Mallards keep pummelling visiting teams

Published on February 9, 2004 under International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Quad City Mallards News Release


Moline, IL – Coming off a second consecutive 2-1-0 week, which included stretching their home unbeaten streak to eight games, the Quad City Mallards remain within striking distance of the top two teams in the United Hockey League's Western Conference. They will host the first-place Muskegon Fury on Scratch and Score with Sprint Night this Saturday, followed by a matchup against the Eastern Conference's Adirondack IceHawks on i wireless Family Fun-Day Sunday with the Powerpuff Girls.

LAST WEEK (2-1-0):

· Wednesday, Feb. 4 – (at) Rockford IceHogs 3, Quad City Mallards 1

· Thursday, Feb. 5 – Quad City Mallards 3, (at) Missouri River Otters 0

· Sunday, Feb. 8 – (at) Quad City Mallards 6, Flint Generals 2

THIS WEEK (All times Central):

· Friday, Feb. 13 – 7:30 p.m. – Quad City Mallards at Missouri River Otters

· Scratch and Score with Sprint – Hundreds of free prizes!

Saturday, Feb. 14 – 7:00 p.m. – Muskegon Fury at Quad City Mallards

· i wireless Family Fun-Day Sunday with the Powerpuff Girls!

Sunday, Feb. 15 – 4:00 p.m. – Adirondack IceHawks at Quad City Mallards

Scratch and Score with Sprint on Saturday

At Saturday's 7:00 p.m. game at The MARK against the Muskegon Fury, the first 5,000 fans in attendance will each receive a free scratch-off card from Sprint. The giveaway will also occur at the Feb. 20 and Mar. 5 home games. A total of 950 prizes will be awarded, including Sprint phones, Mallards season tickets, team merchandise, Sprint gift certificates and more! To redeem your prize, bring your winning card to the Sprint Store at 4030 E. 53rd St. in Davenport or 913 41st Ave. Dr. (John Deere Rd. at 7th St.) in Moline by March 20.

Meet the Powerpuff Girls and "Meet the Parents" at i wireless Family Fun-Day Sunday

At Sunday's 4:00 p.m. game at The MARK against the Adirondack IceHawks, the doors open at 1:30 p.m. for the movie "Meet the Parents" on the giant video screen. Open skating is from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. The first 2,500 kids 15 and under will receive a free Dylan Mills poster, courtesy of Putnam Museum and IMAX Theatre. Plus, the Powerpuff Girls will be there to meet their many fans! Tickets for both weekend home games are on sale at The MARK box office, at all Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at (563) 326-1111, and online by following the Tickets link at www.qcmallards.com.

Standings

At 28-16-3 (.628), with 59 points, the Mallards are in third place in the overall UHL standings and in the Western Conference, eight points behind the first-place Muskegon Fury (31-11-5, 67 points). Quad City is five points behind second-place Fort Wayne (30-13-4, 64 points). The Mallards are five points ahead of last season's pace, when through 47 games, they were 23-16-8 (.574), with 54 points.

Personnel

· Signed F Cole Bassett, 2/8

· C Jon Francisco reassigned by Milwaukee Admirals (AHL), 2/8

· C Jon Francisco called up to Milwaukee Admirals (AHL), 2/6

· C Patrick Nadeau remains on 10-day injured reserve (effective 1/24)

· D Terry Hollinger remains on 21-day injured reserve (effective 1/7)

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

· RW Steve Gibson remains on 21-day injured reserve (effective 12/14)

· C Martin Hlinka remains on callup to Hershey Bears (AHL), a Mallards affiliate

· LW Rob Voltera remains on callup to Hershey Bears (AHL), a Mallards affiliate

· D Louis Robitaille remains on callup to Portland Pirates (AHL), a Mallards affiliate

· C Charlie Stephens remains on callup to Binghamton Senators (AHL)

Team Leaders (UHL Ranking)

Goals 28 RW Jason Sessa, C Jeff Williams (tied for third)

Assists 24 D Tom Menicci

Points 46 RW Jason Sessa (tied for 17th)

Plus/Minus +15 C Jon Francisco, C Jeff Williams

Penalty Min. 138 F/D Brad Essex

PP Goals 9 C Jeff Williams

SH Goals 5 RW Jason Sessa (tied for first)

GW Goals 6 RW Jason Sessa (tied for first)

Shots on Goal 175 C Jeff Williams

Shooting Pct. .213 C Martin Hlinka (second)

Wins 23 G Jeff Reynaert (tied for third)

Goals Against 2.74 G Jeff Reynaert (fifth)

Save Pct. .915 G Jeff Reynaert (third)

Future Home Games

· Friday, Feb. 20, 7:00 p.m. vs. Adirondack IceHawks – Scratch and Score with Sprint

· Sunday, Feb. 22, 4:00 p.m. vs. Missouri River Otters – i wireless Family Fun-Day Sunday

