Mallards Weekly Update

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


QUACK TRACKS

Taking Flight

The Mallards won back-to-back games last Saturday night over Dayton and the following afternoon in Bloomington. Quad City has won three of its last four games after dropping its previous five and going winless in its previous six.

Home Sweet Home

The Mallards have won seven of their last eight home games.

On the Road Again...

Sunday's win ended the Mallards' five game road losing streak and six game road winless streak (0-5-0-1).

Bloomington Bash

The Mallards Sunday won in Bloomington after losing the first six times they visited U.S. Cellular Coliseum. The home team had won each of the first ten meetings between the two teams this season. Before yesterday 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.

Slumps Snapped

Ryan Fultz went six games without a goal and 11 games without a point before scoring the game winning goal Sunday. Mike Zbriger scored Sunday after going pointless in his prior five games, goalless in his eight games and scoring just once in his prior 15 games. Juris Stals ended his six game goal scoring drought by scoring for just the second time in his last 14 games Sunday.

Blackjack

Patrick Levesque (21-20-41) last Saturday night scored twice to become the first Mallard to top 20 goals this season. Levesque had failed to score in six games prior to last Saturday. Levesque now ranks fourth in the league in goals and is tied for eighth in points.

Chris Cranks Up

Chris Lipsett has totaled seven points (four goals, three assists) in his last five games.

Silent Thunder

Jerad Kaufmann yesterday made 21 saves while posting his second shutout of the season and his second whitewashing of the PrairieThunder. Kaufmann also blanked Bloomington on January 2, stopping 42 shots in the process.

Working for the Weekend

Kaufmann started three games in under 48 hours last weekend and four games in a five day span. He has also appeared in each of the Mallards' last eight games.

Isn't That Special (Teams)?

The Mallards have killed off their opponents' last 11 power plays and 18 of their foes' last 19 man advantages. Quad City does still rank last in the league on the penalty kill (78.2 percent).

Ins and Outs

Defenseman A.J. Bozoian (hip flexor) missed the Mallards' three games last weekend... Defenseman Shaun Fisher (back), forward Terry Harrison (groin) and defenseman Matt Burke (ankle) are on injured reserve.

SCOUTING REPORT

Fort Wayne

The Komets take on the Dayton Gems tomorrow night after posting back-to-back wins last weekend. The Komets followed up last Friday's win over the Mallards by defeating Port Huron 4-2 Sunday...Fort Wayne has gone 10-2-0-1 in its last 13 games...The Komets are 5-7-0-1 in their last 13 road games...The Komets allow a league low average of 2.5 goals per game...Tim Haun (15-8-0-2, 2.27, .919) leads the league in goals against averge, ranks fourth in save percentage and is tied for second in wins. A 6-1 loss last Tuesday at Port Huron ended Haun's five-game winning streak and seven game regulation unbeaten streak (6-0-0-1)...Nick Boucher (10-5-0-0, 2.55, .920), the other half of the Komets' goaltending tandem, ranks third in save percentage and fourth in goals against average...Colin Chaulk (12-30-42) ranks fifth in the IHL in assists and seventh in points. Chaulk has produced ten points (three goals, seven assists) in his last seven games and 26 points (11 goals, 15 assists) in his last 17 contests...P.C. Drouin (13-28-41) ranks sixth in assists and is tied for eighth in points and has recorded 22 points

(eight goals, 14 assists) in his last 22 games...Leo Thomas (18-13-31) ranks sixth 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 1-5-1-1 against Fort Wayne this season.

Port Huron

The Icehawks are in the midst of a three-game losing streak- their longest of the season. Port Huron suffered home losses to Flint last Saturday and Fort Wayne Sunday after falling in Muskegon 3-2 last Wednesday. That trio of setbacks has left the Icehawks in second place in the IHL, four points behind the league leading Lumberjacks...The Icehawks have gone 2-3-0-0 in their last five home games after posting a record of 15-2-0-0 in their first 17 outings at McMorran Arena...The Icehawks lead the IHL in power play efficiency (22.4 percent) and penalty killing (88.3 percent) and ranks second in goal scoring (3.5 per game) and goals against (2.6)...The Icehawks have scored two goals or fewer in each of their last three games after scoring four or more in each of their previous five outings...Larry Sterling (15-3-0-1, 2.36, .921) is tied for the league lead in save percentage, ranks second in goals against average and is tied for second in wins while Adam Russo (13-9-0-2, 2.58, .912) ranks fourth in wins and fifth in goals against average...Mikael Bedard (26-23-49) ranks second in the league in goals and third in points. Bedard leads rookies in goals, assists and points. He has gone pointless in three games for just the second time this season after ripping off 19 goals and 27 points in his previous 17 games...Derek Patrosso (20-26-46) ranks fifth in the league in goals and sixth in points...Nick Lindberg (7-31-38) ranks fourth in assists... Daniel Tetrault (7-23-30) leads 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 3-2-0-1 against the Icehawks this season.

UPCOMING HOME GAMES

Wednesday, February 3, 7:05 p.m.- Mallards vs. Port Huron Icehawks

$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, February 6, 7:05 p.m.- Mallards vs. Fort Wayne Komets

$2 12-ounce Drafts;

Fans will again have the chance to enjoy $2 12-ounce drafts at i wireless Center concession stands during Saturday evening's game.

COMMUNITY

Friday, February 5: Moline Boys & Girls Club

Mallards players will speak to children at the Moline Boys & Girls Club at 3:30 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 February 2, 2010


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central