THIS WEEK
Friday, March 18, 7:00 p.m.
Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne
Quad City Mallards vs. Fort Wayne Komets

Saturday, March 19, 6:30 p.m.
Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne
Quad City Mallards vs. Fort Wayne Komets

Sunday, March 20, 4:05 p.m.
iWireless Center, Moline
Indy Fuel vs. Quad City Mallards

Quad City
29-25-6, 64 points
3rd place, Midwest Division
Coach: Terry Ruskowski

Fort Wayne
34-19-7, 75 points
1st place, Midwest Division
Coach: Gary Graham

Indy
28-31-3, 59 points
4th place, Midwest Division
Coach: Bernie John

LAST WEEK
Wednesday, March 9
Quad City 5 Evansville 4

Friday, March 11
Cincinnati 3 Quad City 1

Saturday, March 12
Quad City 3 Cincinnati 2

Sunday, March 13
Quad City 4 Evansville 1

QUACK TRACKS
On the Road Again
The Mallards went 3-1-0 while playing four road games in the last five nights. They finished the weekend with back-to-back victories- in Cincinnati Saturday evening and in Evansville last night- and have now won five of their last six road games.

Race
The Mallards moved into eighth place in the Western Conference and opened a three point lead over the Tulsa Oilers in the race for final playoff spot in the conference by winning Saturday night and yesterday evening.

Busy
The Mallards over the weekend played three times in three nights for the seventh time this season. With last night’s win they improved to 4-2-1 when playing for the third time in three days. The Mallards this coming weekend will play three games in 48 hours for the final time this season.

Fond Farewell
The Mallards went 5-0-0 in Evansville this season and scored 23 goals in those five games. Yesterday’s win was the Mallards’ final Ford Center visit of the campaign.

Splitsville
The Mallards earned a split of their two-game weekend series in Cincinnati. The Mallards rebounded from Friday night’s 3-1 loss by defeating the Cyclones 3-2 Saturday evening.

Division
The Mallards last Wednesday in Evansville began a stretch of eight straight games against division opponents. They have gone 3-1-0 over the first four games of that run and have now gone 13-13-1 against division foes this season.

Undermanned
The Mallards dressed just 15 skaters instead of the standard 16 for both of their games in Cincinnati last weekend.

Early Bird
Olivier Archambault last Friday night in Cincinnati scored the Mallards’ earliest goal of the season when he found the net just 46 seconds into the first period.

Trifecta
The Mallards matched a season high by scoring three first period goals last Friday night in Cincinnati.

Between the Pipes
P.J. Musico posted back-to-back wins Saturday night and yesterday evening and is unbeaten in regulation (3-0-1) in four games since joining the Mallards in a trade with Greenville last month. Musico stopped 28 Cincinnati shots Saturday evening and made a further 33 saves last night in Evansville.

Leader of the Pack
By scoring the clinching empty netter late in the third period of last night’s victory in Evansville, Matt Carey became the first Mallard to reach the 20-goal plateau this season. Carey is also the only Mallard currently averaging a point per game. He has recorded 37 points in 37 games. Carey last Wednesday in Evansville scored the Mallards’ fourth shorthanded goal in as many games on a penalty shot.

Arch Madness
Olivier Archambault has scored six goals in his last eight games and totaled ten points (six goals and four assists) in his last nine games.

Warning Sign
Sam Warning last Saturday night in Cincinnati scored twice in the same game for the third time this season.

Rook
Matt Neal leads the Mallards in points (42) and assists (26) and is tied for ninth among ECHL rookies in points.

Breakthrough
Tanner Eberle last night scored his first goal since November 20, ending an 18-game drought. Last Wednesday night’s third period game winner in Evansville was Zach Pochiro’s first goal since December 6. Pochiro endured a 12-game goalless streak before that strike. Pochiro added another third period goal last night in Evansville.

Double Dip
Rookie Kevin Gibson picked up two assists last night- his first career multiple point game.

Welcome to the Show
Goaltender Steve Michalek, who started the season with the Mallards, was recalled by the National Hockey League’s Minnesota Wild from the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League last Thursday under emergency conditions and served as backup netminder in Minnesota’s game against the Edmonton Oilers Thursday evening. Michalek returned to Iowa last Friday. Thursday’s recall was Michalek’s first NHL call-up.

Special Teams
The Mallards went 12-for-12 on the penalty kill in their three games last weekend. The Mallards rank twelfth in the ECHL in penalty killing (84.7 percent) and sixteenth on the power play (16.3 percent).
 
Milestones
Mike Monfredo has played 262 career games for the Mallards and is closing in on Rick Emmett (264) and eighth place in team history…Vladimir Nikiforov has 294 career points.

Head to Head
The Mallards have gone 2-2-0 over the first four games of their seven-game season series with the Komets. The Mallards dropped the only prior meeting between the two teams in Fort Wayne 3-1 on February 6. All-time, the Mallards have gone 47-49-11 against Fort Wayne. The ECHL is the fourth different league in which the two teams have clashed. They previously competed against each other in the United, International and Central Leagues…The Mallards have gone 2-6-0 against the Fuel this season and 2-1-0 on home ice. The Mallards and Fuel will clash a total of ten times this year.

Ins and Outs
Jake Baker returned to the Mallards yesterday after signing a professional tryout agreement with Manitoba (AHL) last Friday. Baker had returned to the Mallards’ lineup last Wednesday night in Evansville after missing the Mallards’ March 5 game against Wichita (upper body)…Raphael Bussieres (upper body) has missed the Mallards’ last four games…Tanner Eberle (upper body) was activated from 21-day injured reserve last Wednesday and returned to the lineup last Wednesday night in Evansville after missing the Mallards’ prior 11 games.

NEXT HOME GAME
Sunday, March 20, 4:05 p.m.- Mallards vs. Indy Fuel
WQAD News 8 Mallards Youth Replica Jersey Giveaway
The first 1,000 fans ages 12 and under through the doors will receive free Mallards youth replica jerseys courtesy of WQAD News 8.

Skate with the Mallards presented by B100
Fans can join the Mallards on the ice after all Sunday home games this 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 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.