#adam vay

[sockenpuppe]

nice catch!

[qcmallardshockey]

Komets Grab Momentum Before Play-offs

FORT WAYNE, IN—Two games that didn’t really matter sure seemed to be hard games for the Quad City Mallards and Fort Wayne Komets. Armed with the knowledge for almost a month that the teams would face each other in the first round of the Kelly Cup play-offs beginning next week, the home-and-home series was simply some good hockey for the fans. But the Mallards seem to have taken a different approach than the Komets when it comes to what a pointless game means.

The Komets, to put it bluntly, squashed the Mallards in the weekend series. There really was no contest when it came to who was the better team, and it wasn’t the Illinois-based team. Friday’s game seemed slightly more evenly matched, but not by much. The Mallards failed to show up for the first period both night, and the Komets jumped on that opportunity.

Mike Embach began the scoring at one minute and 40 seconds of the game, Brett Perlini and Garrett Thompson assisting. The puck went five-hole on Adam Vay after Vay left the crease to play the puck and couldn’t get squared up again fast enough. Kyle Thomas then added to the score ten minutes later, Mike Cazzola and Curtis Leonard earning the assists on that tally. Leonard passed from Gretzky’s office behind Pat Nagle to Cazzola as he was at the center line next to the benches. Thomas was streaking in along center ice, receiving the puck and then shooting from the low slot. Twenty hockey minutes later Shawn Szydlowski put the Komets up three to nothing. Jamie Schaafsma sent him the puck, and Szydlowski fired it in from the right dot to go top-shelf.

Dylan Labbe and Szydlowski then engaged in extra-curriculars with one minute and two seconds remaining in the middle frame, the latter appearing to have the upper-hand. The fight began at the Komets’ blue-line along the boards and then traveled to the center face-off dot before ending. Both combatants fell to the ice, but came back up swinging before being separated by the officials.

Mason Baptista then got yet another fluky goal, as the night before he had scored after the puck bounced to him off an official’s shin-pad. Ryan Lowney and Gabriel Desjardins made their ways onto the scoresheet with the assists, when Baptista fired the puck from the edge of the right circle. The puck bounced off Vay’s glove, slowly bouncing backwards before crossing the line. Thompson then made it five to nothing for the Komets 22 seconds later when he sent a slapshot in to the twine just seconds after a face-off to Vay’s left. Leonard and Perlini were credited with the apples on Thompson’s tally.

Cody Sol assisted on Baptista’s second of the night, keeping the puck in along the right boards at the blue-line and passing to the Baptista. The latter then found nothing but twine when he made a shot. Sixty-six seconds later the Mallards ruined Nagle’s shut-out. Mike Wilson fired a one-timer in from the left boards after getting the pass from Andrew Panzarella. Sam Warning earned the secondary assist on that goal.

The two teams will face-off again on Good Friday at 7 CST in Fort Wayne for the opening game of the first round of the 2017 Kelly Cup Play-offs. They will then meet again the following night at 6:30 CST before play transitions to the iWireless Center on April 19th. Next Wednesday’s game will also be at 6:30 CST, as all Wednesday games at the iWireless Center are.

[qcmallardshockey]

Fuel Continue as Spoiler

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – The Indy Fuel refuse to go quietly into the off-season, instead fighting hard for the last games of the season. The Quad City Mallards already know they’ll be facing the Fort Wayne Komets for the first round of the Kelly Cup play-offs, and the Komets have already locked in home-ice advantage, so the points are pointless at this point in the game. With the last two games of the regular season this weekend, – and against the Komets no less – the Mallards need one thing more than anything else: confidence. The Komets haven’t been an easy opponent for the Mallards this season, but they haven’t been impossible. This final weekend will perhaps help determine the momentum of the opening round.

