THIS WEEK
Friday, January 31, 7:05 p.m.
iWireless Center, Moline
Tulsa Oilers vs. Quad City Mallards
Saturday, February 1, 7:05 p.m.
Independence Events Center, Independence
Quad City Mallards vs. Missouri Mavericks
LAST WEEK
Thursday, January 23
Quad City 4 Brampton 1
Friday, January 24
Sunday, January 26
Brampton 4 Quad City 3 (OT)
Quad City
18-9-8, 44 points
6th place
Coach: Terry Ruskowski
Tulsa
19-21-3, 41 points
7th place
Coach: Bruce Ramsay
Missouri
24-11-2, 50 points
3rd place
Coach: Scott Hillman
QUACK TRACKS
Last Week
The Mallards went 2-0-1 in Brampton last weekend. The Mallards came up just short in their bid to win each of their six regular season road games against the Beast, finishing 5-0-1 at the Powerade Centre after falling in overtime Sunday.
Rebound
The Mallards earned five of six available points in Brampton after having gone 0-2-2 in their prior four games.
Tight
The Mallards are just one point behind the fifth place Beast, on whom they have seven games in hand.
Playing the Percentages
The Mallards, who have played fewer games (35) than any other CHL club, have the league's fourth best winning percentage (.629).
Balance
While the Mallards rank in the top half of the league in goal scoring- fifth at 3.3 goals per game- no Mallard ranks in the top 20 in the CHL in point scoring.
On the Road
In the wake of their successes in Brampton, the Mallards are now 7-1-1 in their last nine road games.
Trouble at Home
The Mallards have gone without a win (0-2-2) in their last four home games- their longest home winless streak this year.
Blanked
Ty Rimmer made 35 saves while shutting out the Beast last Friday. Rimmer came close to posting shutouts on back-to-back nights, stopping 69 of 70 shots over the first two games of the Mallards' series in Brampton. Last Thursday he held the Beast off the scoreboard until Rob Collins scored with just two minutes and seven seconds left in the third period. Last Friday's blanking of Brampton was also the second of rookie Rimmer's career- he registered his first shutout on December 13 when he stopped 48 shots in a 2-0 win over the Rush in Rapid City- and the Mallards' fourth this season. Rimmer posted a 1.63 goals against average and a .954 save percentage over the Mallards' three games in Brampton.
Workin' Overtime
The Mallards are 1-3 in games deciding in overtime. Each of those four sudden death decisions came against Brampton. The Mallards- who have gone 1-5 in shootouts- are 2-8 in games that last longer than 60 minutes.
500
Mallard captain Darren McMillan Friday night played his five hundredth career game. Now in his ninth season, the Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, native has scored 35 goals, picked up 148 assists and totaled 183 points over the course of his career. McMillan has now played 243 games for the Mallards over the last five seasons.
300
Vladimir Nikiforov yesterday played his three hundredth career game. Nikiforov has recorded 62 goals, 113 assists, and 175 points over five professional seasons. Nikiforov returned to the United States with the Mallards this season after playing in Russia with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl last year. Before heading across the Atlantic, he spent his first three professional campaigns skating for six teams in four leagues.
First
Forward Justin Fox yesterday scored his first Mallard goal since joining the team January 15.
Rapid Fire
Mike Stinziani scored eight seconds into the second period Friday night. That goal was the Mallards' fastest from the start of a period this season.
Leading the Way
Linemates Jeff Lee (1-4-5) and Thomas Frazee (2-2-4) recorded at least a point apiece in each of the Mallards' three games in Brampton and were the club's top two point scorers in the series.
Leaders
Lee is tied for tenth in +/- (+15)...Mike Hellyer is tied for fourth in game winning goals (5)...Among rookies, Frazee is tied for third in points (24) and assists (15) and ranks fifth in goals (9)...Thomas Heemskerk ranks second in goals against average (2.45) and save percentage (.920)...Rimmer ranks eighth in goals against average (2.82) and save percentage (.910).
