Mallards Almost Ready to Come Home

January 5, 2004 - International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Quad City Mallards News Release


Moline, IL – The Quad City Mallards went 3-1-0 last week in the first four games of their current six-game road swing, part of a stretch of 15 games with 13 of them played away from The MARK of the Quad Cities. All that comes to an end this weekend, when the Mallards host Fairfield Inn Patrick Nadeau Bobblehead Night vs. Missouri on Saturday, Jan. 10, at 7:00 p.m., and Iowa Wireless Family Fun-Day Sunday with Scooby Doo & Shaggy vs. Rockford on Jan. 11 at 4:00 p.m.

LAST WEEK (3-1-0):

· Wednesday, Dec. 31 – Quad City Mallards 4, (at) Elmira Jackals 2

· Friday, Jan. 2 – Quad City Mallards 7, (at) Adirondack IceHawks 4

· Saturday, Jan. 3 – Quad City Mallards 4, (at) Adirondack IceHawks 3 (shootout)

· Sunday, Jan. 4 – (at) Port Huron Beacons 5, Quad City Mallards 1

THIS WEEK (All times Central):

· Wednesday, Jan. 7 – 6:00 p.m. – Quad City Mallards at Columbus Stars

· Friday, Jan. 9 – 7:00 p.m. – Quad City Mallards at Fort Wayne Komets

· Fairfield Inn Patrick Nadeau Bobblehead Night

Saturday, Jan. 10 – 7:00 p.m. – Missouri River Otters at Quad City Mallards

· Iowa Wireless Family Fun-Day Sunday with Scooby Doo & Shaggy

Sunday, Jan. 11 – 4:00 p.m. – Rockford IceHogs at Quad City Mallards

Fairfield Inn Patrick Nadeau Bobblehead Night

This Saturday, Jan. 10, when the Mallards play host to the Missouri River Otters at 7:00 p.m., the first 4,000 fans in attendance at The MARK of the Quad Cities will each receive a free Patrick Nadeau bobblehead doll, courtesy of Fairfield Inn.

Family Fun-Day Scooby Shaggy Sunday

The Mallards welcome Scooby Doo and Shaggy to The MARK for the next Iowa Wireless Family Fun-Day Sunday, Jan. 11, when they host the Rockford IceHogs at 4:00 p.m. Doors open at 1:30 p.m. for the family favorite film "Freaky Friday" on the big screen. There's open skating from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. The first 2,500 kids 15 and under will receive a free Mallards poster, courtesy of Grand Harbor Resort and Waterpark. Scooby and Shaggy will make a special appearance at the game and be available to meet their fans. Tickets are available at The MARK box office, at all Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at (563) 326-1111, and online here. For more information, call the Mallards at (309) 764-PUCK.

Standings

At 17-11-2 (.600), with 36 points, the Mallards are in third place in the Western Conference, 12 points behind the first-place Muskegon Fury (23-9-2, 48 points), with four games in hand. Quad City is four points behind second-place Fort Wayne (19-11-2, 40 points), with two games in hand. The Mallards are four points ahead of last season's pace, when through 30 games, they were 14-12-4 (.533), with 32 points.

Personnel

· D Matt Libby assigned from Portland Pirates (AHL), a Mallards affiliate (effective 1/2)

· C Charlie Stephens recalled by Hershey Bears (AHL), a Mallards affiliate (effective 12/29)

· D Kerry Toporowski remains on 14-day injured reserve (effective 12/21)

· RW Steve Gibson remains on 10-day injured reserve (effective 12/14)

· C Lanny Gare remains on recall to Hershey Bears (AHL), a Mallards affiliate (effective 12/15)

· LW Rob Voltera remains on recall to Hershey Bears (AHL), a Mallards affiliate (effective 12/2)

· D Louis Robitaille remains on recall to Portland Pirates (AHL), a Mallards affiliate (effective 10/28)

Team Leaders (UHL Ranking)

Goals 20 RW Jason Sessa (tied for fourth)

Assists 18 Terry Hollinger

Points 29 RW Jason Sessa

Plus/Minus +8 RW Steve Gibson

Penalty Min. 70 Freddy Jobin

PP Goals 6 C Martin Hlinka, RW Jason Sessa, C Jeff Williams

GW Goals 4 RW Jason Sessa (tied for third)

SH Goals 3 RW Jason Sessa (tied for second)

Shots on Goal 102 RW Jason Sessa

Shooting Pct. .203 C Martin Hlinka

Wins 13 G Jeff Reynaert (tied for fourth)

