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Mallards Weekly Update: February 20, 2017

February 20, 2017 - ECHL (ECHL)
Quad City Mallards News Release


MALLARDS WEEKLY UPDATE: FEBRUARY 20, 2017

THIS WEEK

Wednesday, February 22, 6:30 p.m.

Allen County War Memorial Coliseum

Quad City Mallards vs. Fort Wayne Komets

Friday, February 24, 7:05 p.m.

iWireless Center

Kalamazoo Wings vs. Quad City Mallards

Saturday, February 25, 6:00 p.m.

Wings Event Center

Quad City Mallards vs. Kalamazoo Wings

Sunday, February 26, 4:05 p.m.

iWireless Center

Wichita Thunder vs. Quad City Mallards

Quad City

29-20-2, 60 points

3rd place, Central Division

Coach: Phil Axtell

Fort Wayne

30-15-6, 66 points

2nd place, Central Division

Coach: Gary Graham

Kalamazoo

24-24-4, 52 points

5th place, Central Division

Coach: Nick Bootland

Wichita

15-30-4, 34 points

6th place, Central Division

Coach: Malcolm Cameron

LAST WEEK

Wednesday, February 15

Quad City 3 Cincinnati 2

Grant Arnold scored what proved to be the game winning goal and added an assist as the Mallards defeated the host Cincinnati Cyclones 3-2.

Friday, February 17

Cincinnati 2 Quad City 1

Nick Huard broke a 1-1 tie with 1:24 left in regulation and the Cincinnati Cyclones went on to defeat the host Mallards 2-1.

Saturday, February 18

Missouri 2 Quad City 1

The Missouri Mavericks got first period goals from Dane Fox and Andrew Courtney and held off the Mallards the rest of the way to claim a 2-1 victory.

QUACK TRACKS

Double Dip

The Mallards dropped back-to-games last weekend after winning their prior eight games.

Central

The third-place Mallards are six points behind the second-place Fort Wayne Komets and five points ahead of the fourth-place Tulsa Oilers in the Central Division. The Mallards will play their next six games against division opponents.

Tight

The Mallards have played five straight one-goal games (3-2-0). The Mallards have gone 18-8-2 in one goal games this season and lead the ECHL in one-goal victories.

Streak

Friday's loss to Cincinnati snapped the Mallards' eight-game winning streak. That streak was the Mallards' longest since they ripped off ten consecutive United Hockey League victories between March 20 and April 10, 2004. It is also tied for the third longest winning streak in the ECHL this season. Friday's defeat was the Mallards' first since they fell 5-2 to the Nailers in Wheeling on January 27.

Unbeaten

The winning streak that ended Friday was also the Mallards' longest regulation unbeaten streak since they went 5-0-4 over nine games between November 6 and November 23, 2014.

Axtell

The Mallards have gone 10-4-0 in 14 games since Phil Axtell took over as head coach on January 20.

Busy

The Mallards play four games in five days beginning Wednesday. Sunday's game against Wichita will be the Mallards' tenth game in 17 days.

For Openers

The Mallards allowed the first goal Saturday against Missouri after scoring first in their prior 13 games. They took a 2-0 lead in nine straight games before Cincinnati bounced back from a 1-0 deficit to tie the score Wednesday.

First

The Mallards were outscored by the Mavericks 2-0 in the first period Saturday after outscoring foes 11-2 in the first period over their prior six games and 20-4 over their previous nine games.

On the Road

Saturday's loss at Missouri ended the Mallards' four-game road winning streak. That streak matched the Mallards' longest away winning streak of the season. The Mallards first won four straight games on the road between December 9 and December 18. Saturday's setback was the Mallards first away from home since the January 27 loss in Wheeling.

Home Sweet Home

Friday's loss to Cincinnati ended the Mallards' five-game home winning streak. That defeat was the Mallards' first on home ice since a 5-3 loss to Tulsa on January 16. That home win streak was the Mallards' longest since they rolled to eight consecutive iWireless Center victories between November 6 and November 29, 2015.

