THIS WEEK

Friday, December 29, 7:05 p.m.

TaxSlayer Center, Moline

Cincinnati Cyclones vs. Quad City Mallards

 

Saturday, December 30, 7:05 p.m.

TaxSlayer Center, Moline

Fort Wayne Komets vs. Quad City Mallards

 

Sunday, December 31, 2:00 p.m.

Wings Event Center, Kalamazoo

Quad City Mallards vs. Kalamazoo Wings 

 

Quad City 

8-17-2, 18 points

7th place, Central Division

Coach: Phil Axtell

 

Cincinnati

16-10-1, 33 points

3rd place, Central Division

Coach: Matt MacDonald

 

Fort Wayne

17-7-2, 36 points

2nd place, Central Division

Coach: Gary Graham

 

Kalamazoo

13-9-3, 29 points

5th place, Central Division

Coach: Nick Bootland

LAST WEEK

Wednesday, December 20

Fort Wayne 5 Quad City 4 (OT)

Jamie Schaafsma scored at 2:43 of overtime to give the Fort Wayne Komets a 5-4 victory over the host Mallards.

 

Friday, December 22

Cincinnati 7 Quad City 4

Justin Vaive ripped off a first period hat trick and the Cincinnati Cyclones- who would later strike for a pair of shorthanded goals- staved off the host Mallards' comeback bid on the way to a 7-4 victory.

 

Saturday, December 23

Fort Wayne 7 Quad City 0

Michael Houser stopped all 18 Quad City Mallard shots and Gabriel Desjardins scored twice as the Fort Wayne Komets pulled away to shut out the Mallards 7-0.

 

QUACK TRACKS

Eight

The Mallards are winless in their last eight games. The Mallards have gone 0-7-1 since defeating the Mavericks 5-3 on December 2 in Kansas City. Their current skid is the longest winless streak in team history. The Mallards twice before went seven games without victory. They went 0-6-1 between February 21 and March 15, 2022 in the Colonial Hockey League and between October 24 and November 14, 2021 in the International Hockey League.

 

You Again

The Mallards this weekend complete a stretch of seven straight games against the Cyclones (four) or Komets (three). 

 

Central

The Mallards this weekend complete a run of 14 straight games against division opponents. The will go on to play 20 of 21 games against division foes.

 

Busy

The Mallards this weekend play three games in three days for the fourth time this season. They will play three times in as many days a total of nine times. 

 

To the Point

The Mallards halted a five-game regulation losing streak when they picked up one point for last Wednesday’s overtime loss to Fort Wayne.

 

Sudden Death

The Mallards are now 2-2 in games decided in overtime. They are 4-2 in games settled in either sudden death of the shootout.

 

Home Cooking

The Mallards are winless (0-3-2) in their last five home games. They last won at home when they defeated the Indy Fuel 2-1 in overtime on November 12. This marks the fourth time in club history the Mallards have gone winless over five home games. Prior to their current drought, the Mallards last did so when they went 0-3-2 between February 18 and February 26, 2022 in the United Hockey League.

 

On the Road

The Mallards have lost six straight road games. That dip matches the longest away regulation losing streak in team history. The Mallards first dropped six consecutive away games between November 5 and December 10, 2021 in the UHL.

 

Seven

The Mallards matched a team season high by allowing seven goals Friday and again Saturday. Saturday also brought the Mallards’ largest margin of defeat this season.

Red Light District

The Mallards last Wednesday and Friday scored four goals in back-to-back games for the first time this season. The Mallards rank twenty-seventh in the ECHL in goals per game (2.6).

 

Outside the Box

The Mallards average the fewest penalty minutes (8.8) per game in the ECHL.

Mac Attack

Josh MacDonald has five points (three goals and two assists) in his last three games. By scoring two goals and totaling three points Friday, MacDonald matched team single game season highs in both categories.

Double Down

Greg Amlong picked up two assists last Wednesday and again Friday after notching just one assist in his prior seventeen games. 

 

Helping Hand

Willie Raskob is tied for third among rookies in assists (17) and is tied for seventh among defensemen.

 

Debut

Triston Grant scored in his Mallard debut last Wednesday against Fort Wayne.