The scoring started out early, Alex Wideman netting a goal just ten seconds after the opening face-off. Paul Zanette won the drop, passing it back to Jake Marchment. Marchment then passed along the left boards to Wideman, who slid the puck in past Adam Vay’s blocker. Almost 14 minutes later Chris Francis knotted the score with help from Michael Parks. Parks passed from left of the goal-line back to Francis in the slot, who one-timered it in over Jake Hildebrand’s glove.

Josh Shalla gave his team the lead back just under two minutes into the middle frame, when Kenny Ryan won the face-off to Vay’s right. Shalla then fired the puck in over Vay’s glove. Nick Bligh netted his first tally of the night two minutes later, Filip Rydstrom and Matt Rupert assisting. Rydstrom, at the edge of the left circle in the Mallards’ defensive zone, passed to Bligh at the right dot. Bligh then sent a rocket of a shot into the net, the puck having so much force it continued in-between Vay’s elbow and body to trickle into the twine.

Those same three Fuel players would combine for another goal minutes later, with only the assists switched around. Bligh passed to Rupert, who then passed back to Bligh between his legs as he stood at the right edge of the crease. Bligh backhanded the puck into the gaping net, Vay unable to go coast to coast fast enough to make the save. Justin Kovacs a minute later put his team back on track, closing the home team’s lead to 4-2. Nolan LaPorte in the high slot passed to Kovacs as the latter skated towards the right edge of the crease. Kovacs slipped the puck in behind Hildebrand to turn the red light on and begin the Mallards’ attempted comeback.

The third period was less action-packed, the next goal not coming until just three seconds over the halfway mark of the final frame. A few seconds after Donnie Harris exited the penalty box for cross-checking, he received the puck from Mike Wilson just past the blue-line as they skated up the ice. Harris’ shot from the left dot completed the comeback bid, as three minutes later Bligh scored a hat-trick. Austin Hervey and Shalla assisted, Shalla passing from just before the center line along the right boards to Hervey. Hervey was at the blue-line, and then skated up to the dot before passing to Bligh at the left corner of the crease.

With just five seconds left in the game, Marchment sealed the deal with his unassisted empty net goal. The puck just barely managed to cross the line, Marchment shooting from the left corner at just the right angle to sink the puck.

The Mallards return home to face the Komets on Friday for the last regular season home game before traveling to Fort Wayne for the rest of the home-and-home series the following night. As always, puck-drop is schedule for 7 CST for Friday’stilt. The Mallards’ first play-off game is the following Friday – Good Friday – in Fort Wayne.

[qcmallardshockey]

Broken Mavericks Harnessed by Mallards

MOLINE, IL – The Quad City Mallards and Missouri Mavericks faced off again on Saturday for the second night in a row. The Mallards had a lot to fight for, needing only three points to clinch a play-off berth. While they couldn’t get all three against the Mavericks on Saturday, getting two would have been crucial before traveling to Indy for a Sunday matinee. The home team came out looking like they were in play-off mode, dominating the game for a full 60 minutes.

The scoring opened with a Warning shot- a Sam Warning shot, that is. After receiving the puck from Josh MacDonald and Chase Lang, Warning went a full 360 around the back of the net from the right dot before scoring. This goal came after the Mallards killed 95 seconds of five-on-three a few minutes earlier after both Jack Nevins and Mike Wilson had entered the sin bin.  Nevins had attempted to fight a Maverick, but the visitor decided not to after Nevins had already dropped his gloves. The penalty kill unit for the Mallards was solid on Saturday, though there were a few times that fans began to worry.

The Mallards wasted 50 seconds of power-play time with about five minutes left in the first period after Jared VanWormer was whistled for slashing. After Adam Vay went to the bench to give his team the extra attacker, the Mallards then spent the next 50 seconds in their own zone passing the puck around and occasionally passing it very close to their empty net. A Maverick finally touched it, allowing the Mallards goaltender to return to his crease and for VanWormer to take a seat. A minute later it appeared that Nolan LaPorte had scored, but the referee waved it off after losing sight of the puck. The announcement explaining the goal being waved off stated that Josh Robinson had control of the puck before LaPorte batted it in, causing fans to boo the officiating. The Mallards continued to dominate the rest o the period, however, Lang scoring roughly two minutes later with help from Warning and Kevin Gibson. Warning carried the puck to the left goal-line before traveling back to the left dot to pass it. Lang was doing an excellent job screening Robinson and batted the puck in high from the right post.

