped 29 of 31 shots faced.

How it Happened:

Denis Smirnov got things started quickly for the Walleye with a goal 1:57 into the first, his 7^th goal of the season. Mitch Lewandowski and Tanner Kelly each got assists on the goal, setting up an early 1-0 lead for the Fish.

Toledo took a penalty with 2:53 left in the first, giving Iowa their first power play chance of the night. The Walleye were able to kill it off and end the first period with a 1-0 lead over the Heartlanders, outshooting them 10-8.

Iowa opened up the second period by scoring 3:41 in, as Keanan Stewart buried a shot on a delayed penalty to tie the game at one goal each. 

The Heartlanders took a holding call at the 8:12 mark of the second period, giving the Walleye their first power play chance of the night. However, Toledo took a tripping call off the faceoff to negate that power-play four seconds later. 

Riley McCourt buried his 3^rd goal of the season on a drop-back pass from Brandon Hawkins entering their offensive zone at the 8:53 mark of the second, re-taking a 2-1 lead. Hawkins and Sam Craggs got the assists on the goal. 

Iowa took another penalty at the 9:55 mark of the second, setting up about 30 seconds of 4-on-3 hockey in favor of Toledo. Sam Craggs recorded his second goal of the season on that power-play, putting the Walleye up 3-1 at the 10:44 mark of the second period. Mitch Lewandowski got his second assist of the game on the goal, as Colin Swoyer got one as well. 

Toledo took a roughing penalty at the 8:03 mark of the second, putting Iowa on the power-play for the third time tonight, which the Walleye killed off successfully. Iowa took a roughing penalty four minutes later, giving Toledo their third power-play chance on the night. 

Brandon Hawkins capitalized on that power-play, scoring his 11^th goal of the season and second point of the night at the 16:56 mark of the second period to put the Walleye up 4-1. Riley McCourt and Denis Smirnov each got assists on the goal, each of their second points of the night.

The second period came to an end with the Walleye maintaining a 4-1 lead over the Heartlanders, outshooting them 18-17.

Toledo took a hooking call at the 2:07 mark of the third period, giving Iowa another power play opportunity. They took a hooking penalty of their own 23 seconds later, setting up 1:37 of 4-on-4 hockey followed by a Toledo power play, which the Walleye were unable to convert on. 

Toledo took a double minor penalty for a high stick at the 8:16 mark of the third, leading to a 4-minute power-play opportunity for the Heartlanders. Ryan McGuire scored 33 seconds in, but it was waived off after review for goaltender interference, keeping the game at 4-1 in favor of Toledo. However, Jack O’Brien’s goal with 1:13 left on the power play would stand, bringing Iowa within two of Toledo. 

Nate Roy scored Toledo’s fifth goal of the night, his third of the season, at the 12:23 mark of the third period. Brandon Hawkins and Nick Andrews each got assists on the goal, Hawkins’s 3^rd point of the night. 

Jonny Sorensen got a 10-minute misconduct with 4:16 to go in the third, and Iowa took another roughing penalty a minute and a half later to put Toledo on another power play with 2:43 remaining in the game.

The Walleye held on for the 5-2 win over the Heartlanders, as they were outshot 31-30 by Iowa. Toledo’s power-play was 3-for-5, and they killed off 4 of 5 penalties taken. 

Local 245 Three Stars:

1 – F Brandon Hawkins, TOL (1 G, 2 A, +2)

2 – F Denis Smirnov, TOL (1 G, 1 A)

3 – F Sam Craggs, TOL (GWG, 1 A, +2)

What’s Next:

The Walleye will look to finish off the sweep of the four-game series against the Iowa Heartlanders, and build on their 3-1-0-0 record against them, with a Saturday night contest at the Huntington Center. Puck drop for the game is set for 7:15 PM.

News:

Earlier this week, the Walleye agreed to terms with goaltender Matt Jurusik. The 6’0”, 201-pound La Grange, IL native has spent the last three seasons playing in the KHL, most recently for Amur Khabarovsk. 

Jurusik played his first two years of college hockey at the University of Wisconsin and his final two at Michigan Tech. In 107 games, Jurusik recorded a 45-44 12 record between the two schools, posting a 2.84 GAA and a .903 save percentage at the college level. He had a 2.06 GAA and .924 save percentage at Michigan Tech in his senior season, recording a 19-10-3 record in 34 games. He played 22 games in the AHL between Texas and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the 2021-22 season, going 10-6-4 and posting a .901 save percentage. He also has 20 ECHL games under his belt with Idaho and South Carolina, putting up a 2.34 GAA between the two clubs. Between 2022 and 2025, Jurusik has played 80 games in the KHL for Kunlun and Amur, going 22-42-4 with a 3.03 GAA and a .920 save percentage.