THIS WEEK
Wednesday, March 2, 6:35 p.m.
iWireless Center, Moline
Utah Grizzlies vs. Quad City Mallards

Friday, March 4, 7:05 p.m.
iWireless Center, Moline
Cincinnati Cyclones vs. Quad City Mallards

Saturday, February 5, 7:05 p.m.
iWireless Center, Moline
Wichita Thunder vs. Quad City Mallards

Quad City
25-23-5, 55 points
4th place, Midwest Division
Coach: Terry Ruskowski

Utah
30-21-4, 64 points
2nd place, West Division
Coach: Tim Branham

Cincinnati
29-20-6, 64 points
2nd place, Midwest Division
Coach: Matt MacDonald

Wichita
11-33-12, 34 points
4th place, Central Division
Coach: Kevin McClelland

LAST WEEK
Friday, February 26
Quad City 4 Rapid City 1

Saturday, February 27
Rapid City 5 Quad City 2

QUACK TRACKS
Splitsville
The Mallards fell to the Rapid City Rush 5-2 last Saturday after defeating Rapid City 4-1 one night earlier. That split was the Mallards’ third in the last three weekends: they fell in Tulsa Friday, February 12 before downing the Oilers in overtime one night later and defeated Cincinnati Friday, February 19 only to lose the rematch the following evening.

Race
The Mallards finished the weekend where they started it: in tenth place in the Western Conference, having briefly climbed to ninth after winning Friday. The Mallards are one point behind the ninth place Indy Fuel and five points behind the Colorado Eagles, who hold the eighth and final playoff spot in the conference. The Mallards have four games in hand on Indy and one game in hand on Colorado.

Home Sweet Home
The Mallards have gone 2-2-0 over the first four games of a seven-game homestand- their longest homestand of the season.

Finishing Kick
The Mallards matched a team season high for goals in one period by outscoring Rapid City 3-0 in the third period last Friday. They have now outscored the opposition 52-46 in the third this season. The third is the only period in which the Mallards have outscored their foes. Over the first two periods they have allowed 103 goals while scoring 86 times.

Shooting Gallery
The Mallards have outshot the opposition in six straight games and have gone 4-2-0 during that stretch.

Between the Pipes
Brody Hoffman has made nine straight starts in goal and has appeared in 15 of the Mallards’ last 17 games.

Leader of the Pack
Matt Carey has scored in each of the Mallards’ last three games, produced 17 points (nine goals and eight assists) in his last 13 games and scored a team-leading 17 goals in 30 games this season.

Rook
Matt Neal, who has six points (one goal and five assists) in his last six games, not only leads the Mallards in points (36) but is also tied for ninth among ECHL rookies in point-scoring.

Welcome Back
Olivier Archambault had a goal and an assist last weekend in his first two games after missing 14 games with an upper body injury.

O from D
Three of the Mallards’ top six point producers- Mike Monfredo (29), Guillaume Gelinas (27) and Austin Coldwell (24)- are defensemen. Monfredo is tied for fifth among ECHL defensemen in assists (24). Gelinas is now with the American Hockey League’s Iowa Wild.

Special Teams
The Mallards have given up seven goals on their opponents’ last 14 power plays. They now rank fourteenth in the ECHL in penalty killing (84.1) and are tied for eleventh on the power play (17.2 percent).

Head to Head
Wednesday’s game is the Mallards’ ever meeting with Utah…The Mallards have gone 3-2-1 against the Cyclones this season and have gone 2-1-0 against Cincinnati on home ice. They have gone 3-4-1 all-time against the Cyclones and 2-3-0 at home. The Mallards and Cyclones will meet 11 times…The Mallards have gone 3-0-1 against the Thunder this season and have gone 2-0-0 against Wichita at the iWireless Center. The clubs will clash a total of seven times. The Mallards have gone 16-17-2 all-time against Wichita and have gone 9-8-1 at home.

Milestones
Darren McMillan has played three hundred ninety-six career games for the Mallards.

Ins and Outs
Jake Baker was released from a professional tryout agreement by Manitoba (AHL) today after signing a P.T.O. with Manitoba Saturday…P.J. Musico was released from a professional tryout agreement by Chicago (AHL) today after signing a P.T.O. with Chicago Saturday…Jake Reed was released today after signing with the Mallards as an emergency backup goaltender Saturday…Olivier Archambault returned to the Mallard lineup last Friday after missing 14 games (upper body)…Miles Koules was traded to Wichita last Friday in exchange for future considerations…Tanner Eberle (upper body) was placed on 21-day injured reserve retroactive to February 5. He has missed eight games.


UPCOMING HOME GAMES
Wednesday, March 2, 6:35 p.m.- Mallards vs. Utah Grizzlies
Final Wednesday Early Start
For the final time this season the Mallards’ game on Wednesday night will face off at 6:35 p.m.

Friday, March 4, 7:05 p.m.- Mallards vs. Cincinnati Cyclones
$1 Dog/$1 Beer Friday presented by 97X
Fans again this season can enjoy $1 hot dogs and beers from iWireless Center concession stands during all Friday home games. 

MetroLINK College Night
The Mallards have once again 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 5, 7:05 p.m.- Mallards vs. Wichita Thunder
Star Wars Night
The Force will no doubt be with the Mallards Saturday night, an evening that will see the Flock will wear Star Wars-themed jerseys. After the game the jerseys will be auctioned off to benefit the Genesis Health Services Foundation.

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 coach Terry Ruskowski and 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.com 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.

Playoff Push Pricing
The Mallards have instituted reduced “Playoff Push” pricing for prime sections and made additional $10 tickets available for all remaining home games. Fans can now purchase seats in four center ice sections- 103, 104, 114 and 115- for just $24- down from $28- or get four tickets in those areas for the family-friendly price of $80. The Mallards have also increased the number $10 upper level tickets available for the remainder of the regular season.

Group Tickets
Groups of at least ten 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.com.