Mallards Weekly Update

January 26, 2010 - International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Quad City Mallards News Release


QUACK TRACKS

Ducks Downturn

The Mallards have suffered five straight losses and gone winless (0-5-0-1) in their last six games. The losing streak is the

Flock's longest of the season; the winless streak is Quad City's second longest of the campaign.

Bumps in the Road The Mallards Sunday completed a stretch of four straight road games that saw them drop each of those four contests. Quad City has gone winless (0-4-0-1) in its last five away games.

Home Wrecker

The Mallards tomorrow night return home for the first time since a 6-4 loss to Flint at the i wireless Center on January 16 ended the Mallards' five game home winning streak. That defeat was the Mallards' first on home ice since a 4-2 setback at the hands of Muskegon on December 22.

7-Up

The Mallards twice last week matched a season high by giving up seven goals in a game. Quad City fell in Bloomington 7-3 last Tuesday and went down 7-4 in Dayton Sunday. Sunday also marked the second time this season the Mallards have given up seven to Dayton. The Gems downed the Quad City 7-5 on December 11 at the i wireless Center.

Terrific Trio

The line of Obi Aduba, Joel Gasper and Brandon Marino has been highly productive in recent days. Aduba and Marino have both recorded two goals and three assists in their last five games; Gasper has produced two goals and three assists in just his last three games.

Wake Up Call Chris Lipsett scored just 12 seconds into yesterday's game in Dayton. Lipsett's is the fastest goal from the start of a game scored in the IHL this season.

Isn't That Special (Teams)? The Mallards have given up seven goals on their opponent's last 16 power plays over five games. Quad City now ranks last in the league on the penalty kill (75.9 percent). The Mallards have converted two of their last 18 power plays.

Ins and Outs

The Mallards signed defenseman Jason Price Saturday after placing blue liner Shaun Fisher (back) on 30-day injured reserve. Price made his Mallard debut yesterday...Fisher joins forward Terry Harrison (groin) and defenseman Matt Burke (ankle) on injured reserve.

SCOUTING REPORT

Flint The Generals last night defeated league-leading Muskegon 4-2 to move one point in front of the Mallards into sixth place in the IHL...Flint last night claimed a win over a Lumberjacks club that entered that game 29 points ahead of the Generals in the standings. The victory was Flint's second in its last eight games (2-5-1-0)...Flint has gone 9-10-2-2 since winning just three of its first 17 games (3-12-0-2)...Over the weekend the Generals acquired forward Dan Lapointe and defenseman Bryan Nathe from Dayton in exchange for future considerations...Rookie Rob Nolan (8-13-2-1, 2.68, .918) ranks third in the league in save percentage...Jamie Schaafsma (14-17-31) leads the Generals in points and is tied with John Ronan (14-8-22) for the team lead in goals...John Mori (13-13-26) ranks third among rookies in goals and fourth in points...The Generals rank last in the league in goal scoring (2.5 per game) and power play efficiency (14.8 percent) and second to last in penalty killing (78.3 percent)...Forward Bryan Smolinski- a veteran of 1,056 National Hockey League games- was placed on injured reserve earlier this month...Jason Muzzatti took over the head coaching reins in Flint this season after serving as an assistant with the Generals last year. Muzzatti, a goaltender, spent 2007-08- his sixteenth and final season as a professional player- in the Generals' net. The former Michigan State star played in the NHL for the Calgary Flames, Hartford Whalers and New York Rangers. Muzzatti also played for Italy at the 2006 Winter Olympics...The Mallards have gone 3-3-1-0 against the Generals this season.

Fort Wayne

The Komets will bid to rebound tonight in Port Huron against the Icehawks after a 1-0 loss at Muskegon last Friday ended Fort Wayne's six game winning streak and nine game regulation unbeaten streak (8-0-0-1). Last Friday's defeat was the Komets' first regulation setback since a 6-4 loss to Dayton on December 29...The Komets have won five straight home games...

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"Mallards Weekly Update" - Page 3 of 4 Tuesday, January 26, 2010

The Komets allow a league low average of 2.4 goals per game. Fort Wayne has allowed a total of just six goals in its last five games and has held its foes to two regulation goals or fewer in nine of its last ten games...Tim Haun (15-7-0-2, 2.12, .924) has won five straight games and has gone unbeaten in regulation (6-0-0-1) in his last seven starts. Haun leads the league in goals against average and save percentage and ranks second in wins... Colin Chaulk (12-27-39) is tied for fourth in the IHL in assists and ranks seventh in points...P.C. Drouin (8-25-33) ranks sixth in assists and eighth in points...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 1-4-1-1 against Fort Wayne this season.