The Mallards almost had a five-on-three power-play midway through the middle frame, but a Wilson interference call decreased it to only a four-on-three power-play. This didn’t stop the Mallards, as Justin Kovacs rifled the puck in from the left dot. Alexander Kuqali and Guillaume Gelinas made their ways onto the score sheet with the assists on that tally. Kovacs was along the half-boards at the blue line infront of the Mallards’ bench when he passed to Gelinas in the low slot. Gelinas returned to the line-up after missing the past two home games – Wednesday’s against the Kalamazoo Wings and Friday’s Mavericks match-up. No more penalties would be called through the game. Nine minutes later Gelinas added to the Mallards’ lead to make it four to nothing, Kovacs and Nevins assisting.

The beginning of the third period showed that Vay was in the zone, making stupendous saves the Mavericks began to throw shots on net. While the Mallards hadn’t let up the intensity, when a goalie is riding 40 minutes of no red lights behind him any shot on goal is a heart-stopper. Robinson also made some great saves during the night – the two goalies both had 32 saves – but it wasn’t enough to get the victory. Andrew Panzarella sealed the deal for the Mallards at the nine minutes and one second mark of the final frame, scoring unassisted after the puck skimmed Robinson’s right shoulder and went into the net.

Vay earned his third career shut-out, and I say he deserves Sunday off when his team travels to Indianapolis to face the Fuel. If the Mallards either win in any fashion or lose in extra hockey, they will have clinched a play-off berth. Puck drop is set for 2 o’clock CST.

[qcmallardshockey]

Mallards work overtime

MOLINE, IL -- Coach Phil Axtell got his first victory behind the bench after getting a new title on Friday, facing off against the Missouri Mavericks. The Quad City Mallards and Mavericks played their first of three games in as many days, this one coming at the iWireless Center before play transitions to Independence, MO.

Michael Parks opened the scoring just 35 seconds after the opening face-off, Brady Brassart and Nolan LaPorte assisting. The goal came off a backhand shot that faked Eamon McAdam out to cause him to sprawl, leaving a gaping net. Through the first 20 minutes, the Mallards seemed to be on fire.

Kevin Tansey tied the game from the blueline at the ten minutes, 43 seconds mark of the opening frame, Carter Verhaeghe earning the assist. The Mavericks would go on to score three more goals before the night was through, seemingly dashing the Mallards' chances of victory.

Twelve seconds after Kevin Gibson entered the box for highsticking in the second period, Rocco Carzo gave the visitors the lead, Verhaeghe earning his second assist of the night while Darren Nowick earned his first. Two minutes later Dan Correale extended the Mavericks' lead, Nowick and Dane Fox with the assists.

Fox scored a goal of his own just 24 seconds into the final period, Nowick the only apple. The puck found the lone gap in Vay's coverage, sailing in just above his right shoulder as he hugged the post. It was then, when the fire seemed extinguished in the Mallards, that they found a spark.

Parks passed the puck infront of the crease to Pavel Jenys, who scored his sixth goal of the season as he tapped the puck in on McAdam's left side just outside the paint. Chris Francis also assisted on Jenys' goal, which game at the seven minutes and 19 seconds mark.

Jack Nevins put the Mallards within one goal when he found twine at 11 minutes and 21 seconds. LaPorte and Brassart found their ways back to the scoresheet with the assists on Nevin's goal. Thirty-one seconds later Alex Gudbranson tied the game unassisted to send the game to overtime.

