Mallards Look to Rewrite Record Book in Final Week

Published on March 25, 2002 under United Hockey League (UHL)
Quad City Mallards News Release


All-Time Marks For Wins, Consecutive Home Victories Within Reach

Moline, IL – Having clinched the Tarry Cup for the third straight year, and fourth time in five years, as well as home ice advantage throughout the playoffs, the 2001-02 Quad City Mallards will try to further etch their names into the United Hockey League record book in the final week of the regular season. With four games left, the Mallards need to win at least three to set the league record for most wins in a season. The Mallards will also have the opportunity to tie, and possibly break, the record for the longest home winning streak, as they play their final two regular season home contests. Wednesday, Quad City plays host to the Port Huron Border Cats, with a victory tying the record of 14 straight home wins. After a Friday contest in Rockford, the Mallards return home to play Fort Wayne on Saturday in the home finale. It's Casino Rock Island Joe Dimaline Bobblehead Night. The first 5,000 fans will be able to complete their collection with the Joe Dimaline bobblehead doll, courtesy of Jumer's Casino Rock Island. Saturday is also IH Mississippi Valley Credit Union Fan Appreciation Night, with all in attendance having the chance to win the one-night only game worn jersey, made from a fan's winning design in the Jersey Design Contest conducted earlier this season.

LAST WEEK (3-1-0)
Wednesday, Mar. 20 – (at) Quad City 5, Adirondack 2
Friday, Mar. 22 – (at) Quad City 5, Flint 1
Saturday, Mar. 23 – (at) Missouri 3, Quad City 2
Sunday, Mar. 24 – (at) Quad City 6, Kalamazoo 1

THIS WEEK (all times Central)
Wednesday, Mar. 20 – Port Huron at Quad City, 7:00 p.m.
Friday, Mar. 22 – Quad City at Rockford, 7:15 p.m.
Saturday, Mar. 23 – Fort Wayne at Quad City, 7:00 p.m.

CASINO ROCK ISLAND JOE DIMALINE BOBBLEHEAD NIGHT – FREE FOR THE FIRST 5,000 FANS!

IH Mississippi Valley Credit Union Fan Appreciation Night – Win a fan-designed jersey! Sunday, Mar. 24 – Quad City at Missouri, 3:00 p.m.

STANDINGS
At 53-15-2 (.771, 108 points), the Mallards have clinched the Tarry Cup as the team with the league's best regular season record. They will have home ice advantage throughout the playoffs. Quad City needs three wins in its final four games to set a new UHL record for most victories in a season. The current record of 55 is shared by the 2000-01 and 1997-98 Mallards and the 1996-97 Flint Generals.

PERSONNEL
3/21 – G Brant Nicklin called up by Hershey Bears (AHL), a Mallards affiliate
3/22 – Signed G Andy Kollar
C Jason Ulmer remains on callup with the AHL's Portland Pirates, a Mallards affiliate. Ulmer has 23 points (8 goals, 15 assists) and a +6 plus/minus rating in 66 games with Portland. F Kyle Kidney remains on callup with Hershey. He has played in one game since his recall, Friday's 2-1 win at Philadelphia.

PLAYOFF TICKETS ON SALE
The Mallards will host up to 11 playoff games. Tickets for all postseason contests are on sale now at The MARK box office, at Ticketmaster outlets in the Quad Cities, by phone at (563) 326-1111, and online at ticketmaster.com. Lock in the same great seats throughout the postseason with the playoff ticket package, available now, only at The MARK box office. Dates and opponents are to be determined. The Mallards will play the best-of-five Western Conference semifinals April 2-9 against either Flint, Fort Wayne, or Missouri. The best-of-seven Western Conference finals are planned for April 11-22, with the best-of-seven Colonial Cup championship series set for April 24-May 5.

