Mallards Hold Strong in Playoff Race

Published on March 21, 2005 under International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Quad City Mallards News Release


Moline, IL – The Mallards capped a 2-2-0 week with a thrilling come from behind win on Sunday at The MARK. The week began with a 4-2 loss to Muskegon on Wednesday. The Mallards rebounded on Friday to beat Missouri 3-2 at The MARK. An afternoon affair on Saturday in Kansas City ended in a 6-1 Mallards loss. On Sunday, the Mallards ended the week in thrilling fashion with a 5-4 win over Adirondack after trailing the Frostbite 3-0 in the first period.

This week, the Mallards head to Rockford for a Thursday morning game vs. the IceHogs. The team is back at home on Friday vs. Missouri and Saturday vs. Kansas City. Saturday's game features the Wedding of Mo Mallard and Ima Duck.

Upcoming Promotions

· Saturday, March 26th vs. the Kansas City Outlaws-Mo & Ima's Wedding/Mascot Mania 2005-7:00 p.m.-Beloved Mallards mascots Mo Mallard and Ima Duck are tying the knot on March 26th. Mascots from throughout the world will be at The MARK to celebrate the wedding.

· Saturday, April 2nd vs. the Kalamazoo Wings-Mark McFarlane Retirement Night-7:00 p.m.-McFarlane's number-22 jersey will be retired on April 2nd at The MARK. The Amherst, Nova Scotia native will be honored during a pre-game ceremony as the Mallards take on Kalamazoo.

· Sunday, April 3rd vs. the Kalamazoo Wings-ALCOA Family Learning Day-3:00 p.m.-Professionals from throughout the Quad Cities will be in attendance to speak with area youth regarding the importance of education.

· Saturday, April 9th vs. the Fort Wayne Komets-Hall of Fame Night-7:00 p.m.-The Mallards induct the inaugural class of the Mallards Hall of Fame on April 9th. On-line voting is still going on at qcmallards.com.

Upcoming Games

· Thursday, March 24th vs. the Rockford IceHogs at The Metrocentre in Rockford-11:05 p.m.

The Mallards visit Rockford for the final time this season on Thursday morning. The Mallards have two home dates left with the Hogs (March 30th and April 6th).

· Friday, March 25th vs. the Missouri River Otters at The MARK-7:00 p.m.

The Mallards end their season series with the River Otters on Friday. The match-up is crucial to the Mallards playoff positioning as the team is six points behind the Otters for the seventh seed in the upcoming UHL Playoffs.

· Saturday, March 26th vs. the Kansas City Outlaws at The MARK-7:00 p.m.

The Outlaws visit The MARK for the final time this season on Saturday. The Mallards are 6-0-0 this year at home vs. the Outlaws.

Duck Talk

Tonight, the Mallards are back at The Blackbear Lounge at The Lodge for Duck Talk beginning at 7 p.m. This week's guests are Terry Hollinger, A.J. MacLean and Frantisek Skladany along with coach Paul Gillis. Duck Talk can also be heard on Fox Sports Radio AM 1230.

Last Week (2-2-0):

Wednesday, March 16th Muskegon 4 at Quad City 2

Friday, March 18th Missouri 2 at Quad City 3

Saturday, March 19th Quad City 1 at Kansas City 6

Sunday, March 20th Adirondack 4 at Quad City 5

Transactions

· Add Andy Fermoyle-Activated from Injured Reserve on March 20th.

· Add Jamie Thompson-Acquired in a trade with the Elmira Jackals on March 14th.

· Delete Sergei Durdin-Traded to the Elmira Jackals on March 14th.

· Delete Alexandre Mathieu-Traded to the Elmira Jackals on March 14th.

