The Quad City Mallards today announced the team’s 72-game schedule for the 2015-16 season, which the Mallards will open Friday night, October 16 on the road against the Allen Americans.
The Mallards last week released the team’s home schedule, which sees the Flock play 31 of 36 home games on weekend dates, starting with its Friday, October 23, home opener against the Tulsa Oilers. While Mallards Friday and Saturday night home games will face off at 7:05 p.m. next season and Sunday home tilts will start at 4:05 p.m., the faceoff time for the Flock’s five Wednesday night games will change to 6:35 p.m. in 2015-16.
The Mallards will spend the first weekend of their second ECHL campaign on the road. After beginning the season in Allen, the Mallards will take on the Thunder in Wichita on Saturday, October 17.
While the Mallards will join the Cincinnati Cyclones, Indy Fuel, Fort Wayne Komets and Evansville IceMen in the ECHL’s new Midwest Division next season and play 35 again division foes, they begin the season with six games against clubs with whom they moved to the ECHL from the Central Hockey League. The Mallards will face Tulsa and Wichita twice each during that stretch and play single games against Allen and the Missouri Mavericks. The Mallards will take on that quartet- the four clubs who will form the condensed Central Division next year- a total of 19 times.
The Mallards play their first game against a division opponent when the visit the Indy Fuel for the first time on Saturday, November 7. In total, the Mallards and Fuel will meet ten times. The Mallards will play Cincinnati more times- 11, including six on home ice- than they face any other opponent. The Mallards will renew acquaintances with the Fort Wayne Komets- with whom they share a rivalry that dates back to 1999- for the first time next season on November 15 at the iWireless Center and will get together with the Komets a total of seven times over the course of the campaign, including three times in the Quad Cities. The Mallards will play five of their seven games with the IceMen on the road.
In all, the Mallards will play 63 games inside the Western Conference and will collide with Eastern Conference opposition on nine occasions. The Mallards will play six games against the Rapid City Rush- who will move from the Central to the West Division next season- including four on home ice. The Mallards at the moment are in Rapid City to play game six of their closely contested first round Kelly Cup playoff series with the Rush. After tomorrow night’s vital postseason clash with the Rush, the Mallards will next make the trip to South Dakota for regular season games December 11 and 12. The Mallards will also meet two other West Division clubs- Alaska (twice) and Utah- next season. The Mallards will play four Eastern Conference foes: Kalamazoo (four times), Wheeling (thrice), Norfolk (once) and Toledo (once).
The Mallards will play 14 games in March, making that their busiest month, just ahead of November (13). They will play 11 times in both December and January, hit the ice ten times in February, start off the season with eight games in November and close out the campaign with five games in April, including a regular season-ending two-game home series against Cincinnati Friday, April 8 and Saturday, April 9.
The Mallards longest homestand will stretch for seven games from February 19 through March 5 and will be immediately followed by their longest road trip, a six-game sojourn between March 9 and March 19.
The Mallards will make their first ECHL east coast trip over Halloween weekend. The Mallards will visit the Norfolk Admirals, who are returning to the league after 15 years in the American Hockey League, on Friday, October 30 and the Wheeling Nailers the following evening.
Mallards 2015-16 season tickets are currently available and provide a significant savings off the walk-up ticket price along with a host of exclusive benefits. For more season ticket information, fans can contact the Mallards at 309-277-1364.
The Mallards play game six of their best-of-seven Central Division Semi-Final Kelly Cup playoff series with the Rush in Rapid City tomorrow night at 7:35 p.m. If the series goes to a seventh game, the Rush would host that contest Wednesday evening at 7:35 p.m.
HOME GAMES IN BOLD; ALL TIMES CENTRAL
