Mallards' Giosa Named Oakley CHL Player of the Week

Published on October 31, 2011 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Quad City Mallards News Release


MOLINE, Ill. (October 31, 2011) - Quad City Mallards center Eric Giosa has been named Oakley Central Hockey League Player of the Week, the Mallards announced today in conjunction with the CHL.

Giosa, 27, earned the honor by scoring three vital goals- including a pair of game winners- and adding an assist while posting a plus/minus rating of +4 in the Mallards' back-to-back victories in Bloomington last weekend. Last Friday night, Giosa scored his first goal of the season at 2:59 of overtime to give the Mallards a 6-5 come-from-behind win over the Blaze. The Northville, Michigan, native had picked up his first point of the young campaign earlier in the evening when he assisted on a John Snowden goal.

Giosa's weekend roll continued when he scored the opening goal just 53 seconds into last Saturday night's rematch between the Mallards and Blaze. He struck again later in the first period to give the Mallards a 3-0 lead in a game they would go on to win 6-2. The 5' 11", 182-pound third-year pro finished Saturday evening's contest with a plus/minus rating of +3.

"I was getting shots throughout the first game and I just tried not to get frustrated. Then after I got the goal in overtime we tried to get on them early with a lot of intensity the next night and get pucks to the net and that worked out pretty well," said Giosa.

Giosa's performance last weekend was far from a solo act- he and linemates Snowden and Mickey Lang combined to produce six goals, five assists and 11 points over the two meetings with the Blaze.

In the wake of his exploits in Bloomington, Giosa is now tied for the team lead in goals (3) and points (4) and is alone in leading the Flock in plus/minus rating (+4). He is also one of a group of players tied for third in the league in goal scoring and is tied for sixth in the CHL in plus/minus.

"Eric's one of the guys we count on to produce and score goals," said Mallards coach and general manager David Bell. "For him to have- along with a number of the other guys- a strong weekend was pretty big for us."

In truth, Giosa's early productivity should come as little surprise after he enjoyed a breakthrough campaign last season. He led the Mallards in goals (26) and plus/minus (+11) and finished the year with 48 points in 54 games. Giosa broke loose for the Flock last season after arriving in the Quad Cities via a trade with the Wichita Thunder last September. Giosa had, in turned, moved from the Laredo Bucks to the Thunder earlier in the 2010 offseason. As a rookie in 2009-10, he scored 12 goals and recorded 35 points in 57 games with the Bucks.

Giosa got his first taste of pro hockey with the ECHL's Reading Royals, for whom he played four games at the end of the 2008-09 season immediately after completing a four-year college career at Sacred Heart. As a senior in 2008-09, Giosa led Sacred Heart with 16 goals and collected 29 points. In 140 career games as a Pioneer he produced 42 goals and 84 points. Giosa played two junior seasons with the North American Hockey League's Toledo IceDiggers before arriving at Sacred Heart.

The Mallards next play at home next Friday night at 7:05 p.m. against the Dayton Gems. Next Friday will be Veterans Appreciation Night as the Mallards honor those who have served in the armed forces in what will be the Flock's final home game before Veterans Day. Tickets for Veterans Appreciation Night are available to veterans for the special discounted rate of just $5 at the i wireless Center box office. Family and friends of veterans can purchase their seats for next Friday night's game at special discounted group rates. All fans in attendance next Friday will receive free mini United States flags.

Next Friday evening will also see the Mallards hold their annual teddy bear toss. Fans who bring a new, unwrapped stuffed animal to the November 4 game can toss it onto the ice after the Mallards' first goal in that tilt. Those teddy bears will then be donated to the Quad City Festival of Trees and used to assemble the "Zoo Tree." Festival of Trees will, in turn, donate the teddy bears to children in need. The first 1,000 fans through the doors who bring stuffed animals to the game will receive free Mallards teddy bears in exchange.

Single game tickets for all of the Mallards' regular season contests- including next Friday's game- are now available. Fans can contact the Mallards at (309) 277-1364 or tickets@myqcmallards.com for more information about both season and single game tickets.

Single game tickets are also available at the i wireless 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 2:30 p.m. and on game days from 10:00 a.m. until the start of the second period. Individual game tickets are available for $12 in the upper level and $17 in the lower level.

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Central Hockey League Stories from October 31, 2011


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