MOLINE, Ill. (February 3, 2015) - The Quad City Mallards will move to the ECHL's Midwest Division where they will renew their rivalries with the Fort Wayne Komets and Evansville IceMen next season as part of a league-wide realignment announced today by the ECHL.
The Mallards will be joined in the five-team Midwest Division by not only Fort Wayne and Evansville but also by the Cincinnati Cyclones and Indy Fuel. The 28-team ECHL goes from four seven-team divisions this season to six divisions of four or five teams split into two conferences in 2015-16.
"Realignment gives us the chance to reengage and build on already existing rivalries, including a historic rivalry with Fort Wayne that dates back a decade and a half, and write new chapters with natural geographic rivals in Cincinnati and Indianapolis," said Mallards president Bob McNamara. "Our transition to the ECHL this season has been a big success both on and off the ice and now with realignment and four strong division rivals on the way, the stage is set for another great season next year."
The Mallards and Komets have battled against each other in four different leagues- the United Hockey League, International Hockey League, Central Hockey League and ECHL- since first colliding in 1999. Most memorably, the two clubs met in the 2003 UHL finals with the Komets taking the title. The Mallards and IceMen first locked horns as members of the CHL in 2010-11 and 2011-12.
The Mallards met Cincinnati for the first time ever earlier this season. The Cyclones scored one-goal wins at the iWireless Center on October 31 and November 1. The Mallards have never played against the expansion Fuel, which is in its first year of existence.
The Midwest Division next season will be part of the Western Conference along with the Central and West Divisions while the Eastern Conference will be comprised of the North, East and South Divisions. The division winners will earn the top three playoff seeds in each conference while the teams with the next five highest point totals in each conference will also qualify for the postseason.
The Mallards this season are competing in the Central Division with the six teams- the Allen Americans, Brampton Beast, Missouri Mavericks, Rapid City Rush, Tulsa Oilers and Wichita Thunder- who moved with them from the CHL to the ECHL just prior to the start of the campaign.
McNamara and Mallards coach and general manager Terry Ruskowski will address the ECHL's realignment and the Mallards' new division in a press conference at 12:30 p.m. Thursday at R.I.A. Federal Credit Union in Bettendorf. R.I.A. is located at 4217 Utica Ridge Road.
The Mallards return to action tonight on the road against the Missouri Mavericks. The Mallards next play at home Friday night at 7:05 p.m. against the Wichita Thunder.
Friday brings the return of $1 Dog/$1 Beer Night presented by 97X and MetroLINK. Fans can enjoy $1 hot dogs and beers from iWireless Center concession stands during all Friday home games.
The Mallards have partnered with Metro to provide transit service between Augustana College and downtown Moline during Friday home games. Students can catch the Route 10 on campus via 7th Avenue to and from games, with the Route 10 dropping students off near campus or in the District after games. Students can then take the Route 53 from the District back to Augustana until 3 a.m. As part of Metro's unlimited ride program, Augustana riders can use their Augustana ID as their fare. Fans can visit www.gogreenmetro.com or www.facebook.com/53and59 for more information.
In addition, for Friday home games the Mallards have joined with Rooster's Sports Bar & Grill in Rock Island to offer fans the chance to get a lower level ticket to the Mallards' game along with an appetizer and drink at Rooster's and a Metro bus ride to the game from Rooster's and back for just $20. For more information fans can contact Rooster's at 309-283-7005.
Tickets for all remaining Mallards regular season home games- including Friday night's contest- are on sale now at the iWireless Center box office, Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com and 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