Milestones
Jim McKenzie has recorded 98 career assists... McMillan has collected 97 career CHL assists.
Special Teams
While the Mallards rank last in the CHL in power play efficiency (10.9 percent), they have scored on the man advantage in each of their last two games. Benjamin Dieude-Fauvel Friday night halted the Mallards' 0-for-21 power play drought; Matt Duffy's third period 5-on-3 goal forced yesterday's game to overtime. The Mallards went 12-for-12 on the penalty kill in their three games in Brampton. The Mallards rank sixth in penalty killing (82.8 percent) and third in shorthanded goals (6).
Head to Head
The Mallards and Oilers have split their first two meetings. The Mallards routed Tulsa 9-3 November 30 at the iWireless Center before falling to the Oilers on the road 5-2 on December 20. Tulsa's Adam Pleskach (0-5-5) and Ben Gordon 1-4-5) are the top point producers in the season series. Gergo Nagy (1-3-4) and Frazee (0-4-4) have been the most productive Mallards over the first two games between the clubs. The Mallards and Oilers will conclude their four-game season series February 21 in Tulsa. All-time, the Mallards have gone 7-6-0 overall against Oilers and have gone 5-3-0 at home against Tulsa...After playing just one of their first 36 games against Missouri, the Mallards will play nine of their final 30 tilts against the Mavericks. The Mavs won the season series opener 5-4 in a shootout on November 27 at the Independence Events Center. Since entering the CHL in 2010, the Mallards have gone 14-12-3 against the Mavericks and have posted a record of 9-6-1 in Independence.
Ins and Outs
Heemskerk returned to the Mallards today from the American Hockey League's Worcester Sharks after signing a professional tryout agreement with Worcester January 15...Defenseman Nicholas Rioux rejoined the Mallards today from the AHL's Iowa Wild after signing a PTO with Iowa last Tuesday...Goaltender Nick Niedert was waived today...Forward Nikiforov (upper body injury) returned to the active roster from seven day injured reserve last Tuesday. Both Nikiforov and defenseman Duffy (illness) returned to action last Thursday after missing the Mallards' prior game January 17 in Wichita.
NEXT HOME GAME
Friday, January 31, 7:05 p.m.- Mallards vs. Tulsa Oilers
$1 Dog/$1 Beer Friday Presented by 97X
This Friday is another $1 Dog/$1 Beer Night presented by 97X. $1 hot dogs and $1 beers are available at iWireless Center concession stands during each of the Mallards' 11 Friday night home games this season.
Mallards Bud Light Ice Girls/Kavanaugh's Hilltop Bar/MetroLINK
Mallards Bud Light Ice Girls this Friday will be on hand to meet fans at Kavanaugh's Hilltop Bar in Rock Island starting at 5:30 p.m. and then will ride MetroLINK with fans to Friday night's game at the iWireless Center.
ON THE AIR
Fox Sports Radio 1230 is the radio home of Mallards Hockey Presented by Genesis Power Sports Performance. Mallards games broadcast on AM 1230 also stream live online at www.wfxn.net. A limited number of Mallards games- including this Saturday's tilt- will not air on Fox Sports Radio 1230 due to conflicts with University of Illinois basketball and football and Green Bay Packer football. Free audio webcasts of games that do not air on AM 1230 are available at myqcmallards.com. CHL-TV pay-per-view video webcasts of all Mallards games are also available at myqcmallards.com. For a full Mallards broadcast/webcast schedule, go to
TICKETS
Single Game Tickets
Single game tickets for all Mallards regular season contests are now available. Fans can contact the Mallards at (309) 277-1364 or info@myqcmallards.com for more information about tickets. Single game tickets are also available at the i wireless Center box office, at Ticketmaster outlets, through www.ticketmaster.com
Group Tickets
Groups of at least ten receive savings off the walk-up price and a host of group benefits. Mallards group tickets are a great fit for youth organizations, friends, co-workers, family groups, religious groups, school functions and business events. For more group ticket information, fans can contact the Mallards at (309) 277-1364 or info@myqcmallards.
