News

MALLARDS WEEKLY UPDATE

By: Mallards Communications Staff
Photo: Sean Flynn Photography/Quad City Mallards

THIS WEEK
Wednesday, March 1, 6:35 p.m.
iWireless Center
Kalamazoo Wings vs. Quad City Mallards

Saturday, March 4, 7:05 p.m.
iWireless Center
Indy Fuel vs. Quad City Mallards

Quad City
31-22-2, 64 points
3rd place, Central Division
Coach: Phil Axtell

Kalamazoo
27-24-4, 58 points
4th place, Central Division
Coach: Nick Bootland

Indy
15-36-4, 34 points
7th place, Central Division
Coach: Bernie John

LAST WEEK
Wednesday, February 22
Quad City 3 Fort Wayne 2
Grant Arnold scored the only goal of the shootout after Josh MacDonald scored both Mallard regulation goals and C.J. Motte made 36 saves over 65 minutes and five more in the shootout to propel the Mallards to a 3-2 shootout victory over the host Fort Wayne Komets

Friday, February 24
Kalamazoo 4 Quad City 2
Dajon Mingo scored twice and Nick Riopel made 29 saves as the Kalamazoo Wings defeated the host Mallards 4-2.

Saturday, February 25
Kalamazoo 4 Quad City 1
Justin Taylor scored twice as the host Kalamazoo Wings ripped off four unanswered goals to defeat the Mallards 4-1.

Sunday, February 26
Quad City 6 Wichita 4
Andrew Panzarella broke a 4-4 tie with 6:08 left in the third period and the host Mallards went on to overcome the Wichita Thunder 6-4.
 
QUACK TRACKS
Rebound
The Mallards bounced back with yesterday’s win over Wichita after being swept in a home-and-home series by Kalamazoo Friday and Saturday.

Central
The third-place Mallards are nine points behind the second-place Komets and six points ahead of the fourth-place Wings in the Central Division. The Mallards have gone 2-2-0 over the first four games of a stretch of six straight against division opposition.

Axtell
The Mallards have gone 12-6-0 in 18 games since Phil Axtell took over as head coach on January 20.

Busy
The Mallards yesterday played their third game in 48 hours, their fourth game in five days and their tenth game in 17 days.

Three
The Mallards yesterday played a third game in three days for the seventh time this season. They have gone 5-2 when playing for a third time in as many days and have won each of the last four times they have done so. They will play three times in 48 hours for the final time March 17, 18 and 19.

Home Sweet Home
Yesterday’s game began a stretch that will see the Mallards play 11 of their final 18 regular season games on home ice.
 
On the Road
The Mallards have a better record on the road (17-12-0) than at home (13-10-2).

Red Light District
The Mallards broke loose for six goals yesterday after totaling seven (non-shootout) goals over their prior five games. The Mallards have allowed four goals in each of three straight games for just the second time this season. The Mallards rank ninth in the ECHL in goals allowed (3.0 per game) and rank eighteenth in goals scored per game (3.1).

February
The Mallards went 7-4-0 in 11 games in February. They will play thirteen times in March.

Shooting Gallery
The Mallards took a season-high 24 shots- and scored three goals- in the third period yesterday after allowing 23 shots- and three Kalamazoo goals- in the second period Saturday.

Shootout
By winning their fifth straight shootout Wednesday, the Mallards improved to 6-2 in the shootout this season.

Sudden Death
The Mallards are 9-2 this season in games that are tied at the end of regulation and have won the last eight times they have been deadlocked after 60 minutes.

Mac Attack
Josh MacDonald collected points (3-2-5) in each of the Mallards’ four games last week. He has produced at a point-per-game clip (4-6-10) over ten games since joining the Mallards in February 6 trade with Rapid City.

Welcome Aboard
Adam Gilmour has picked up points (1-3-4) in each of the four games he has played for the Mallards since being reassigned by Iowa Tuesday. Wednesday, he marked his Mallard debut with an assist. The shorthanded empty net goal he scored with 1:15 in yesterday’s game was his first in the ECHL.

20
By scoring on the power play yesterday, Chris Francis joined Michael Parks as the second player to reach 20 goals with the Mallards this season. MacDonald has totaled 21 goals this season, but produced 17 of those for Rapid City.

Debut
Chase Lang made his Mallard debut Friday after being assigned to the Mallards by Iowa Thursday.

Winner
Grant Arnold scored the only goal of Wednesday’s shootout with his first career shootout attempt.

First
Alexander Kuqali on Wednesday recorded his first Mallard point- an assist- since being acquired in a January 31 trade with Florida.

Parks and Wreck
Parks leads the Mallards and ranks fourth among ECHL rookies in goals (21).

On the Plus Side
Kevin Gibson ranks sixth in the ECHL in plus/minus rating (plus-25).

Between the Pipes
C.J. Motte ranks third in the ECHL in save percentage (.919), is tied for sixth in goals against average (2.53) and is tied for ninth in wins (17). Motte went 5-for-5 in the shootout Wednesday and has now stopped all 12 shooters he has faced while posting a 3-0 shootout record this season.

Milestones
Brady Brassart played his two hundredth career game yesterday…Mike Wilson has 198 career regular season assists…Chris Francis has scored 95 career ECHL goals

Power Play
The Mallards matched a season high by scoring two power play goals yesterday (on six opportunities) after converting just one of their prior 22 advantages. The Mallards rank twenty-fifth in the ECHL on the power play (13.0 percent).

Penalty Kill
The Mallards have killed off their opponents’ last 18 power plays. The Mallards are tied for sixteenth in the league penalty killing (81.9 percent).

Head-to-Head
This Wednesday’s game is the seventh of eight this season between the Mallards and Wings. The Mallards have gone 3-2-1 against Kalamazoo and have posted a 1-1-1 home record against the Wings. The two clubs will finish their season series March 15 at the iWireless Center. The Mallards have gone 5-4-1 overall against Kalamazoo and 3-2-1 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 6-1-0 against the Fuel this season and have gone 2-1-0 against Indy at the iWireless Center. The Mallards will meet the Fuel a total of ten times. All-time, the Mallards have gone 9-8-0 overall against the Fuel and have gone 5-3-0 at home.

Ins and Outs
Forward Brady Brassart returned to the Mallards’ lineup yesterday after missing two games (upper body injury)…Forward Pavel Jenys has missed the Mallards’ last ten games (upper body injury)…Forward/defenseman Nick Grasso was released by the Mallards Thursday… Defenseman Dylan Labbe was reassigned to the Mallards by Iowa (AHL) Thursday…Forward Chase Lang was reassigned to the Mallards by Iowa (AHL) Thursday…Defenseman Mike Wilson returned to the Mallards’ lineup Wednesday after missing 29 games (upper body injury)…Forward Adam Gilmour was reassigned to the Mallards by Iowa (AHL) Tuesday.

UPCOMING HOME GAMES
Wednesday, March 1, 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.

Saturday, March 4, 7:05 p.m.- Mallards vs. Indy Fuel
Mo’s Madhouse All-You-Can-Eat-and-Drink
Fans can get Mo’s Madhouse tickets and all-you-can-eat-and-drink at Saturday night’s game for $50 per person. A $40 all-you-can-eat-and-drink option excluding alcoholic beverages is also available. Mo’s Madhouse is the exclusive party area located behind the west goal at the iWireless Center. The all-you-can-eat-and-drink offer is available through the Mallards’ business office at 309-277-1364

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- including this Wednesday’s game against Kalamazoo- 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.
 



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