Red Light District

The Mallards have scored just once in each of their last two games. The Mallards have allowed only two goals in each of their last three games and in four of their last five. The Mallards are tied for seventh in the ECHL in goals allowed (3.0 per game) and rank nineteenth in goals scored per game (3.1).

Short

The Mallards have dressed fewer than the standard 16 skaters in each of their last three games due to injuries and call-ups. The Mallards had only 14 skaters in uniform Saturday in Independence after Justin Kovacs suffered and upper body injury Friday against Cincinnati.

Parks and Wreck

Michael Parks has recorded 18 points (eight goals and ten assists) in his last 16 games. Parks leads the Mallards and ranks third among ECHL rookies in goals (21).

Captain

Chris Francis became the first player to reach 40 points with the Mallards this season by picking up an assist Wednesday. With another assist Friday, Francis lifted his team-leading point total to 41 and has now collected 15 points (seven goals and eight assists) in his last ten games and 18 points (nine goals and nine assists) in his last 12 games.

On the Plus Side

Kevin Gibson is tied for second in the ECHL in plus/minus rating (plus-29).

Between the Pipes

C.J. Motte is tied for second in the ECHL in save percentage (.919), ranks third in goals against average (2.50) and is tied for tenth in wins (15). Friday's loss ended Adam Vay's team season-best seven-game winning streak.

Milestones

Mike Wilson has 198 career regular season assists...Brady Brassart has played 198 career games...Chris Francis has scored 94 career ECHL goals

Power Play

The Mallards have failed to convert their last 13 man advantages. The Mallards rank twenty-fifth in the ECHL on the power play (12.5 percent).

Penalty Kill

The Mallards have killed off their opponents' last six power plays. The Mallards rank nineteenth in the league penalty killing (80.6 percent).

Head-to-Head

The Mallards have gone 2-6-0 against the Komets this season. They have gone 1-3-0 in four games at War Memorial Coliseum. The two clubs will meet a total of 12 times. All-time, the Mallards have gone 52-55-11 against Fort Wayne... The Mallards and Wings are midway through their eight-game season series. The Mallards have gone 3-0-1 against Kalamazoo this season and have posted a 1-0-1 home record against the Wings. The Mallards have gone 5-2-1 overall against Kalamazoo and 3-1-1 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 open a four-game season series with the Thunder on Sunday. The Mallards went 4-1-2 against Wichita last season and were unbeaten in three games (2-0-1) at home against the Thunder. The Mallards have gone 17-18-3 all-time against Wichita and have gone 9-8-2 against Thunder in Moline.

Ins and Outs

Forward Justin Kovacs (upper body injury) missed Saturday's game against Missouri...Forward Alex Petan signed a professional tryout agreement with Cleveland (AHL) Tuesday...Defenseman Alex Gudbranson was reassigned to Toronto (AHL) by Minnesota (NHL) Tuesday... Forward Pavel Jenys has missed the Mallards' last six games (upper body injury)...Defenseman Mike Wilson has missed the Mallards' last 29 games (upper body injury).

UPCOMING HOME GAMES

Friday, February 24, 7:05 p.m.- Mallards vs. Kalamazoo Wings

WHBF Local 4 News Mallards Koozie Giveaway

The first 1,000 fans to arrive will receive free Mallards drink koozies courtesy of Local 4 News.

$2 Dogs/$2 Beers presented by 97X

Fans can enjoy $2 hot dogs and beers from iWireless 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.

Sunday, February 26, 4:05 p.m.- Mallards vs. Wichita Thunder

WQAD News 8/Scott County Family YMCA Youth Jersey Giveaway

The Mallards will team with WQAD News 8 and Scott County Family YMCA to provide free Mallards youth replica jerseys for the first 1,000 fans ages 12 and under through the doors.

Skate with the Mallards

Bring your skates and join the Mallards on the ice after the game.

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 Sunday's game against Wichita- 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 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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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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