Mallards Release

February 23, 2010 - International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Quad City Mallards News Release


QUACK TRACKS

Feisty Ducks

The Mallards have gone unbeaten in regulation in their last three games (1-0-0-2). The Mallards faced down one of the league's top two teams in each of those three games, battling league-leading Muskegon twice and second place Port Huron once.

Home Sweet Home The Mallards have suffered just one regulation loss in their last eight home games (5-1-0-2)

Jonesing

Kyle Jones last Friday stopped 34 Muskegon shots on the way to the first shutout of his professional career. Jones set a Division III record by posting 25 shutouts over the course of his four year collegiate career at St. Norbert in Wisconsin. Jones has suffered just one regulation defeat in his last seven appearances (3-1-0-2).

Here We Go Again

Last Sunday marked the sixth time in eight meetings this season the Mallards and Icehawks have gone to the shootout. Each team has won three of those shootouts.

Closing In

Chris Lipsett (19-25-44) scored in each of the Mallards' last two games and is now one goal away from reaching 20 for the sixth time in his last seven seasons and for the twelfth time in his 14-year career. Lipsett has now scored 333 goals and totaled 681 points as he approaches 800 career games played. He has skated in 796 tilts so far and is on course to reach 800 Sunday when the Mallards host Dayton.

Patrick Piles On

Patrick Levesque (25-23-48) scored last Friday night to become the first Mallard and the fourth player league-wide to reach 25 goals this season.

Jay for Juris Juris Stals scored twice last Wednesday against Muskegon and got one more- on a penalty shot- last Friday against the Lumberjacks, producing three goals in a two game span after scoring just twice in his prior thirteen games.

Late Show Stals scored with just over nine seconds left in the third period to tie last Wednesday's game in Muskegon. The Flock has now scored a tying or game winning goal in the final minute of regulation five times this season.

Isn't That Special (Teams)? The Mallards snapped a 0-for-21 power play drought when Chris Lipsett scored on the man advantage in the third period of Sunday's shootout loss to Port Huron. The Mallards have gone 12-for-13 on the penalty kill over their last three games.

Ins and Outs

The Mallards last Friday signed defenseman Tyler Kindle and placed forward Ryan Fultz (foot) on injured reserve...Defensemen Shaun Fisher (back) and Matt Burke (ankle) are also on injured reserve.

SCOUTING REPORT

Fort Wayne

The Komets have suffered just one regulation loss in their last six games, going 4-1-1-0 during that stretch...last week Fort Wayne took to the ice three times, falling in overtime to Bloomington 4-3 last Wednesday and dropping a 4-1 decision to Port Huron two nights later before recovering to win in Dayton 3-2 last Saturday evening...The Komets have won their last three road games...Fort Wayne allows a league low average of 2.4 goals per game... Tim Haun (19-9-0-2, 2.21, .921) leads the league in goals against average and ranks second in wins and save percentage...Nick Boucher (11-7-1-0, 2.52, .919), the other half of the Komets' goaltending tandem, ranks third in save percentage and goals against average...Colin Chaulk (15-38-53) ranks third in the IHL in assists and sixth in points...P.C. Drouin (17-34-51) is tied for fifth in assists and ranks seventh in points...Leo Thomas (22-19-41) ranks fifth in the league in goals...Veteran Komets Coach Al Sims has piloted Fort Wayne to both the Turner Cup and regular season titles each of the last two years and has now steered the club to the Turner Cup a total of three times. Sims is in the third season of his second stint behind the Komets' bench. He capped off his initial four-year run in Fort Wayne by piloting the Komets to the 1993 Turner Cup. Sims spent one season- 1996-97- as head coach of the NHL's San Jose Sharks. As a player, Sims, a defenseman, skated in 476 NHL games with Boston, Hartford and Los Angeles...The Mallards have gone 2-6-1-1 against Fort Wayne this season.

Port Huron The Icehawks have won four straight games after losing their prior four outings and seven of their previous eight...The Icehawks are six points behind league leading Muskegon heading into a matchup with the Lumberjacks tonight in Port Huron...Last weekend Port Huron won three road games in three nights, claiming victories in Fort Wayne on Friday night and in Bloomington on Saturday night before edging the Mallards in a shootout Sunday...The Icehawks lead the league on both the power play (21.3 percent) and penalty kill (87.0 percent)...Port Huron ranks second in the league in goal scoring (3.3 per game)...Mikael Bedard (27-24-51) ranks second in the league in goals and ranks fifth in points. Bedard leads all rookies in goals, assists and points...Derek Patrosso (21-27-48) ranks sixth in goals and ranks eighth in points...Larry Sterling (18-6-0-1, 2.56., .916) and Adam Russo (15-10-0-2, 2.57, .913) split Port Huron goaltending duties. Sterling ranks third in the league in wins...Daniel Tetreault (8-28-36) leads IHL defensemen in points and assists and is tied for second among blue liners in goals...Now in his fourth season behind the Port Huron bench, Stan Drulia has led the Icehawks to better than 40 wins each of the last two seasons. As a player, Drulia- a right winger- spent 13 seasons in pro hockey and skated in 126 National Hockey League games with the Tampa Bay Lightning...The Mallards have gone 3-2-0-3 against the Icehawks this season.