Goals Against 2.77 G Jeff Reynaert (fifth)

Save Pct. .915 G Jeff Reynaert (second)

Future Home Games

· Saturday, Jan. 17, 7:00 p.m. vs. Flint Generals – Meet baseball great Tommy John

· Saturday, Jan. 24, 7:00 p.m. vs. Muskegon Fury – Salute to Heroes Night

· Sunday, Jan. 25, 4:00 p.m. vs. Port Huron Beacons – Iowa Wireless Family Fun-Day Sunday

· Wednesday, Jan. 28, 7:00 p.m. vs. Kalamazoo Wings

· Friday, Jan. 30, 7:00 p.m. vs. Rockford IceHogs

Four Mallards Are All-Stars

Defensemen Tom Menicci and forwards Martin Hlinka, Jason Sessa, and Jeff Williams were all selected to play for the Western Conference team in the Comcast UHL All-Star Classic, Sunday, Jan. 18, at Fort Wayne. Fans select the starters with online voting at www.theuhl.com, or a direct link from www.qcmallards.com. Online voting ends on Monday, Jan. 12, with the starters to be announced on Wednesday, Jan. 14.

Last Week's Games

Wednesday, Dec. 31 – Mallards 4, Elmira Jackals 2

In a fast-paced game, G Jeff Reynaert made a Mallards season-high 41 saves and was named the first star of the game. RW Jason Sessa scored his team-leading 17th goal of the season 5:38 into the second period to tie the game 1-1. C Jon Francisco one-timed a feed from D Dylan Mills for a 2-1 lead in the second. James Sheehan tied the contest with a power play goal early in the third. On the only Mallards power play of the game, C Patrick Nadeau picked up a rebound of a shot by C Jason Goulet and scored the game-winner with 7:45 remaining. C Martin Hlinka added an empty-net goal in the final seconds.

Friday, Jan. 2 – Mallards 7, (at) Adirondack IceHawks 4

C Martin Hlinka scored his second hat trick of the season. He poked in a rebound from the crease to open the scoring. On a five-minute power play late in the first period, C Jeff Williams and RW Jason Sessa both scored to give the Mallards a 3-1 edge. Sessa scored again early in the second to make it 4-1. With the score 4-2, rookie F Drew Otten forced his way in front of the net to score the game-winner for a 5-2 lead. Early in the third, Hlinka faked G Lance Leslie out of position and roofed his shot to make it 6-3. He scored his third goal shorthanded after making a steal in the IceHawks zone with 8:51. D Andy Fermoyle had three assists, tying a team season-high. Otten added two assists. D Dylan Mills had a team season-high +4 plus/minus rating.

Saturday, Jan. 3 – Mallards 4, (at) Adirondack IceHawks 3 (shootout)

C Jason Sessa and C Jeff Williams both scored shorthanded on the same Adirondack power play overlapping the first and second periods to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead. C Jon Francisco chipped in a power play rebound just before the second period ended for a 3-1 advantage. But the IceHawks rallied with goals by Frank Littlejohn and Hugo Belanger in a 19-second span early in the third. In the shootout, Quad City G Jeff Reynaert (20 saves) stopped 3-of-4 Adirondack attempts, while Francisco, Patrick Nadeau, and Williams scored for the Mallards. Quad City had 44 shots on goal in regulation, while tying a team season-low by holding the IceHawks to 23 shots.

Sunday, Jan. 4 – (at) Port Huron Beacons 5, Mallards 1

The Beacons scored three goals in the first 11:14 of the game. The Mallards countered on a late first-period power play. Jason Cannon fed the puck on the right wing to C Jon Francisco, who blasted home a shot for his fifth goal in the last six games. D Terry Hollinger also assisted. There was no scoring in the second period, though C Martin Hlinka got behind the defense on a breakaway and rang a shot off the crossbar. The Beacons added two more goals in the third period, as the Mallards compiled a season-worst –25 plus/minus rating. G Masahito Haruna (31 saves) dropped his third straight decision.

This Week's Games (All times Central)

Wednesday, Jan. 7, 6:00 p.m. – Quad City Mallards at Columbus Stars

The Stars (19-10-4) have climbed to the top of the Eastern Conference standings by winning seven of their last ten games. Leading scorer LW Nick Bootland (20g, 17a, 37pts) has scored ten goals in the last seven games, including a four-goal game and a hat trick against second-place Richmond. G Greg Hewitt (13-6-3, 2.43 GAA, .914) returned over the weekend from his nearly two-week callup to the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals. The Stars are is 13-4-3 at home and defeated the Mallards 3-1 on Dec. 17 at Columbus. The Mallards will host back-to-back matchups on March 12 and 13. The Stars have drawn 21 major penalties this season, the fewest in the UHL.