RECORD PACE
The Mallards have a chance to equal or break several United Hockey League team single-season records:
 Longest Home Winning Streak – Quad City has won its last 13 home games. Wins in its final two home contests this week would break the record of 14, held by the 1996-97 Flint Generals.
 Wins – Quad City has 53 wins. The record is 55, held by the 2000-01 and 1997-98 Mallards, and the 1996-97 Flint Generals. Three wins in the final four games are needed to break the record.
 Road Wins – Quad City's road record is 25-9-1, with two road contests remaining. Wins in both games would break the current record of 26, held by the 1999-00 Mallards.
 Road Standings Points – Quad City has 51. Wins in the final two road games would break the record of 54, held by the 2000-01 and 1999-00 Mallards.
 Shutouts – Quad City has 7 this season, 5 by Joe Dimaline, 2 by Brant Nicklin. The all-time record is 8, set by the 1999-00 Missouri River Otters.
 Fewest Goals Allowed – Quad City has given up 166 goals this season, with four games remaining. The record is 202, held by the 1999-00 Port Huron Border Cats. The Mallards are not likely to set the record, because the Muskegon Fury have allowed 155 goals with three games remaining.
 Fewest Goals Allowed, Home – Quad City has allowed 80 goals at home this season. With two home contests remaining, the record of 86, held by the 1998-99 Muskegon Fury, is within reach. However, Muskegon has allowed 73 home goals this season, with only one home game remaining.
 Fewest Goals Allowed, Road – Quad City, with 86 goals allowed, will likely shatter the record of 104, set by the 1999-00 B.C. Icemen. Muskegon has the edge for the new record, having allowed 82 goals with two road games left.
 Fewest Power Play Goals Against – The current record of 50, set by the 1993-94 Utica Bulldogs, is certain to be broken. The question is, by whom. Quad City has allowed 38 power play goals, with four games remaining. Muskegon has given up 37 power play goals and has just three games left.
 Highest Penalty Killing Percentage – Quad City, with an 88.6% success rate killing penalties, is nearly a lock to establish a new record. Fort Wayne ranks second this season at 85.8%. The current mark of 85.0% was set by last season's Mallards.

THIS WEEK'S UPCOMING GAMES

Port Huron Border Cats at Quad City Mallards, Wed., Mar. 27, 7:00 p.m. (CST) at Moline, IL
Series records: QC: 3-0-0, 4.00 goals per game PH: 0-3-0, 1.33 goals per game
Leading scorers in the season series: QC: Nick Ganga (2g, 2a), 4 pts PH: J.P. Morin (1g, 1a), 2 pts
Port Huron (26-32-12) will miss the playoffs for the second straight year. A playoff contender in mid-January at 18-15-6, the Border Cats have gone 8-17-6 since then. David-Alexandre Beauregard is tied for third in the UHL with 44 goals, but has been held scoreless in two games against the Mallards. Rookie Joey Bastien has helped the offense, with 8 points (4g, 4a) in 7 games since he and Jordan Trew were acquired from Flint at the trade deadline, in exchange for veteran C Jeff Loder. Splitting time in goal are Kevin St. Pierre (14-16-2, 3.12 GAA, .906 Sv%) and ex-Mallard Matt Mullin (14-17-9 with 3 shutouts, 3.32 GAA, .886 Sv%).

Quad City Mallards at Rockford IceHogs, Fri., Mar. 29, 7:15 p.m. (CST) at Rockford, IL
Series records: QC: 13-0-0, 4.77 goals per game RCK: 0-12-1, 1.77 goals per game
Leading scorers in the season series: QC: Patrick Nadeau (4g, 11a), 15 pts RCK: Jeff DaCosta (1g, 5a), 6 pts
It's the last chance for Rockford (26-39-6, pending Wednesday's game vs. Kalamazoo) to claim a victory in the season series. The IceHogs were just 7-27-3 halfway through the season, but have gone 19-12-3 since then, including a 16-6-2 mark since Jan. 31. Rockford has scored an average of 5.50 goals per game over the last eight contests, winning seven of them. Among the hottest players have been D Jeff DaCosta, who has 14 points (3g, 11a) in the last nine contests, and C Clint Wensley, who spent the season's first half on the injured list, but now has 16 points (7g, 9a) over the last 12 games, including two game winning goals.