Dayton

The Gems lost back-to-back games last weekend and have dropped five of their last six. Dayton's only win during that six game stretch came against the Mallards...The Gems dropped a pair last weekend, falling 3-1 in Flint last Friday and dropping a 3-2 decision to the Komets on home ice last Saturday...Dayton enters action this week tied with Flint for sixth place, two points behind fifth place Quad City...Dayton has gone 9-19-0-1 in 29 games since starting the season 11-9-3-0...The Gems are the only IHL team with a losing home record (11-13-1-1)...John Snowden (20-16-36) is tied for seventh in the league in goals...Mike Vaskivuo (18-16-34) ranks third among IHL rookies in goals and points...The Gems are the least penalized team in the league (14.7 minutes per game), just ahead of the Mallards (15.0)...Derek MacIntyre (9-17-1-0, 2.86, .913) has given up three goals or fewer in each of his last nine appearances in the Dayton net...MacIntyre has shared goaltending duties with Ryan Mior (11-11-2-1, 3.23, .899)...In 20 years as a head coach Dayton's John Marks has won two ECHL titles and one Southern Professional Hockey League championship. As a player Marks skated in 657 National Hockey League games with the Chicago Black Hawks from 1972 through 1982...The Mallards have gone 2-3-0-0 against Dayton this season.

Bloomington

Bloomington played just a single game last weekend, suffering a 4-1 loss to Port Huron last Saturday...the PrairieThunder has won just three of its last ten games (3-6-0-1)...Bloomington allows a league high average of 3.5 goals per game and has given up four or more goals in 6 of its last 8 games...Jon Booras (18-40-58) and Craig MacDonald (27-30-57) rank third and fourth, respectively, in the league point scoring race. Booras also ranks second in assists while MacDonald ranks third in goals...Bill Bagron (20-17-37) is tied for seventh in goal scoring...Zach Pearson (13-17-30) has scored five goals in his last four games...Sebastian Dahm (5-6-0-1, 3.79, .887) who joined the Thunder last month, has started 10 of Bloomington's last 13 games in goal...The PrairieThunder leads the league in penalty minutes (27.6). Individually, Justin Sawyer leads the league in penalty minutes (221) while Robin Gomez (160) ranks fifth... Jarrod Skalde is in his second season behind the Bloomington bench. The former centerman wrapped up a 17-year professional playing career that saw him skate in 115 NHL games with the New Jersey Devils, Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Calgary Flames, San Jose Sharks, Dallas Stars, Chicago Blackhawks, Atlanta Thrashers and Philadelphia Flyers by suiting up for ten games with the PrairieThunder in 2007-08...The Mallards have gone 5-7-0-0 against Bloomington this season.

UPCOMING HOME GAMES

Wednesday, February 24, 7:05 p.m.- Mallards vs. Fort Wayne Komets

$2 12-ounce Drafts

$2 12-ounce drafts will be available at i wireless Center concession stands during the Mallards' match-up with the Komets.

Sunday, February 28, 4:05 p.m.- Mallards vs. Bloomington PrairieThunder $1.50 Hot Dogs

Fans attending the Mallards' game against Port Huron will be able to enjoy hot dogs for just $1.50 at the i wireless Center.

TICKETS

Single Game Tickets

Mallards tickets are available at the i wireless Center box office, Ticketmaster outlets and www.ticketmaster.com or through Ticketmaster charge-by-phone toll free at 1-800-745-3000. The box office is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and on game days from 10:00 a.m. through the end of the second period.

Group ICExperiences

Mallards group packages are fun, easy to plan and memorable and are a perfect fit for business outings, teams, and school groups, family gatherings and just about any other kind of outing. Groups of ten or more receive a discount off the regular walk-up ticket price and are seated together for all the action. The Mallards offer a wide variety of "Group ICExperiences," including packages that provide the chance to sit on the bench or in the penalty box before a game or ride the Zamboni and much more! The Mallards can also help you use a group outing as a fundraiser for your organization. For group ticket and fundraising information contact the Mallards at 309-277-1364.

ON THE AIR

Fans can listen to all the action of Mallards Hockey Presented by Genesis Power Sports Performance this week and throughout the season on 93.9 WYEC-FM and on www.myqcmallards.com. Coverage starts with the Mallards Pre-Game Show Presented by Genesis Sports Medicine 30 minutes before opening faceoff. Live pay-per-view video webcasts of Mallards action are also available at www.myqcmallards.com courtesy of B2 Networks.



International Hockey League 2 Stories from February 23, 2010


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