UHL All-Stars: G Greg Hewitt, D Jasmin Gelinas, C Evan Cheverie, LW Nick Bootland

Friday, Jan. 9, 7:00 p.m. – Quad City Mallards at Fort Wayne Komets

The Komets (19-11-2 pending Wednesday's game at Rockford) stayed four points ahead of the Mallards for second place in the Western Conference by matching Quad City's 3-1-0 record last week. Fort Wayne has gone 16-5-1 (.750) since Nov. 19. G Kevin St. Pierre has gotten the decision in all but two of those 22 games and has started the last nine home games. He leads the UHL with a 2.29 goals against average. RW Kevin Kotyluk leads the league with 37 minor penalties. D Kelly Perrault is tops among defensemen with 11 goals, 6 power play goals, 20 power play points, and 125 shots on goal. C Colin Chaulk and RW David-Alexandre Beauregard both enter the week with seven-game point-scoring streaks.

UHL All-Stars: G Kevin St. Pierre, D Kelly Perrault, C Colin Chaulk

Fairfield Inn Patrick Nadeau Bobblehead Night

Saturday, Jan. 10, 7:00 p.m. – Missouri River Otters at Quad City Mallards

The River Otters (8-21-6 pending Friday's game at Muskegon) are 1-4-0 in their last five games, allowing an average of five goals per contest. LW Jeff Petruic leads the team with 17 goals and 32 points. Over the last 12 games, he has scored 15 points, on nine goals and six assists. F Chris Bell has been a valuable trade acquisition, with eight points (4g, 4a) since coming from the Rockford IceHogs in exchange for D Anthony Cappelletti. This matchup is the last of six straight road games before the River Otters begin a five-game homestand.

UHL All-Stars: D Ryan Gillis, LW Jesse Heerema, LW Charlie Blyth

Iowa Wireless Family Fun-Day Sunday with Scooby Doo & Shaggy

Saturday, Jan. 11, 4:00 p.m. – Rockford IceHogs at Quad City Mallards

The IceHogs (12-18-2 pending games Wednesday vs. Fort Wayne, Friday at Kalamazoo, Saturday at Fort Wayne) are 5-9-1 (.367) since Dec. 5. They have lost second-leading scorer RW Jeff Johnstone (7g, 14a, 21pts) to retirement after he took a job in law enforcement, and C Chris Paradise (6g, 6a, 12pts in 17 games) for the season due to injury. C Donnie Margettie leads Rockford with 16 assists and 23 points, while C Steve Cygan is the top goal-scorer with 11. After a slow start following last year's UHL Rookie of the Year performance, Cygan has heated up, with 13 points (7g, 6a) in the last 13 games. G Ronnie Vogel has struggled over his last six games (2-4-0, 5.34 GAA, .862 Sv%).

UHL All-Stars: C Steve Cygan, LW Kelly Miller

Road Hat Trick

The hats will be flying at the Mallards' home game this Saturday, after C Martin Hlinka scored his second hat trick of the season in last Friday's 7-4 win at Adirondack. A scoring change credits Hlinka with the first goal of the game. He poked in a rebound from the crease for a score originally attributed to rookie Jason Cannon. The Mallards have three three-goal games this season, the other scored by RW Jason Sessa.

American Hockey League Update

C Charlie Stephens earned three assists for Hershey in Friday's 4-2 win over Hartford and added another in the Bears' 3-1 loss to Bridgeport on Sunday. Here are the stats of the four 2003-04 Mallards players currently on callups to AHL affiliates:

GP G A PTS +- SHOTS PIM

Lanny Gare Hershey 9 0 1 1 -6 9 6

Charlie Stephens Hershey 25 4 9 13 -2 49 15

Rob Voltera Hershey 19 1 1 2 -5 17 24

Louis Robitaille Portland 26 0 2 2 +3 26 41

Former Mallard Jason Ulmer scored the game-winning goal in Portland's 4-0 New Year's Eve win over Worcester. Ulmer is tied for second in assists and tied for third in total points for the Pirates. The stats of ex-Mallards in the AHL:

GP G A PTS +- SHOTS PIM

Brendan Buckley Wilkes-Barre 36 2 4 6 +2 28 57

Jason Ulmer Portland 35 3 12 15 -6 66 6

Cam Severson Cincinnati 32 6 3 9 -1 59 129

Duck Tales

· After the Mallards complete their six-game road swing on Friday, they will have played 20 of their first 30 games on the road. They have 28 of their final 44 games at The MARK of the Quad Cities.

