Bison rally late to beat Heartlanders 7-2

Iowa led 2-0 before Bloomington scored 7 unanswered goals in penalty-filled affair

Mar. 22, 2026 at 8:06am

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The Iowa Heartlanders scored the first two goals of the game, but the Bloomington Bison rallied with 7 unanswered goals, including 4 in the third period, to win 7-2 in a penalty-filled matchup at Grossinger Motors Arena on Saturday. The teams combined for 66 penalty minutes, more than half of which came in the third period.

Why it matters

The loss is a setback for the Heartlanders, who are fighting for a playoff spot in the competitive ECHL Midwest Division. The Bison, on the other hand, solidified their position in the playoff race with the comeback victory in a physical game.

The details

Iowa opened the scoring with a power play goal from Jaxon Nelson 4 minutes into the game. Keltie Jeri-Leon made it 2-0 Heartlanders early in the second period. But the Bison then scored 3 goals in a 4-minute span to take the lead, with goals from Ayden MacDonald, Riku Ishida and Eddie Matsushima. Bloomington then added 4 more goals in the third period from Brendan Detema, Grant Porter, Parker Lindauer and Mikhail Abramov to pull away.

  • The Heartlanders scored the opening goal 4 minutes into the first period.
  • Keltie Jeri-Leon made it 2-0 Heartlanders at the 2:36 mark of the second period.
  • The Bison scored 3 goals in a 4-minute span in the second period to take the lead.
  • Bloomington added 4 more goals in the third period to pull away.

The players

Jaxon Nelson

Leads the Heartlanders with 16 goals on the season.

Keltie Jeri-Leon

Scored his 13th goal of the season to make it 2-0 Heartlanders.

Ayden MacDonald

Scored one of the Bison's 3 second-period goals to tie the game.

Riku Ishida

Scored the go-ahead goal for the Bison in the second period.

Eddie Matsushima

Scored the third of Bloomington's 3 second-period goals to give them the lead.

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What they’re saying

“We must not let individuals continue to damage private property in San Francisco.”

— Robert Jenkins, San Francisco resident

“Fifty years is such an accomplishment in San Francisco, especially with the way the city has changed over the years.”

— Gordon Edgar, grocery employee

What’s next

The Heartlanders and Bison play one more time in Bloomington this weekend - Sunday at 4:00 p.m.

The takeaway

This game highlighted the Heartlanders' struggles to hold onto a lead, as well as the Bison's ability to rally back and pull away late. The high penalty count also suggests this was a physical, hard-fought matchup between two teams jockeying for playoff position in the ECHL Midwest Division.