· Friday, Feb. 27, 7:00 p.m. vs. Elmira Jackals – Credit Union Night 2004

· Saturday, Feb. 28, 7:00 p.m. vs. Elmira Jackals – Casino Rock Island Jeff Reynaert Bobblehead Night

· Sunday, Feb. 29, 4:00 p.m. vs. Missouri River Otters – i wireless Family Fun-Day Sunday

Home Ice Is Nice

The Mallards are unbeaten in regulation (7-0-1) in their last eight home games and have scored an average of 6.38 goals per game during the streak. Their scoring average over the last 11 home contests (8-1-2), dating back to Dec. 10, is 6.00 goals per game. By contrast, the Mallards are 2-4-0 in their last six games away from The MARK, with a scoring average of 2.33 goals per game.

Home Ice Is Nice, Part 2

In games played at The MARK, C Jeff Williams has a six-game goal-scoring streak and an 11-game point-scoring streak. RW Jason Sessa also has an 11-game home point-scoring streak. D Tom Menicci has scored a goal in each of the last four home contests.

Home Ice Is Nice, Part 3

The Mallards will play 20 of their remaining 29 regular season games at The MARK of the Quad Cities.

Last Week's Games

Wednesday, Feb. 4 – (at) Rockford IceHogs 3, Quad City Mallards 1

Quad City dominated the first two periods, outshooting Rockford 36-19, but produced only a 1-1 second intermission tie. Just 25 seconds after Steve Cygan's 4-on-4 goal put the IceHogs up 1-0, D Matt Libby countered with a screened shot from the left point, also in the 4-on-4 situation, to even the score just past the midway point of the first period. C Jon Francisco assisted. Despite peppering Rockford G Ronnie Vogel with 36 shots in the first two periods, the Mallards could not score again. Early in the third, Justin Cardwell's rebound of a shot on a power play found the net for the game-winner. Donnie Margettie added an empty-netter in the final minute. G Jeff Reynaert stopped 27-of-29 shots in defeat. Vogel made 44 saves for the IceHogs.

Thursday, Feb. 5 – Quad City Mallards 3, (at) Missouri River Otters 0

In what was truly a team effort, each of the three Mallards forward lines scored a goal, aided by each of the three pairs of defensemen. A total of 14 skaters wound up with a "plus" rating in the game. Late in the first period, RW Hugo Proulx took a feed from behind the net from C Jeff Williams, then faked out G Tim Knudsen before depositing the puck in the top shelf for a 1-0 lead and what turned out to be his franchise record 30th game-winning goal. In the final moments of the second period, C Jason Goulet picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone and worked a 2-on-1 break, feeding RW Jason Sessa in front of the net for a 2-0 advantage. Rookie C Jon Francisco's wrist shot early in the third provided insurance. G Jeff Reynaert turned away all 28 shots for his second shutout of the season.

Sunday, Feb. 8 – (at) Quad City Mallards 6, Flint Generals 2

In a game where speed and skill were the dominant features, the Mallards showed plenty of both. C Jeff Williams scored the lone first period goal, knocking in a rebound of a shot by rookie F Drew Otten. Quad City made it 2-0 with a shorthanded goal in the second, when center Jason Goulet, skating through the right circle, was hooked down to his knees, but still fed RW Jason Sessa perfectly in front of the net for the score. Williams scored again late in the period, and the Mallards led 3-1 at second intermission. Quad City added three more goals in the third. Sessa returned the favor, assisting on a Jason Goulet score to make it 4-1. Rookie Marty Goulet bounced the puck over outstretched G Jan Chovan for a 5-1 edge. D Tom Menicci found a loose puck in the slot and slid it under Chovan's leg pad for a 6-1 score. Jason Goulet finished with a goal and two assists. Otten and RW Hugo Proulx each had a pair of assists. G Jeff Reynaert made 24 saves to earn his 23rd win of the season.

This Week's Games (All times Central)

Friday, Feb. 13, 7:30 p.m. – Quad City Mallards at Missouri River Otters

Series: The Mallards are 5-0-0 vs. the River Otters in 2003-04, allowing 1.60 goals per game, and 3-0-0 at St. Charles, MO. This is the sixth of 11 meetings overall and the fourth of six at the Family Arena.

The River Otters (11-30-6 pending Wednesday's game at Kalamazoo) are 1-5-1 in their last seven games. Due to injury, they have been playing without some of their key offensive weapons, including rookie F Jesse Heerema, C Andrew Long, and LW Forrest Gore. The Mallards have outscored the River Otters 9-0 in the first period in their head-to-head matchups. LW Jeff Petruic has scored seven goals in the last nine games and leads Missouri with 26. C Colin Embley has scored four of his 12 goals this season against Quad City.