Fort Wayne Komets at Quad City Mallards, Sat., Mar. 30, 7:00 p.m. (CST) at Moline, IL
Series records: QC: 3-2-0, 3.40 goals per game FW: 2-2-1, 2.60 goals per game
Leading scorers in the season series: QC: Patrick Nadeau (2g, 2a), 4 pts FW: Chad Grills (2g, 4a), 6 pts
This is the final regular season game for the Komets (36-21-13), who will be coming off two big games against Flint, Wednesday and Friday, following a Tuesday makeup game against Elmira. If Fort Wayne misses the playoffs, G Doug Teskey's 2-7 record in shootouts could be blamed, but Teskey (23-12-7 with a league-leading 6 shutouts) is one of the league's best, ranking third with a 2.34 goals against average, and second with a .919 save percentage. He is 2-1-1 (3.32 GAA, .908 Sv%) against the Mallards this season. The Komets have a balanced scoring attack, with LW Jim Logan (27 goals), RW Mike McKay (26), and LW Michel Massie (22) leading the way. C Brent Gretzky (20g, 51a, 71pts) is the team's overall scoring leader.

Quad City Mallards at Missouri River Otters, Sun., Mar. 31, 3:00 p.m. (CST) at St. Charles, MO
Series records: QC: 3-3-0, 2.83 goals per game MIS: 3-2-1, 3.17 goals per game
Leading scorers in the season series: QC: Steve Gibson (4g, 8a), 12 pts MIS: Dustin Whitecotton (7g, 7a), 14 pts
Missouri's playoff status could be determined on the final day of the regular season. The River Otters (38-23-9, pending Wednesday's game vs. Knoxville, Friday's game at Kalamazoo, and Saturday's game vs. Rockford) bring a six-game winning streak into the week, which has put them in a third-place tie with Fort Wayne, but just one point ahead of fifth-place Flint. Leading scorer C Dustin Whitecotton (36g, 55a, 91pts) has been a key, scoring 14 points (4g, 10a) points during the streak, which coincides with his return from an eight-game callup to Grand Rapids (AHL). The Otters rely on five players for their offense: Whitecotton, RW Jason Gudmundson (29-46-75), LW Lonnie Loach (31-43-74), RW Joe Ritson (29-45-74), and C Eric Murano (25-40-65 in 50 games).

LAST WEEK'S GAMES

Quad City Mallards 5, Adirondack IceHawks 2 – Wednesday, Mar. 20, at Moline, IL
The Mallards scored four straight goals to break open a 1-1 game. Midway through the second period, coach Paul MacLean used his timeout to lecture his team. The Mallards responded, though the tiebreaking goal was somewhat of a fluke. With Adirondack on a power play, Sanny Lindstrom's clearing pass deflected off referee George Harrison to Peter Armbrust at the IceHawks blue line. Armbrust moved in and fired a shot from the right circle for the shorthanded goal. The Mallards poured it on early in the third, with three goals in a 4:33 span. Brian McCullough scored his second in two games since returning from a 57-game injury absence.

Quad City Mallards 5, Flint Generals 1 – Friday, Mar. 22, at Moline, IL
The Mallards clinched their third straight Tarry Cup and fourth in the last five seasons by physically dominating a team that has been a thorn in Quad City's side this season. Patrick Nadeau scored his fourth career hat trick on a season-high seven shots on goal. Hugo Proulx had three assists, extending his point streak to 14 games. Sanny Lindstrom had a three-point night with a goal and two assists. Joe Dimaline nailed down his 36th win of the season, making 28 saves. The Tarry Cup is awarded to the team with the best regular season record. The winner also gets home ice advantage throughout the playoffs.

Missouri River Otters 3, Quad City Mallards 2 – Sat., Mar. 23, at St. Charles, MO
Dustin Whitecotton helped Missouri overcome two Steve Gibson second-period goals, getting the tying score late in the second period and netting the game winner early in the third. The Mallards' seven-game winning streak ended with the defeat. On the first Quad City goal, Kevin St. Jacques snapped a pass through the slot to an open Gibson on the far post. Gibson's fake made G Aaron Vickar commit to a low shot and he fired the puck over Vickar. He scored his second tally from the same position as the first but this time took the pass from the left point from D Andy Fermoyle.

