THIS WEEK
Wednesday, March 15, 6:35 p.m.
iWireless Center
Kalamazoo Wings vs. Quad City Mallards

Friday, March 17, 7:05 p.m.
iWireless Center
Missouri Mavericks vs. Quad City Mallards

Saturday, March 18, 7:05 p.m.
iWireless Center
Missouri Mavericks vs. Quad City Mallards

Sunday, March 19, 2:05 p.m.
Indiana Farmers Coliseum
Quad City Mallards vs. Indy Fuel

Quad City
33-23-3, 69 points
3rd place, Central Division
Coach: Phil Axtell

Kalamazoo
31-26-4, 66 points
4th place, Central Division
Coach: Nick Bootland

Missouri
28-24-7, 63 points
6th place, Mountain Division
Coach: John-Scott Dickson

Indy
16-38-6, 38 points
7th place, Central Division
Coach: Bernie John

LAST WEEK
Friday, March 10
Quad City 3 Wheeling 0
Adam Vay made 22 saves and Donnie Harris and Brady Brassart scored key second period goals just over a minute apart as the Mallards shut out the host Wheeling Nailers 3-0.

Saturday, March 11
Wheeling 6 Quad City 4
Johnny Daniels scored a natural hat trick in 57 seconds in the second period and Tyler Currier scored two third period goals as the host Wheeling Nailers held off the Mallards' comeback bid to claim a 6-4 victory.

QUACK TRACKS
Splitsville
The Mallards last weekend split a two-game series in Wheeling.

Hit the Brakes
Saturday’s loss to the Nailers halted the Mallards’ four-game (3-0-1) regulation unbeaten streak.

Magic Number
The Mallards’ magic number for clinching a playoff spot is ten. Any combination of standings points earned by the Mallards or points the fifth-place club in the Central Division- the Tulsa Oilers- fails to collect totaling ten will result in the Mallards locking up a postseason berth. The top four finishers in each division qualify for the Kelly Cup playoffs.

Central
The third-place Mallards are three points ahead of the fourth-place Wings in the Central Division standings. The Mallards have two games in hand on Kalamazoo.

Axtell
The Mallards have gone 14-7-1 in 22 games since Phil Axtell took over as head coach on January 20.

Stretch Run
The Mallards have eight home games and five away games remaining.

Home Sweet Home
The Mallards play three home games in four nights this week. The Mallards are unbeaten in regulation (2-0-1) in their last three home games.

Road Warriors
The Mallards Friday secured their first win at Wesbanco Arena after losing in their prior to visits to Wheeling- on October 31, 2021 and January 27, 2017. Friday’s victory was also the Mallards first this season over the Nailers, who had won each of the prior three meetings between the two clubs.
 
Blanked
Friday’s shutout was Vay’s and the Mallards’ second of the season.

Six Shooter
The Mallards Saturday matched a season high by allowing six goals.

Red Light District
The Mallards rank eighth in the ECHL in goals against (3.0 per game) and seventeenth in goal-scoring (3.2).

Perfect 10
Justin Kovacs has totaled ten points (two goals and eight assists) while putting together a five-game point-scoring streak.

Foursome
Grant Arnold has scored four times in his last five games.

Leader of the Pack
Chris Francis took over the team lead in goals (22) by scoring Saturday. Francis also leads the Mallards in points (47). Josh MacDonald has scored more goals (23) and registered more points (50) than Francis this season, but the majority of his production (17-20-37) came before he was acquired by the Mallards from the Rapid City Rush last month.

200
Mike Wilson recorded his two hundredth career regular season assist Friday. Wilson has now notched assists in each of his last three games.

Mac Attack
MacDonald’s six-game point-scoring streak (5-2-7) ended with Friday’s win.

On the Plus Side
Kevin Gibson is tied for fourth in the ECHL in plus/minus rating (plus-28).

Between the Pipes
Vay Friday whitewashed the Nailers exactly one month after he posted his first ECHL shutout by stopping 31 shots in the Mallards’ 4-0 victory over Kalamazoo on February 10. Vay went 137:33- the equivalent of nearly seven periods- without allowing a goal from the time Nick Bligh scored for Indy at 1:32 of the first period of the Mallards’ 6-1 win over the Fuel on March 4 until Cody Wydo scored for Wheeling with 55 seconds left in the first period Saturday.

Milestones
Mike Wilson recorded his two hundredth career regular season assist Friday…Chris Francis has scored 98 career ECHL goals…Guillaume Gelinas has played 93 career games.

