#raskob

MOLINE, IL – On Friday the Toledo Walleye and Quad City Mallards faced off for the last time, and the two teams gave the nearly 4500 fans quite the show. With Toledo having already punched their playoff card while Quad City was eliminated, the game was hard-fought and evenly matched. Both goaltenders looked very strong in net, the posts helping each of them out immensely at times.

Quad City seemed to dominate the early minutes of the game, but Toledo took the momentum back shortly after. The shots were lopsided in Toledo’s favor 8-4 only six minutes into the game, but after Toledo’s bout of momentum the home team returned to domination. Nick Bligh, after going on a breakaway that failed to score, attempted to stuff the puck into the net from the right side roughly eight minutes into the game. The puck was bouncing wildly as he and others jockeyed for control of it and the puck went wide of the twine.

The first period was scoreless, but it didn’t take long for Toledo to get on the board in the second frame. The second period was completely Toledo’s game, controlling the puck and managing to send 23 shots C.J. Motte’s way while Angus Redmond needed only to turn away seven in the same time span. Tyler Barnes scored on a wraparound from the left to the right, the puck bouncing off a Quad City defender before making its way into the net.

Motte fell victim to being out of position five minutes later, sitting upon his breezers on the right side of the crease while the puck traveled across infront of him from Colin Jacobs to Shane Berschbach. Berschbach capitalized on the gaping net infront of him, lighting the lamp.

Willie Raskob attempted to break up a Kyle Bonis scoring chance by wrapping his arms around the Walleye’s waist, but the maneuver misfired and instead Bonis was able to score as he fell with only 21 seconds remaining in the middle frame.

Roughly six minutes into the final frame the Mallards managed to end Redmond’s shut out, Jamie Tardif sending in a backhanded shot from the front of the crease. Tardif received the pass from Travis Armstrong and Chris Izmirlian.

Austen Brassard showed some aggression towards Alex Globke, knocking him to the ice. Globke was slow to get up as play continued, but when he did return to his feet he went after Brassard along the right boards in the Mallards’ zone. The two dropped their gloves, Globke receiving the brunt of the fight. Jake Bolton and Ryan Obuchowski seemed to want a piece of each other, as did Armstrong and Patrick McCarron. Brassard earned two minutes for cross-checking ontop of his five for fighting, and the Mallards went on the last power play of the night.

One minute into Quad City’s power play Quentin Shore scored his first goal as a Mallard, sending a rocket into the twine from the half boards at the blue line.

In the waning minutes of the game the Mallards fought hard to finish the comeback and tie the game, pulling Motte and working the diamond pattern in the offensive zone, but the bid failed.

The Mallards begin a six game road trip on Sunday, starting in Kansas City and ending in Rapid City, SD. Opening puck drop is set for 4 CST on Sunday. The Mallards return to the TaxSlayer Center for their final three home games beginning Wednesday April 4.

MOLINE, IL – The Quad City Mallards and Indy Fuel put on quite the show for fans at the TaxSlayer Center before the All-Star break kicked into effect following the game, but it was not the result the home team wanted. After losing 13 straight games the Mallards sought to begin a winning streak, but one game does not a streak make. The Mallards managed a comeback in the final frame, but fell just one goal short of tying it to send the game to overtime.

Throughout the game the Mallards played physically, a recent departure from the season-long trend that showed a team apparently lacking in the chutzpah to toe the line of earning calls. Sam Warning started out the scoring roughly three and a half minutes into the game, scoring a highlight reel worthy goal. After receiving a pass from Tristan King, Warning spin-o-rama-ed from left to right and on the back-hand sent the puck flying into the net. Ten minutes later the visitors would get on the board after having a man in front of the net to screen Jake Paterson. Paterson made his debut in net on Saturday after being assigned to the Mallards from the Milwaukee Admirals on Friday. Jack Burton found a hole through the screen with help from Josh Shalla and Michael Neal, knotting the score.

Through the first 30 minutes of play the Mallards seemed like the dominant team, but a three minutes and four seconds stretch in the middle of the second frame would spell doom for the Flock.The Mallards were short-handed once more with only 14 skaters, and while they appeared gassed at times overall it was a strong performance. Once again the screen proved difficult for Paterson to see through, Robin Press this time finding an opening to give the Fuel the lead which they would hold for the rest of the night. Stephen Collins and Matt Rupert assisted on the power-play goal that came 36 seconds into Warning’s slashing penalty, Press sliding the puck between not only Matt Pohlkamp’s legs, and not only John McInnis’ legs, but also Paterson’s legs to meet twine.

Just a smidge under two minutes later, McInnis scored a goal of his own after he picked up the garbage infront of the blue paint. He tapped in a Collins shot that came from the far edge of the right circle, the puck finding the five-hole. Seventy-three seconds later Matt Rupert sent in a rebound from Cam Reid that was also right at the goalmouth. Paterson stretched out with both hands as he dove to try to make the save on his left, but his arms were just a hair too short to touch the puck.

Ryan McGrath and Zach Miskovic engaged in some shoving and jawing behind Etienne Marcoux in the final minute of the sandwich stanza, but no whistle was blown and no penalty was called. After the horn sounded to send the two teams to their respective locker rooms for the second bathroom break, the teams converged in the Mallards’ defensive zone so the Fuel could request some songs for Country Night. No gloves were dropped while the requests were made, and both teams retired to the locker rooms without further incident.

Only 57 seconds into the final frame McGrath took a hooking penalty, but it was not a problem for the Mallards’ penalty kill unit. Alex Globke streaked down the ice on an uncontested breakaway to rifle the puck in unassisted to put the Mallards back in the game. Seven minutes later Globke scored again on a bounce no one could have predicted. Kyle Bigos chipped the puck into Indy’s defensive zone to head for a line change, and the puck bounced off of the glass behind Marcoux. The goaltender went out to play the puck while it was flying, but the puck bounced straight out to Globke infront of the net. Marcoux, not being the flash, couldn’t get in position quickly enough to prevent the goal.

A few minutes later tempers began to boil over. The officials were slow to blow the whistle as Marcoux covered the puck on his right, Brayden Low continuing to dig for the goal. The Fuel took exception to that, Zach Miskovic deciding to give him a piece of his mind with his fist. No gloves were dropped as several players from both teams began to pair off, Bigos attempting to prevent any odd-man fights and instead ending up with two opposing players himself. Bigos, of course, just wanted a hug, and one Fuel player obliged him while the other lost interest in fighting. Low and Miskovic both took roughing minors for their actions. 

The Mallards were unable to capitalize on a power-play that came with just under four minutes left in the game, and even after pulling Paterson for the extra attacker they were unable to score. Though the Mallards did have great pressure in the final minute of the game, Willie Raskob elected to pass rather than shoot before the buzzer sounded. Raskob will head to Indianapolis for the All-Star Game, though probably not with the Fuel on their bus.

Congratulations to Mallards' D Willie Raskob, who has been selected to play in the 2018 CCM/ECHL All-Star Classic January 15 in Indianapolis!

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Mallards defenseman Willie Raskob has been selected to play in the 2018 CCM/ECHL All-Star Classic on Monday, January 15 in Indianapolis.

Raskob, 22, has scored once and recorded 18 assists to total 19 points in 29 games this season. The 5-foot-9, 190-pound Hastings, Minnesota, native ranks third among ECHL rookies in assists and is tied for seventh among defensemen in assists.

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TRANSACTION: Mallards acquire D Willie Raskob from @RailersHC

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