Scratch and Score with Sprint

Saturday, Feb. 14, 7:00 p.m. – Muskegon Fury at Quad City Mallards

Series: The Mallards are 2-4-1 vs. the Fury in 2003-04, and 0-2-1 at The MARK. This is the eighth of nine meetings overall and the fourth of five in Moline, Ill.

The Fury (31-11-5 pending Friday's game at Rockford) have gone 5-0-1 in their last six games to hold off the hard-charging Fort Wayne Komets for first place in the Western Conference and in the overall UHL standings. They have scored an average of 4.83 goals per game during the streak to lift their league-leading average for the season to 4.04 goals per game. Muskegon has averaged 4.71 goals per game against the Mallards. Much of the production in the seven head-to-head matchups has come from LW Brant Blackned (5g, 9a, 14pts), RW Robin Bouchard (6g, 6a, 12pts), and C Todd Robinson (2g, 9a, 11pts).

i wireless Family Fun-Day Sunday

Sunday, Feb. 15, 4:00 p.m. – Adirondack IceHawks at Quad City Mallards

Series: The Mallards are 2-0-0 vs. the IceHawks in 2003-04. This is the first of two meetings at The MARK and the third of four overall.

The IceHawks (18-23-7 pending games Wednesday vs. Elmira, Saturday at Rockford) go into the week 1-1-1 under new coach Marc Potvin. He was hired by the team's new ownership group, which includes former Mallards owner Dr. Eric Margenau and ESPN commentators Barry Melrose and Steve Levy. The rotation of goaltenders under former coach Bryan Wells appears to have ended, with Scott Dickie (12-9-4, 3.09 GAA, .907 Sv%) getting the last three starts over Lance Leslie (6-14-3, 3.58 GAA, .901 Sv%). The IceHawks are 10-8-1 in road games but just 8-15-6 at home, including 0-2-0 against the Mallards.

AHL/NHL Update

C Jon Francisco made his AHL debut on Friday with the Milwaukee Admirals. He had a shot on goal in each of his two games, Friday and Saturday, before rejoining the Mallards on Sunday and earning an assist in the 6-2 win over Flint. C Charlie Stephens has 12 points (6g, 6a) in seven games since his trade from Hershey to Binghamton. Here are the stats of the four 2003-04 Mallards players currently on callups to AHL teams:

GP G A PTS +- SHOTS PIM

Martin Hlinka Hershey 6 0 2 2 -2 11 8

Charlie Stephens Hershey-Bing. 39 11 15 26 +2 73 29

Rob Voltera Hershey 25 1 1 2 -5 19 30

Louis Robitaille Portland 37 0 4 4 +1 40 75

Former Mallard Cam Severson is due to rejoin the NHL's Mighty Ducks of Anaheim this week, after playing two games for the AHL's Cincinnati Mighty Ducks (and earning two assists) during the NHL's All-Star break. Jason Ulmer ranks second on the Portland Pirates in assists and points. The stats of ex-Mallards in the AHL and NHL:

GP G A PTS +- SHOTS PIM

Brendan Buckley Wilkes-Barre 45 2 4 6 +1 33 61

Jason Ulmer Portland 49 7 18 25 -3 92 10

Cam Severson Cincinnati 38 7 7 14 -2 67 143

Anaheim 7 0 0 0 -4 3 15

Milestone Watch (regular season play)

· With two goals on Sunday, C Jeff Williams passed Stas Tkatch for ninth place in franchise history with 57 career goals. Fredrik Nasvall is eighth with 59.

· D Freddy Jobin's next goal will tie him with Brian LaFleur for second place in team history with 37 goals by a defenseman. Rick Emmett holds the franchise record with 48.

Missing Man Formation

Quad City has lost 275 man-games to injuries, AHL callups, and suspensions this season. That's a pace of 445 over the course of a full season. The Mallards lost a team record 452 man-games last season because of players who were injured, called up, or suspended.

Player of the Week

C Jason Goulet is the Mallards' nominee for Sher-Wood UHL Player of the Week. In three games, he scored four points, on a goal and three assists, and earned a +2 plus/minus rating. The highlight of the week was his three-point performance (goal, two assists) in Sunday's 6-2 win over Flint. Goulet has seven points (1g, 6a) in the last seven games.

Goaltender of the Week

G Jeff Reynaert is the Mallards' nominee for UHL Goaltender of the Week. He played all three games, stopping 79-of-83 shots on goal for an outstanding .952 save percentage. He made 27 saves and allowed two goals in Wednesday's 3-1 loss at Rockford. He got his second shutout of the season, stopping all 28 shots in Thursday's 3-0 win at Missouri. He made 24 saves in Sunday's 6-2 win over Flint. For the week, Reynaert was 2-1-0 with a 1.34 goals against average.

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, Feb. 16, include Jason Cannon and Hugo Proulx. 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.

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International Hockey League 2 Stories from February 9, 2004


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