Special Teams
The Mallards’ streak of 25 consecutive successful penalty kills ended when Wydo scored on the power play for Wheeling Saturday. The Mallards have now killed off 26 of their foes’ last 27 advantages. The Mallards have failed to convert their last 11 power plays. The Mallards rank fifteenth in the ECHL in penalty killing (82.1 percent) and twenty-sixth on the power play (12.7 percent).

Head-to-Head
Wednesday’s game is the finale of the Mallards’ eight-game season series with the Wings. The Mallards have gone 3-2-2 against Kalamazoo and have posted a 1-1-2 home record against the Wings. The Mallards have gone 5-4-2 overall against Kalamazoo and 3-2-2 on home ice against the Wings since the two clubs renewed their rivalry last season. Prior to last year, the Mallards had not faced Kalamazoo since 2007. The Mallards and Wings competed against each other in the United Hockey League between 2000 and 2007. The Mallards went 24-19-7 in 50 meetings with the Wings over those seven seasons. They went 14-9-5 at home against Kalamazoo…The Mallards have gone 5-3-0 against Mavericks this season. The Mallards, who have gone 3-0-0 at home against the Mavs, close out the season series between the two teams on home ice this weekend. All-time, the Mallards have gone 28-30-7 against Missouri. The Mallards have gone 12-11-5 at home against the Mavs…The Mallards have gone 7-1-0 against the Fuel this season and have gone 3-1-0 against Indy at the iWireless Center. The Mallards have outscored the Fuel 38-18 over the season series and 18-4 while winning their last three games against Indy. The Mallards and Fuel meet for the tenth and final time this season April 4 in Indianapolis. All-time, the Mallards have gone 10-8-0 overall against the Fuel and have gone 6-3-0 at home.

Ins and Outs
The Mallards yesterday released emergency backup goaltender Michael Chiasson after signing Chiasson Friday… Forward Nolan LaPorte returned to the Mallards Wednesday after being released from a professional tryout agreement by Iowa (AHL)….Forward Jack Nevins returned to the Mallards Wednesday after being released from a professional tryout agreement by Iowa (AHL)…Defenseman Dylan Labbe was recalled by Iowa (AHL) Tuesday…Forward Pavel Jenys has missed the Mallards’ last 14 games (upper body injury).

UPCOMING HOME GAMES
Wednesday, March 15, 6:35 p.m.- Mallards vs. Kalamazoo Wings
Early Start
All Mallards Wednesday night home games this season face off at the special early start time of 6:35.

Friday, March 17, 7:05 p.m.- Mallards vs. Missouri Mavericks
KWQC-TV6/Genesis Jersey Auction
The special edition white baseball-style jerseys featuring blue pin stripes worn by the Mallards in their game against Missouri will go up for bid in a live auction after that game to benefit the Genesis Health Services Foundation.

$2 Dogs/$2 Beers presented by 97X
Fans can enjoy $2 hot dogs and beers from iWireless Center concession stands during every Friday home game.

MetroLINK College Night
The Mallards have partnered with Metro to provide transit service between Augustana College and downtown Moline during all Friday home games. As part of Metro's unlimited ride program, Augustana Riders can use their Augustana ID as their fare.

Saturday, March 18, 7:05 p.m.- Mallards vs. Missouri Mavericks
Saturday Night
The Mallards’ meeting with the Mavericks is their second to last Saturday night home game of the season.

ON THE AIR
Fox Sports Radio 1230 is the radio home of Mallards Hockey Presented by Genesis Power Sports Performance. Mallards games broadcast on AM 1230 also stream live online at www.wfxn.net. A limited number of Mallards games will not air on Fox Sports Radio 1230 due to conflicts with University of Illinois basketball and football and Green Bay Packer football. ECHL-TV pay-per-view video webcasts and free audio webcasts of all Mallards games are also available at myqcmallards.net.

MOBILE
The Mallards’ official mobile app is now available free for both Apple and Android. The app features a wide array of exclusive content, including behind the scenes video, breaking news and scoring alerts, interviews and video messages from Mallards players, instant access to live scores, stats and standings and special offers from the team and from Mallards partners.

TICKETS
Single Game Tickets
Single game tickets for all Mallards regular season contests are now available.  Fans can contact the Mallards at (309) 277-1364 orinfo@myqcmallards.net for more information about tickets. Single game tickets are also available at the iWireless Center box office, at Ticketmaster outlets, through www.ticketmaster.com or through Ticketmaster charge-by-phone toll free. The box office is open weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and on game days from 10:00 a.m. until the start of the second period.

Group Tickets
Groups of ten or more receive savings off the walk-up price and a host of group benefits. Mallards group tickets are a great fit for youth organizations, friends, co-workers, family groups, religious groups, school functions and business events. For more group ticket information, fans can contact the Mallards at (309) 277-1364 or info@myqcmallards.net.