· Quad City is second in the UHL with 12 road victories this season. The Mallards are 12-7-1 in away games despite being outscored 63-61.

Webbed Feats

· The Mallards have scored at least one power play goal in six straight games.

· RW Jason Sessa had a five-game goal-scoring streak snapped on Sunday.

· With 20 goals in Quad City's first 30 games, RW Jason Sessa is on pace to score 51 goals this season. That would rank as the third highest single-season total in Mallards history.

· The Mallards are tied for third in the UHL in scoring (3.37 goals per game) and rank second in shots on goal (32.7 per game).

Milestone Watch (regular season play)

· G Jeff Reynaert's win on Sunday moved him past Martin Fillion for fourth most in team history with 28.

· C Patrick Nadeau is tied with Rick Emmett for fourth place in franchise history with 264 games played. He is two goals away from becoming the fifth Mallard to score 100. Nadeau needs one assist to tie Mark McFarlane for fifth place in team history with 137.

· D Freddy Jobin is tied with Carl LeBlanc for ninth in team history with 208 games played. On Sunday, he became the eighth Mallard ever with 500 shots on goal.

· D Kerry Toporowski is 17 penalty minutes away from passing Kevin Holliday for seventh place in UHL history. Topper already holds the all-time Mallards franchise record with 1,338 PIM.

Player of the Week

RW Jason Sessa is the Mallards' nominee for Sher-Wood UHL Player of the Week. He had a goal and an assist in Wednesday's 4-2 win at Elmira, added two goals in Friday's 7-4 win at Adirondack, and scored a goal in Saturday's 4-3 shootout win at Adirondack, before having his five-game goal-scoring snapped when he was held scoreless in Sunday's 5-1 loss at Port Huron. For the week, Sessa tallied five points, on four goals and an assist, in four games.

Goaltender of the Week

G Jeff Reynaert is the Mallards' nominee for UHL Goaltender of the Week. He made a season-high 41 saves in Wednesday's 4-2 win at Elmira, and stopped 20 shots each in two wins at Adirondack, 7-4 on Friday at 4-3 on Saturday. For the week, Reynaert was 3-0-0 with a 3.00 goals against average and a .900 save percentage.

Player of the Month

RW Martin Hlinka is the Mallards' nominee for Sher-Wood UHL Player of the Month for December. He scored 12 points, on four goals and eight assists, in 12 games, while compiling a +3 plus/minus rating. He had a three-point game (one goal, two assists) in the 6-5 shootout loss to Kalamazoo on Dec. 28.

Goaltender of the Month

G Jeff Reynaert is the Mallards' nominee for UHL Goaltender of the Month for December. He was 5-2-1 in eight games, including his first shutout of the season, 3-0 at Port Huron on Dec. 13. He finished the month with a 2.51 goals against average and a .921 save percentage.

Tickets on sale now!

Tickets for all Mallards home games are available at The MARK of the Quad Cities box office, at all Ticketmaster locations, by phone at (563) 326-1111, and online by following the Tickets link at www.qcmallards.com.

Duck Talk

Scheduled guests on the next Duck Talk, Monday, Jan. 12, are Patrick Nadeau, Martin Hlinka, and Jeff Williams. The weekly radio show is at the Black Bear Lounge, inside The Lodge Hotel, on Utica Ridge Rd. at Spruce Hills Dr. in Bettendorf. Meet the players, get autographs, and ask questions they and Coach Paul Gillis will answer on the live broadcast. Duck Talk airs live on Fox Sports Radio 1230 (WFXN-AM) and on www.qcmallards.com.

On The Air

Hear all Mallards games live on Fox Sports Radio 1230 (WFXN-AM), beginning with the Pre-Game Show 30 minutes before the opening face-off. The live broadcast concludes with the Allstate Insurance Post-Game Show, presented by the Polly McDowell and Del Newton agencies, featuring play-by-play highlights including the Allstate Good Hands Play of the Game. The broadcasts can also be heard through the Mallards web site, www.qcmallards.com.



International Hockey League 2 Stories from January 5, 2004


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