Grant Arnold was shoved into McAdam as he screened the goalie shortly after Gudbranson's tally, falling to the ice and knocking McAdam off his feet as well. McAdam punched Arnold with his blocker, drawing another Mav player who seemed to try to punch Arnold as well. This created a scrum to the left of the net, which Adam Vay appeared to want to join. Vay looked over at the bench as the scrum grew, but Coach Axtell told him no. Instead, Vay was forced to watch the proceedings from the other end of the ice., never leaving his crease.

The overtime was scoreless, both goalies making incredible saves. After his fight and victory over Fort Wayne last Saturday, Vay seems to have become the goalie Minnesota knew he could be when they signed him this summer. There was one point where, with 82 seconds left before the shoot-out, Missouri had a breakaway and looked sure to win the match. But whoosh went Vay's glove to make the save and handle the puck to a Mallard player to bring the play back down the ice.

The Mavericks' shot first in the shoot-out, Verhaeghe getting the first chance. He, as well as Fox at the end, missed; Radoslav Illo was the only Missouri player to be successful in the shoot-out. Francis shot first for the Mallards and scored, followed by Parks. Parks found twine, once again on the backhand, to win the game.

The Mallards travel to Independence to take on the Mavericks again on Saturday and Sunday, puck drop on Saturday scheduled for 7 CST.

[qcmallardshockey]

Mallards fight but not to a victory

CINCINNATI, OH -- Wednesday night featured several unlikely occurrences, which intersected in the third period to create a great deal of excitement. A new player, the return of an old player, and an unexpected goal scorer were just a few of the highlights of the match-up between the Cincinnati Cyclones and visiting Quad City Mallards.

Before the game, the Mallards had announced the addition of John Siemer from the Macon Mayhem, and the return of C.J. Motte from his professional try-out agreement with the American Hockey League's Charlotte Checkers. Siemer debuted in Cincinnati, but didn't make a mark on the scoresheet.

Jack Nevins scored the first goal of the game six minutes and 39 seconds after the opening face-off. Nevins sniped the puck in after receiving the pass from Pavel Jenys and Guillaume Gelinas. Cincinnati tied the game just two seconds shy of the exact middle of the match on Nick Huard's unassisted shorthanded tally.

The Cyclones scored two goals in the final frame roughly two and a half minutes apart, the first at six minutes and 15 seconds and the other at eight minutes and 40 seconds. Craig Dalrymple scored the goal that put the home team up two to one on the powerplay from Peter LeBlanc, while Seth Ambroz scored the game-winning goal with help from Huard and Jaynen Rissling.

At ten minute and 37 seconds of the third period Brandon McNally delivered a hard hit on Andrew Panzarella behind the net in the Mallards' zone. Adam Vay took exception to his defenseman being treated so, and left the crease to tackle and lay some punches on McNally as he skated away. After McNally stood up, he was quickly facing Panzarella, who jack-hammered punches to the noggin. McNally was unable to throw a punch in either encounter.

As Panzarella delivered the beatdown to McNally, Vay skated to the center ice. Michael Houser dropped his glove and blocker, meeting Vay at the dividing line. Vay dropped Houser with a one-two punch, Houser having barely finished squaring up before hitting the ice. It's worth mentioning that Vay does MMA in his freetime. Bobby Metcalf has more on that here.

In total, 46 penalty minutes were handed out for the fighting. Twenty of those minutes went to the fighting goalies for being the second fight at a whistle. The goalies were replaced by their counterparts from the benches; Mark Visentin would stop two of the three shots he faced in nine minutes, while Motte stonewalled the Cyclones.

Two minutes after the fights, Nevins scored again, this time off a face-off to Visentin's right. Brady Brassart won the face-off to pass the puck back to Nevins to score. The Mallards were unable to complete the comeback, however.

The Mallards return home for the start of Alumni Weekend on Friday, facing off against the Indy Fuel at 7:05 PM.