 

First

Kyle Bigos last Wednesday night scored what was not only his first goal as a Mallard but also his first ECHL goal in nearly three years. Prior to Wednesday, Bigos last scored in the ECHL on January 7, 2022 for the Ontario Reign in 5-1 win over the Bakersfield Condors. Bigos did score five goals while playing for the Edinburgh Capitals in Britain’s Elite Ice Hockey League in 2015-16 before being limited by injury to just two games with the Idaho Steelheads last season.

 

Between the Pipes

Matt O’Connor stopped 42 shots while making his Mallard debut last Wednesday against Fort Wayne after being reassigned to the Mallards from the American Hockey League’s Milwaukee Admirals by the National Hockey League’s Nashville Predators earlier the same day. Both of the Mallards’ goaltenders- O’Connor and Eric Hartzell- have joined the team in the last two weeks. The two netminders who started the season with the club- C.J. Motte and Ivan Kulbakov- are both currently in the AHL. Motte is with the Iowa Wild while Kulbakov is with the Cleveland Monsters.

Milestones

Tristan King has 94 career goals.

 

Special Teams

The Mallards have allowed five goals on their foes’ last eight power plays and now rank twenty-fourth in the ECHL in penalty killing (79.3 percent). The Mallards rank sixteenth on the power play (15.7 percent). They surrendered two Cincinnati shorthanded goals Friday and have given up eight this season, tied for the most in the league. 

 

Head to Head

The Mallards have gone 0-3-1 against the Komets this season. The two teams will meet nine times this year. Last Wednesday’s game was the first between the two clubs in Moline this season. The Mallards have gone 54-60-12 all-time against the Komets…The Mallards have gone 0-4-0 against the Cyclones, with whom they will clash a total of nine times. Friday’s game was the first between the two clubs at the TaxSlayer Center. All-time, the Mallards have gone 9-15-2 overall against Cincinnati and 3-7-1 at home against the Cyclones…The Mallards on Sunday meet Kalamazoo for the second time this season. The Wings won the opener of their eight game season series with the Mallards 5-2 on December 8 at Wings Event Center. The Mallards have gone 5-5-3 overall against the Wings and 2-3-0 in Kalamazoo since the two clubs renewed their rivalry in 2015-16. Prior to that, 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 10-10-2 on the road against Kalamazoo.

 

Ins and Outs

Goaltender Matt O’Connor was reassigned to the Mallards from Milwaukee (AHL) by Nashville (NHL) last Wednesday…The Mallards last Tuesday signed forward Triston Grant to a standard player contract…The Mallards last Tuesday traded forward Garrett Klotz to the Jacksonville IceMen in exchange for financial considerations.

 

UPCOMING HOME GAMES

Friday, December 29, 7:05 p.m.- Mallards vs. Cincinnati Cyclones

$2 Dogs/$2 Beers presented by 97X

Fans can enjoy $2 hot dogs and beers from TaxSlayer 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, December 30, 7:05 p.m.- Mallards vs. Fort Wayne Komets

Report Card Night

The Mallards will team with the United Way to honor academic achievement with Report Card Night. Parents or children who present a report card with an “A” or other exemplary grade at the TaxSlayer Center box office will receive a free ticket to Saturday night’s game.

 

ON THE AIR

Fox Sports Radio 1230 is the radio home of Mallards Hockey Presented by Genesis Orthopedic Hospital. Mallards games broadcast on AM 1230 also stream live online at www.wfxn.net. A limited number of Mallards games- including Sunday’s game at 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 or info@myqcmallards.net for more information about tickets. Single game tickets are also available at the TaxSlayer 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.

 

Holiday 4 Pack

Fans who purchase Holiday 4 Packs get four center ice tickets, two Mo Mallard plush toys and a $10 Fresh Blends gift card all for $100. To order your Holiday 4 Pack or for more information, fans can contact the Mallards at 309-277-1364 or info@myqcmallards.net.

 

Flock 5 Pack

Fans who purchase the Flock 5 Pack save while getting two tickets for five of the Mallards' biggest nights of the season: Marvel Night on Friday, January 19; Pink in the Rink on Saturday, February 10; Puck N’ Paws on Sunday, March 4; the Mallards Draw String Bag Giveaway on Friday, March 16; and Fan Appreciation Night on Saturday, April 7. More information on the Flock 5 Pack is available by contacting the Mallards at 309-277-1364 or info@myqcmallards.net.

 

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.