MOLINE, Ill. (October 28, 2014) - The Quad City Mallards have acquired forward Mario Lamoureux from the Ontario Reign in exchange for future considerations, the Mallards announced today.

Lamoureux, 26, scored 20 goals and totaled 40 points in 46 games with the Ontario Reign last season after starting the campaign in Austria with VSV EC, for whom he scored once and added an assist in four games.  Lamoureux also played three American Hockey League games for the Oklahoma City Barons last year.

"Mario is the center I was looking for to complement our top wingers," said Mallards coach and general manager Terry Ruskowski.  "He's a guy who's productive and very talented.  I like his attitude because he wants to come here and win."

Lamoureux was named to the 2012-13 ECHL All-Rookie Team after scoring 25 times and notching 65 points in 71 games for the Reign.  The 5' 9", 185-pound native of Grand Forks, North Dakota, broke into the professional ranks at the tail end of the 2011-12 season when he played two games for the Gwinnett Gladiators.

Lamoureux played college hockey in his home town for perennial power North Dakota.  UND qualified for the NCAA tournament each of Lamoureux's four seasons and in 2011 reached the Frozen Four.  He also helped North Dakota to three consecutive Western Collegiate Hockey Association tournament titles and a pair of conference regular season crowns.  Lamoureux scored 17 goals and produced 46 points in 157 career collegiate games.

Also today, the ECHL announced earlier that Mallards forward Todd Fiddler has been suspended for one game after being assessed a major penalty for kneeing and a game misconduct in the Mallards' game against the Rapid City Rush last Saturday and as a result will miss tonight's game between the Mallards and Rush in Rapid City.

The Mallards next play at home Friday evening - Halloween night- at 7:05 against the Cincinnati Cyclones.  Kids 12 and under wearing Halloween costumes to next Friday's tilt will receive free tickets to that game.  Next Friday is also another $1 Dog/$1 Beer Night presented by 97X and MetroLINK.  $1 hot dogs and beer are available at iWireless Center concession stands during all Mallards Friday night home games.

Single game tickets for all remaining Mallards regular season home games- including Friday's- are on sale now at the iWireless Center box office, Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.comand Ticketmaster charge-by-phone toll free at 1-800-745-3000.  The box office is open weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and game days from 10:00 a.m. until the start of the second period.  Tickets are available for $10, $16, $20 and $28.

About the Quad City Mallards
A proud affiliate of the National Hockey League's Minnesota Wild and the American Hockey League's Iowa Wild, the Quad City Mallards are in the midst of their eighteenth season and their first in the ECHL.  One of the winningest teams in all of minor league hockey, the Mallards competed in the United Hockey League from 1995 through 2007; in the International Hockey League in 2009-10; and in the Central Hockey League from 2010 through 2014.  The Mallards' proud history has seen them capture the UHL's Colonial Cup Championship three times (1997, 1998, 2001) and secure that league's Tarry Cup four times (1998, 2000, 2001, 2002) for the best overall regular season record.  In 2001, the Mallards made professional hockey history, recording their sixth consecutive season with 50 or more wins, a feat that has yet to be matched.  The iWireless Center provides a unique environment for hockey and features one-of-a-kind seating areas such as the Nest for groups and functions and the exclusive Drake Club.  For more information on the Quad City Mallards or for Mallards tickets go to www.myqcmallards.net.  Fans can also follow the Mallards via Twitter at twitter.com/myqcmallards and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/qcmallards.

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As we enter the year's final quarter, Dr. Robert J. Cerfolio, a world-renowned cardiothoracic surgeon, says it's never too early to think about self-improvement for the New Year ... and this year.

"Habitual procrastination can really hurt you in the long run because waiting to take care of something that's obviously important to you - health, money, family matters - weighs on your subconscious," says Dr. Cerfolio, known as "the Michael Jordan of lung surgery."

Understanding one's personal "line of gratification" is the foundation for sticking to self-improvement goals, he says.

"There are many kinds of lines of gratification," he says. "For some, they're the number of zeroes in their bank statement; for others, the curves of their muscles after they leave the gym. It's good and healthy to look back on your hard work and admire what you have accomplished before moving on to the next task."

Dr. Cerfolio, author of "Super Performing at Work and at Home: The Athleticism of Surgery and Life," shares tips on how to make those lines of gratification more impressive.

•  Be an early riser. The main reason operating rooms hum into action at 7 a.m. is tied to human physiology; the bodies of patients are better able to handle the stress of surgery at that time.

"People are generally better off getting work done early in the day when we're better prepared for stress and performance," he says. "And getting a job done early frees you up later in the day."

•  Love what you do. Why wouldn't you want to take ownership, responsibility and pride in what you do for a living? When you treat a job as only a means to a paycheck, you are missing the point. If your job isn't the one you'd really love to have, don't make it worse with a negative attitude. Instead, make it your own. Make it a point of personal integrity and principle to challenge yourself to achieve something every day. After all, 40 hours a week is a long time to stay anywhere.

•  Ask yourself: Did I really try my best? "I tried my best" is a common refrain from those who haven't reached their goals. An honest response you can ask yourself is, "Am I sure?" This question is not about being overly critical. It's simply about realizing that, if you had practiced or studied an extra 10 minutes each day, you would've been that much closer to your goals.

•  Set specific, measurable goals. Results define goals. Every individual should have clear goals that are objective and measurable. Goals such as "to be happy," "to do well at work" or "to get along" are too nebulous. To be successful, you have to be able to define your goals by measurable results.

•  Find the high ground. In anything you do, aspire to live up to the noblest, highest aspect of your job. Certain jobs - such as police work, firefighting, teaching or working in health care - are service oriented, so it's easier to feel good about your contributions. Look for the contributions you're making in your job and take pride in what you're doing to make the world a little better.

•  Be the go-to guy or girl. This takes time, practice and the confidence necessary to want the ball in a critical situation. Being the go-to guy or girl means being willing to take responsibility and risk failing. A go-to person is also willing to speak up about problems or changes necessary in a business or organization, and suggest solutions.

About Robert J. Cerfolio, MD, MBA

Robert J. Cerfolio, MD, MBA, is the James H. Estes Family Endowed Chair of Lung Cancer Research and Full Professor Chief of Thoracic Surgery at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. He received his medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine, surgical training at the Mayo Clinic and at Cornell-Sloan Kettering hospital, and has been in practice for more than 26 years. The author of "Super Performing at Work and at Home," Cerfolio, who was a First Team Academic All-American baseball player in college, is a world-renowned chest surgeon and recognized as one of the busiest and best thoracic surgeons in the world.