Dayton

The Gems snapped a three game losing streak by defeating the Mallards Sunday...Sunday's win also enabled Dayton to pull within two points of fourth place Bloomington in the race for the final IHL playoff spot. The PrairieThunder does have two games in hand on the Gems... Dayton has gone 6-10-0-1 in its last 17 games after starting the season 11-9-3-0...The Gems have the worst home record in the IHL (9-9-1-1)...John Snowden (16-13-29) matched league single game season highs by scoring four goals and totaling five points against the Mallards Sunday and by doing so also took over the team lead in goals and points just ahead of Mike Vaskivuo (15-13-28). Vaskivuo ranks second among IHL rookies in goals and points...The Gems are the least penalized team in the league (15.0 minutes per game), just ahead of the Mallards (15.8)...Derek MacIntyre (7-12-1-0, 3.05, .906) had started in goal in ten of 12 games before Ryan Mior earned the win against the Mallards Sunday... 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...Dayton has won its first two meetings with the Mallards.

Bloomington A 6-3 loss at Muskegon last Saturday ended the PrairieThunder's three game winning streak...The PrairieThunder has gone 8-11-2-2 in its last 23 games after going 9-4-0-2 in its first 15 games... Jon Booras (17-27-44) ranks fourth in the league in points, is tied for fourth in assists and is tied for sixth in goals. Booras was named IHL Player of the Week after scoring three goals and totaling eight points in three games last week. He has recorded 11 points (three goals, eight assists) during a four game point scoring streak and has ripped off seven goals and notched 16 points his last nine games...Craig MacDonald (21-21-42) ranks third in the league in goals and is tied for fifth in points...Andrew Martin (10-8-2-3, 2.96, .898) is unbeaten in regulation (2-0-1) in his last three starts...Bloomington ranks second in the league on the power play (19.9 percent)...The PrairieThunder leads the league in penalty minutes (28.2 per game). Individually, Bloomington's Justin Sawyer (165) and Robin Gomez (129) rank second and sixth, respectively, in penalty minutes...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 4-6-0-0 against Bloomington this season. The home team has won each of the first ten meetings between the two teams. The Mallards last won in Bloomington on March 31, 2007 when Quad City edged the Thunder 4-3 in a shootout in the final United Hockey League meeting between the two teams.

UPCOMING HOME GAMES

Wednesday, January 27, 7:05 p.m.- Mallards vs. Flint Generals $2 12-ounce Drafts;

Fans can take advantage of $2 12-ounce drafts available at i wireless Center concession stands throughout tomorrow night's game against Flint.

Saturday, January 30, 7:05 p.m.- Mallards vs. Dayton Gems Mallards Knit Cap Giveaway Courtesy of Stoney Creek Inn; 4H Sock Toss The first 1,000 fans arriving for the Mallards' game against the Gems will receive free Mallards knit caps courtesy of Stoney Creek Inn. Fans are also encouraged to bring new socks to the game and toss them onto the ice after the Mallards first goal in the University of Illinois Extension - Rock Island County 4H Sock Toss. Socks tossed onto the ice will be donated to seniors at the Hope Creek Care Center in Moline.

COMMUNITY

Tuesday, January 26: Williams Intermediate School Mallards Coach Frank Anzalone will speak to the sixth grade honor roll assembly at Williams Intermediate in Davenport.

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"Mallards Weekly Update" - Page 4 of 4 Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Tuesday, January 26: Butterworth Elementary School The Mallards' Matt Cook will spend time with Tiger and Cub Scouts at Butterworth Elementary in Moline.

Wednesday, January 27: Hockey for Haiti

Genesis Health System has teamed with the Mallards, as part of the Mallards' "Hockey for Haiti" efforts, to offer discounted tickets to tomorrow night's game to Genesis employees. All proceeds from discounted ticket sales go to the American Red Cross fund for Haiti disaster relief.

Thursday, January 28: St. Paul Pre-School Winter Carnival The Mallards' Chris Lipsett, Jacques Perreault, Juris Stals, Brandon Marino and Jerad Kaufmann are slated to be part of the fun at the St. Paul Pre-School's Winter Carnival in Davenport from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.

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 January 26, 2010


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