[qcmallardshockey]

Mallards lack coffee in early morning game

BRAMPTON, ON -- The Quad City Mallards, and fans, needed a pot of Tim Hortons this morning, but the team seemingly failed to make a run to the chain and suffered for it. A former Mallard also helped in the team's downfall this morning against the Brampton Beast. After going down 3-0 in the first 20 minutes, the Mallards were unable to dig themselves out of the hole they'd dug.

Jordan Henry put the Beast in an early lead just over five minutes into the game. Luke Pither and Scott Jacklin assisted. Adam Vay was unable to go coast to coast, leaving a gaping net on the right side for Henry. Sixty two seconds later Brandon Marino added to Brampton's lead with help from David Pacan and Chris Leveille. For those who don't have a copy of the Mallards' 20th anniversary magazine with the 20 greatest Mallards of all time, Marino appears in those pages.

At 10:27 David Vallorani scored from the highslot, causing many of the children in attendance to begin waving their toques as rally towels. Pither and Tim Billingsley earned assists on Vallorani's goal.

Michael Parks ended Zachary Fucale's shutout 96 seconds into the middle frame, Brady Brassart and Nolan LaPorte assisting. There was no real finesse on the puck, Parks jamming the puck in point blank. Any coffee drank by either team seemed to have worn off during the second period, neither team scoring again until after the second intermission.

Alex Gudbranson set the Mallards further onto the road to an attempted comeback, scoring at 5:44 of the final frame. Alex Petan cleared the zone to LaPorte at the blueline, who streaked down the right boards trailed by Gudbranson. A great set-up led to a simple goal for the Mallards.

Leveille scored the game winning goal eight minutes later from Pacan and Marino for perhaps one of the easiest goals I've seen. The play began in Brampton's own zone and shifted down the ice with absolutely no pressure from the Mallards. Pacan and Leveille passed the puck back and forth as the teams moved down the ice, Leveille sliding the puck into the net just above Vay's right foot as he did the splits and fell face-first towards the ice. It looked almost as if the Mallards' controller had come unplugged, because there was no defense to speak of.

Less than a minute later Jack Nevins put the Mallards within one with a deflected goal off a Gudbranson shot. Kevin Gibson earned the other assist.

The two teams face off again tomorrow night at 6:15 CST.

[qcmallardshockey]

Nailers pound Flock again

MOLINE, IL -- For the second night in a row, the Wheeling Nailers defeated the Quad City Mallards 3-2. This time, however, there was no spirit of festivity in the air before the game to help soften the poor performance of the home team. In the lobby of the iWireless Center there was a conference of the paranormal and psychic; perhaps the fans had inquired to the future while waiting for entrance to the game.

The Nailers took a 1-0 lead roughly four and a half minutes into the opening frame off a Josh Shalla shot. Nick Sorkin assisted on the even strength goal that disturbed Adam Vay's water bottle as it entered the net. Less than two minutes later Sam Warning would tie the game with help from Michael Parks. Parks dropped the puck back from the left dot to Warning who came up to the left dot in what was one of the few great shows of successful coordination from the Mallards in that game.

Brady Brassart made an incredible play at the blueline a few minutes later, jumping to catch the puck before it could go offsides and then taking it towards the net to set up an almost goal. The first period the teams were mostly evenly matched, but by the second period the Mallards were being outplayed.

Pavel Jenys gave the Mallards their only lead of the night from a deflected Guillaume Gelinas shot. Nolan Laporte also assisted on the powerplay goal that came just over a minute after Kyle Flemington entered the penalty box for slashing.

Michael Webster scored an unassisted goal late in the middle frame to tie the game. Then, with just nine and a half seconds remaining in the period, a defensive lapse led to the game-winning goal from Cody Wydo. Shalla and Kevin Schulze assisted on the lead-giving goal.

Over the past two nights, the Nailers accumulated 93 shots on goal; the Mallards only earned 60. The Mallards need to channel the teams the beat Tulsa and Toledo on the Marsh's ice; it was only nine days ago the Mallards defeated the dominating Walleye.

The Mallards next take the ice on Wednesday in Cincinnati at 635 CST.