Team Leaders

Goals 28 Mike Kompon

Assists 42 Mike Kompon

Points 70 Mike Kompon

Plus/Minus +15 Mike Kompon

Penalty Min. 245 Dave Stewart

PP Goals 10 Mike Kompon

GW Goals 5 Marty Standish

SH Goals 1 Six Players

Shots on Goal 214 Jason Deskins

Shooting Pct. 22.8 Patrick Nadeau

Goals Against Avg. 2.30 Robert Gherson

Wins 19 Robert Gherson

Save Pct. .924 Robert Gherson

Last Week's Games

Wednesday, March 16th-Muskegon 4 at Quad City 2

The Mallards lost for just the second time in their last ten outings on Wednesday night at The MARK. The Muskegon Fury, the UHL's top team, scored three times in the first period on their way to a 4-2 victory. Following the defeat, the Mallards are 7-2-1 in their last ten. Muskegon's Jon Insana started the scoring with his ninth goal of the season just 3:13 into the game. The Fury extended the lead to 2-0 on B.J. Gaustad's 24th goal of the season at the 13:28 mark of the period. With a minute left in the frame, Brant Blackned tallied to give Muskegon a 3-0 lead heading into the first intermission. In the second, the Mallards stormed out and scored two unanswered goals to cut the Fury lead to one. Marty Standish scored his 11th of the season just 1:35 into the period at even strength. In his Mallards debut, Jamie Thompson tallied five minutes later on the power play. Muskegon's Colin Embley scored an unassisted goal with 1:35 left in the middle period to set the final at 4-2.

Friday, March 18th-Missouri 2 at Quad City 3

The Mallards tightened the race for the seventh seed with a 3-2 victory over Missouri on Friday at The MARK. Frantisek Skladany scored with 4:59 left in the first to give the Mallards a 1-0 lead. In the second period, Patrick Nadeau and Terry Hollinger scored to open up a three-goal gap on the Otters. The Otters tallied twice in the third to set the final at 3-2.

Saturday, March 19th-Quad City 1 at Kansas City 6

The Mallards fell 6-1 to the Kansas City Outlaws on Saturday at Kemper Arena. The Outlaws took a 1-0 lead 12:00 into the opening period on Matthew Descoteaux's eighth goal of the season. Kansas City stretched their lead to five with four goals in the middle frame. Derek Kern tallied twice and Joe Seroski and Mark Lee each scored in the period. With a 5-on-3 man advantage, Patrick Nadeau scored the lone Mallards goal with 36 seconds left in the period. Terry Hollinger and Greg Barber picked up the assists on the goal. The Outlaws added one more just 3:00 into the final frame on Robert Machalek's first goal of 2004-05.

Sunday, March 20th-Adirondack 4 at Quad City 5

The Quad City Mallards pulled off one of their most exciting wins of the season with a 5-4 victory on Sunday at The MARK. The Mallards fell behind 3-0 in the first period before rallying to take the lead for the first time with 1:29 left in the game. In the first, Bob Rapoza, Ryan Bennett and David Burgess scored 1:58 apart to stake the Frostbite to a 3-0 lead. Jason Deskins scored the first of two goals on the night with 47 seconds left in the period to cut the Adirondack lead to two heading into the first intermission. In the second, the teams exchanged power-play goals. Deskins tallied for the second time six minutes into the second with Kamil Kuriplach in the box. Deskins' pair of markers gives him 23 goals for the season. Adirondack's Sylvain Cloutier scored his 26th of the year on the man advantage in the second to reclaim a two-goal lead for the Frostbite. In the third, the Mallards scored three unanswered goals to secure their 32nd win of the season. Captain Terry Hollinger started the third period onslaught with his 10th goal of the season during a 5-on-3 power play. Troy Smith tied the game with 8:40 left as the Hamilton, Ontario native scored for the fifth time this year. Hollinger and Smith's tallies set the stage for Marty Standish's game-winning goal with just 1:29 left. With the Mallards on the power play, Standish scooped up a rebound in front of the Adirondack net and put it home for his 12th of the year. A crowd of 3,441 at The MARK exploded as Standish's goal gave the Mallards the lead for the first time on the night. The team hung on for the final 1:29 to earn their 32nd win of the year.

Player of the Week-Terry Hollinger is the Mallards nominee for UHL Player of the Week. Hollinger recorded two goals and four assists for six points in four games last week.

Goaltender of the Week-Robert Gherson is the Mallards nominee for UHL Goaltender of the Week. The rookie went 2-1-0 this week with a 3.37 goals against average and a .882 save percentage.

Tickets on sale now!

Tickets for all Mallards home games are available at The MARK box office or via phone at (563) 326-1111.

On The Air

All Mallards games can be heard on Fox Sports Radio AM 1230. The First Capital Financial Pre-Game Show begins 25 minutes before the opening face off. After the game, stay tuned for the Allstate Insurance Del Newton/ Christy Cox post-game show.

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International Hockey League 2 Stories from March 21, 2005


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