Mallards Game Day

November 19, 2016 - ECHL (ECHL)
Quad City Mallards News Release


MALLARDS GAME DAY

QUAD CITY MALLARDS VS. WHEELING NAILERS

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 7:05 CT

IWIRELESS CENTER

QUAD CITY

7-4-1, 15 points

4th place, Central Division

Coach: Terry Ruskowski

WHEELING

7-4-1, 15 points

tied 3rd place, North Division

Coach: Jeff Christian

WATCH: ECHL.TV

LISTEN: Fox Sports Radio 1230

Last Night

Trevor Cheek scored twice and added an assist as the host Fort Wayne Komets pulled away for a 5-1 victory with three straight third period goals after Michael Parks scored the lone Mallard goal 18 seconds into the third.

Grounded

Last night's loss halted the Mallards' four-game regulation unbeaten streak (3-0-1). Last night's defeat was just the Mallards' second regulation setback in their last ten games (7-2-1).

Busy

The Mallards tonight play the second of three games in three nights and the second of six in nine nights. The Mallards will play three times in three nights seven times this season.

Komet Crash

Three of the four regulation defeats the Mallards have suffered this season have come at the hands of the Komets. With last night's win third-place Fort Wayne stretched its lead to three points over the fourth-place Mallards in the Central Division standings. The Mallards have a game in hand on the Komets.

Tough Room

The Mallards are now just one point ahead of both the Wichita Thunder and Kalamazoo Wings, who are tied for fifth place in the Central Division. The Thunder- who have two games in hand on the Mallards- narrowed the gap by defeating the Alaska Aces last night while a loss to the Toledo Walleye last night cost the Wings a chance to overtake the Mallards. Five of the ten ECHL teams that have winning percentages of .625 or better are members of the Central Division- the Mallards (.625), Komets (.692), Thunder (.700), Toledo Walleye (.786) and Tulsa Oilers (.688).

Central

Last night's loss ended the Mallards' four-game winning streak against division opponents. On the season, the Mallards have gone 4-3-0 against other Central Division clubs.

First Strike Capability

The Mallards have won each of the last six times they have scored first.

Home Sweet Home

The Mallards have gone unbeaten in regulation (3-0-1) in four home games since dropping their season opener on home ice to Fort Wayne on October 14.

On the Road

Two of the Mallards' three road losses this season have come in Fort Wayne.

Stingy

The Mallards last night gave up more than four goals in a game for just the second time this season and for the first time since they dropped their season opener to Fort Wayne 6-2 on October 14. The Mallards now rank fourth in the ECHL in goals against (2.6 per game). The Mallards allowed five goals in three periods last night after surrendering a total of five non-shootout goals over their prior three games combined.

Red Light District

The Mallards now rank twenty-second in the league in goals per game. The Mallards score 2.4 times per outing, the lowest average for any ECHL club with a winning record. The Mallards matched a team single game season low by scoring just once last night. The Mallards have failed to score in the first two periods of each of their last two games- last night's loss and last Saturday's 2-1 win in Kalamazoo.

Rubber

The Mallards last night set a team single period season high by allowing 20 shots in the first. The Mallards rank ninth in the ECHL in shots against (29.5 per game) and rank twentieth in shots taken (29.8).

First

Parks last night scored his first career goal upon returning to action after a lower body injury kept him out of the Mallards' prior five games and eight of their previous nine. Parks' goal 18 seconds into the third period was the earliest goal in any period the Mallards have scored this season.

Between the Pipes

Adam Vay last night stopped 34 shots while suffering the loss in his first appearance since returning to the Mallards from the American Hockey League's Iowa Wild Thursday. Vay made a team single period season high 19 saves in the first last night. C.J. Motte leads the ECHL in save percentage (.944), ranks second in goals against average (1.74) and is tied for eighth in wins (5). Motte is on a five-game winning streak during which he has posted a 1.40 goals against average and a .957 save percentage.

Power Play

The Mallards last night not only went 0-for-2 on the power play but also allowed a shorthanded goal for the second time this season when Cheek scored during a Mallard man advantage with just 43 seconds left in the game. The Mallards last night did not go on the power play for the first time until the 15:49 mark of the third period. The Mallards have failed to score on the power play in each of their last two games on a total of six opportunities. The Mallards rank ninth in the ECHL on the power play (20.9 percent).

Penalty Kill

The Mallards survived Fort Wayne's only power play last night and have now killed off their opponents' last 13 advantages. The Mallards rank tenth in the league in penalty killing (86.0 percent).

Head to Head

The Mallards and Nailers open a five-game season series tonight. The Mallards went 1-2-0 against Wheeling last season. The Mallards dropped the first ever meeting between the two teams 2-1 last Halloween at WesBanco Arena before splitting a pair of home games with the Nailers. The Mallards claimed a 4-1 victory on December 18 before dropping a 5-3 decision to Wheeling the following evening.

Ins and Outs

Forward Michael Parks returned to the lineup last night after missing the Mallards' previous five games (lower body injury)... Goaltender Adam Vay Thursday was reassigned to the Mallards by Minnesota (NHL) from Iowa (AHL) after being assigned to Iowa November 7...Goaltender Kent Patterson was released Thursday.



ECHL Stories from November 19, 2016


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