Rimmer, 21, went 3-2-0 with a 2.01 goals against average, a .938 save percentage and one shutout in five games- all on the road- with the Mallards last month. Rimmer's goals against average and save percentage were the best for the month among CHL goaltenders who played at least three games.
December also saw Rimmer earn a call-up to the American Hockey League's Oklahoma City Barons, for whom he went 1-0-1 while posting a 2.65 goals against average and a .930 save percentage in three games.
Rimmer collected his first career shutout immediately upon returning to the Mallards from the AHL. The Edmonton native set a league single game season high for saves (48) and made more saves in one game than any Mallard netminder has in the club's four CHL seasons while whitewashing the Rapid City Rush 2-0 on December 13. The 6' 1", 170-pound Rimmer went on to finish 2013 on a high note by winning his last two starts of the year. He stopped 23 shots in a 3-1 defeat of the St. Charles Chill on December 22 and made 29 saves as the Mallards rallied for a 3-2 overtime victory over the Brampton Beast last Saturday night.
Rimmer's strong work in recent days has been a key ingredient in the Mallards' current hot streak. Quad City (15-6-5, 35 points) finished 2013 on a five-game winning streak- the club's longest so far this season- to climb from to seventh to fourth place in the CHL standings.
Rimmer, who has gone 7-5-2 in 14 games this season, is tied for seventh in the league in save percentage (.910) and ranks eighth in goals against average (2.76).
Rimmer joined the Mallards this season after skating in the training camp of both the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers and the AHL's Barons. Rimmer got his first taste of professional hockey last spring when he played one game for the AHL's Manchester Monarchs after completing his junior career with the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the WHL. Last season he led the WHL in minutes played (3,836) and total saves (2,106) while posting 3.19 goals against average, a .912 save percentage, a record of 24-30-10 and one shutout in 65 games with the Hurricanes.
The 2011-12 campaign was especially successful for Rimmer, who earned WHL First Team All-Star honors after leading the league in goals against average (2.43) and save percentage (.922), finishing tied for first in shutouts (5) and finishing tied for eighth in wins while going 31-12-1 in 46 games for the Tri-City Americans. His standout efforts helped propel the Americans to the United States Division title.
Over three-plus Western League seasons- during which he also played for the Brandon Wheat Kings and Prince George Cougars in addition to the Americans and Hurricanes- Rimmer went 74-65-14 in 159 games and turned in a 3.01 goals against average, a .910 save percentage and ten shutouts. Before becoming a WHL workhorse, Rimmer spent parts of two seasons in the Alberta Junior Hockey League with the St. Albert Steel and Bonnyville Pontiacs.
The red hot Mallards return to action on home ice tomorrow night at 7:05 p.m. against St. Charles. Tomorrow evening 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.
Tickets for tomorrow night's game and all Mallards regular season home games can be purchased at the iWireless Center ticket office, Ticketmaster outlets, through ticketmaster.com or through Ticketmaster charge-by-phone toll free at 1-800-745-3000. The ticket office is open weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and on game days from 10:00 a.m. until the start of the second period.
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 in the midst of their seventeenth season and their fourth in the Central Hockey League. One of the winningest teams in all of minor league hockey, the Mallards competed in the United Hockey League from 1995 through 2007 and in the International Hockey League in 2009-10. 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 i wireless 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.com. Fans can also follow the Mallards via Twitter at twitter.com/myqcmallards
