Menicci, Sessa named All-Star starters

Published on January 15, 2004 under International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Quad City Mallards News Release


Moline, IL – The results of online voting are in, and United Hockey League fans have voted Quad City Mallards defenseman Tom Menicci and right wing Jason Sessa into the starting lineup for the Western Conferrence in Sunday's UHL All-Star Classic at Fort Wayne. Mallards centers Martin Hlinka and Jeff Williams will also play for the Western Conference team.

Here are the starting lineups for the Comcast 2004 UHL All-Star Classic:

Eastern Conference Western Conference

F Hugo Belanger – Adirondack F Robin Bouchard – Muskegon

F Brent Gretzky – Port Huron F Colin Chaulk – Fort Wayne

F Kevin St. Jacques – Richmond F Jason Sessa – Quad City

D Trevor Burgess – Elmira D Tom Menicci – Quad City

D Martin Woods – Flint D Kelly Perrault – Fort Wayne

G Peter Aubry – Elmira G Kevin St. Pierre – Fort Wayne

Menicci was a first team UHL All-Star last season after scoring a career high 17 goals and leading the Mallards with 39 assists and 233 shots on goal. He currently leads the Mallards with 19 assists and ranks among the league's top five defensemen in assists, total points, power play assists, power play points, and shorthanded points.

Sessa is tied for third in the league with 24 goals in the first 35 games of the season and is on pace to score 52 goals for the 2003-04 campaign. He is tied for the UHL lead with five game-winning goals and is tied for third with three shorthanded goals. He leads the Mallards in goals, points (35), and shots on goal (114).

Hlinka, a member of the Mallards' 2001 Colonial Cup Champions, is having an outstanding comeback season after missing the past year and a half due to injury. He ranks second on the Mallards with 18 goals and 29 points and is third in the league with a team-high .234 shooting percentage.

Williams ranked second on the Mallards last season in goals, points, and plus/minus rating, despite playing just 41 games. He tied for the UHL lead in overall scoring during the 2003 Colonial Cup Playoffs. This season, in 30 games, he has scored 27 points, on 14 goals and 13 assists.

The Mallards (21-12-2) visit Rockford Friday at 7:05 p.m., then host the archrival Flint Generals on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. Fans can Meet Baseball Great Tommy John, presented by Fox Sports Net. In a major league record 26 seasons as a pitcher, John won 288 games, won 20 or more games three times after undergoing revolutionary elbow surgery that now bears his name, and participated in two World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He will speak at 5:45 p.m., then meet fans and sign autographs. Also Saturday, dance for the chance to win two free airline tickets in the AirTran Dancing for Destinations contest.

Tickets for Mallards 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 from www.qcmallards.com. For more information, call the Mallards at (309) 764-PUCK.

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International Hockey League 2 Stories from January 15, 2004


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