Quad City Mallards 6, Kalamazoo Wings 1 – Sun., Mar. 24, at Moline, IL
The Mallards got win No. 53, moving within two of the all-time UHL single season record of 55. Steve Gibson led the attack with his team-leading 31st goal, two pinpoint passes for assists, and a +4 plus/minus rating. Brandon Sampair scored twice, giving him 19 goals for the year. Mark McFarlane, Jesse Rooney, and Kevin St. Jacques each had a goal and an assist. Rooney, St. Jacques, and Dan Bjornlie were also +4. Andy Fermoyle earned two assists and upped his league-leading plus/minus rating to +46 with a +3 effort. Andy Kollar, a rookie from the University of North Dakota making his professional debut, made 18 saves and was the winning goaltender.

IT'S NO GAMBLE
Mallards players Dan Bjornlie, Nick Ganga, Steve Gibson, and Kevin St. Jacques will greet fans and sign autographs Tuesday at Jumer's Casino Rock Island. They'll be in the third floor Peacock Lounge from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

HIGH POWERED
The Mallards have juiced up their power play in the last seven games, scoring at least once with the extra man in each contest and converting at a 48.0% rate (12-for-25). After ranking near the bottom of the league standings for most of the season, Quad City is now fifth in the league in power play success, with an 18.9% conversion rate. They are second best in the league at home, at 22.5%.

MARVELOUS MARCH
LW Steve Gibson has put up the most impressive offensive numbers of any UHL player this month. He leads the league in March with 13 goals, 27 points, and a +21 plus/minus rating, and is third with 14 assists. Gibson has 11 multiple-point games during the month, including nine straight Mar. 2-17.

STREAKING
Andy Fermoyle has at least one assist in five straight games. Kerry Toporowski has at least one penalty in eight straight contests. The Mallards are 21-0-0 in home games when leading after the first period, and 18-0-0 when Hugo Proulx scores at least one goal.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
D Andy Fermoyle is the Mallards nominee for Sher-Wood UHL Player of the Week, for his outstanding work at both ends of the ice. In four games, he scored six points, on one goal and five assists, and earned a +8 plus/minus rating. He had a goal and an assist in Wednesday's 5-2 win over Adirondack, an assist in Friday's 5-1 win over Flint, an assist in Saturday's 3-2 loss at Missouri, and two assists in Sunday's 6-1 win over Kalamazoo. Fermoyle leads the UHL with a +46 plus/minus rating. He has a five-game assist streak and has scored 11 points (2g, 9a) with a +13 in the last seven games.

GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK
Joe Dimaline is the Mallards nominee for UHL Goaltender of the Week. He was 2-1-0 for the week, with a 2.01 goals against average and a .942 save percentage. He made 36 saves in Wednesday's 5-2 win over Adirondack, 28 saves in Friday's 5-1 win over Flint, and 34 stops in Saturday's 3-2 loss at Missouri. For the season, Dimaline ranks second in the UHL with 36 wins and a 2.12 goals against average, and fifth with a .918 save percentage.

WEBBED FEATS
Mark McFarlane earned his 134th career assist with the Mallards on Sunday, passing Carl LeBlanc for fifth place in franchise history. Kerry Toporowski equaled his career highs, set last season, of 15 assists and 17 points, with his assist in Sunday's game.

DUCK TALK
The Mallards weekly radio show and player appearance is at Beaver's East, corner of 53rd and 18th St. in Bettendorf, tonight from 7 to 8 p.m. Guests are Andy Fermoyle, Frederick Jobin, Brian McCullough, and coach Paul MacLean. Fans are invited to meet the players and get their autographs between 7 and 8 p.m., in addition to enjoying Beaver's East's great food and drink specials. The show airs live on WOC TalkRadio 1420, with questions called in by listeners. "Duck Talk" will continue through the playoffs.

ON THE AIR
All Mallards games, home and away, are broadcast live on WOC TalkRadio 1420. Fans can also hear the game through the Mallards web site, qcmallards.com. Fans in The MARK can tune their headset radios to 106.9 FM to hear the in-house broadcast feed.

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United Hockey League Stories from March 25, 2002


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