Bloomington Downs Mallards 5-2

Published on December 16, 2009 under International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Quad City Mallards News Release


Bloomington, Ill. (December 16, 2009) - The Quad City Mallards, proud International Hockey League (IHL) affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, Wednesday night fell to the host Bloomington PrairieThunder 5-2 as Travis Banga scored a pair of goals for the Thunder.

Banga scored his second at a key juncture- just 49 seconds into third period and just 31 seconds after the Mallards' Patrick Levesque scored in a goalmouth scramble to cut what at one point had been a 3-0 Bloomington lead to 3-2. Banga steered the puck home from the doorstep to stretch the lead to 4-2. Bloominton's Brett Holmberg capped off the win by scoring an empty net goal with just over a minute left in the game.

The Flock's comeback bid started with Quad City up a man when Chris Lipsett buried Justin White's centering pass to get the Mallards on the scoreboard for the first time with just one minute and eighteen seconds left in the second period.

The Mallards found themselves in need of a rally after the PrairieThunder produced the game's first three goals. Bloomington grabbed a 1-0 lead at 6:30 of the first period when Banga pounced on a loose puck on the doorstep.

At 3:47 of the second period the Thunder doubled the lead when a rebound bounced into the net off Jon Booras's skate. Bloomington was on the power play when Bill Bagron stretched the gap to 3-0 by sweeping the puck home from the high slot at 15:14 of the second.

The Mallards will visit Fort Wayne Friday night before returning home to take on the Komets Saturday evening at 7:05 p.m. The first 500 fans ages 12-and under through the doors for Saturday's game will receive free Webkinz plush collectibles.

Tickets for Saturday's game and all remaining regular season Mallards home games are available at the i wireless Center box office, Ticketmaster outlets and www.ticketmaster.com or through Ticketmaster charge-by-phone toll free at 1-800-745-3000. The box office is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and on game days from 10:00 a.m. through the end of the second period.

About the Quad City Mallards The Quad City Mallards are the proud International Hockey League (IHL) affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers. The Mallards, the first-ever team in the history of professional hockey to offer a fan experience like no other, including locker room tickets, play a 76-game schedule (38 home/38 away) in the team's inaugural 2009-10 season. All Mallards home games are played at the i wireless Center. The Mallards competed in the United Hockey League (UHL) from 1995 through 2007. In those seasons, the team was one of the most dominant teams in the league, capturing the Colonial Cup Championship three times (1997, 1998, 2001) and securing the Tarry Cup four times (1998, 2000, 2001, 2002) for the best overall regular season record. In 2001, the QC Mallards made professional hockey history, recording their sixth consecutive season with 50 or more wins, a feat which has yet to be matched. The team advanced to the postseason every season in existence. For more information on the Quad City Mallards or to get your tickets for unprecedented family fun at affordable prices, fans should visit www.MyQCMallards.com.

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International Hockey League 2 Stories from December 16, 2009


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