#sam warning

TRANSACTION: F Sam Warning signs PTO with AHL's @sjbarracuda.

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Mallards forward Sam Warning has signed a professional tryout agreement with the American Hockey League’s San Jose Barracuda. Warning, 25, leads the Mallards in goals (16) and points (31) and is tied for the team lead in power play goals (4) and shorthanded goals (1).

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The Flock Welcomes Back...

Sam Warning

The Quad City Mallards have re-signed forward Sam Warning for the 2017-18 season. This will be his third season with the Mallards. #WelcomeBackToTheFlock

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The Quad City Mallards have re-signed forward Sam Warning for the 2017-18 season. 

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MOLINE, IL -- All good things must end. For Quad City Mallards fans, that end was Saturday night. Game Five held less hope for Mallards fans than Game Four had, until the last 21 minutes. But hope alone doesn’t win games, just like bread alone doesn’t feed a man.

The Fort Wayne Komets had clearly decided before Saturday’s game that enough was enough, beginning the game as strong as ever. The Komets have always been a physical team, throwing bodies around and out-muscling in the corners. They didn’t stop playing their game, leaving the Mallards to scramble in their wake to try to force a Game Six. The Komets, plain and simple, out-played the Mallards for most of the first two periods, and arguable maybe even much of the third.

Some of that might have to do with the rosters and less with the talent, per se. The Mallards’ roster appears built for finesse and speed, while the Komets are for the most part a large team. The Mallards seemed hesitant to finish their checks, or to toe the line of physicality that the Komets had learned to tight-rope walk along. I’m not saying it’s wrong for the Komets to play aggressively; in fact, I think it’s something the Mallards should improve upon next season. If the Mallards could find some players who can throw their bodies around as well as the Komets can, while not sacrificing too many of the finesse players, the Quad Cities could welcome a victory parade in the not-too-distant future.

Fort Wayne took a two goal lead into the first intermission after Trevor Cheek scored at the six and a half minutes mark, followed by Jamie Schaafsma’s power-play tally ten minutes later. Former Mallard Kyle Follmer assisted on Cheek’s goal, passing to the crease-front for the forward to backhand the puck into the netting behind C.J. Motte. Schaafsma’s marker was a beautiful play, a perfect passing drill from the right dot to the point and then down to the right edge of the blue-paint. Shawn Szydlowski occupied the right dot, while Jason Binkley had point.

The power-play units had their fun in the sun during the second period, both of the goals being scored while the other team was down a man. The Komets got their lead to three goals just over 12 minutes into the frame after a series of rebounds and redirections. A flurry of shots erupted infront of Motte and to his left, and within seconds a goal was scored. While some would blame him for that, I don’t see how he could have foreseen the bounces. Schaafsma was near the left dot while Kyle Thomas was infront of the crease. Thomas slipped on the ice to fall on his breezers, and then redirected a shot while sitting down. Motte had his back to Thomas as he was busy watching Schaafsma, and didn’t see the puck.

With 52.3 seconds left, Motte finally seemed to snap a little. He covered the puck to draw a whistle, and a Komet had a bit of a late poke at the puck. Motte got in his face, some Mallards swooped in, and the referees broke up the scrum before anything could result. But the fire that had been ignited wasn’t put out. With 15 seconds left before the second intermission, Grant Arnold ended Pat Nagle’s shut-out with help from Justin Kovacs and Sam Warning. Arnold was in the crease screening, and deflected Kovacs’ shot in from the right corner of the crease. The goal came just after a five-on-three power-play had changed to a one-man deficit for the Komets, Cheek being released from the box just seconds after Follmer had left during play.

One minute and 46 seconds into the final frame, the Mallards struck again to pull within one. Kevin Gibson offered a tape-to-tape pass to Chris Francis from the right blue-line, and Francis fired it into the twine as he swung across infront of the crease. Nolan LaPorte also earned an apple on that tally. The Mallards then played the next twelve minutes like they had played Friday’s game, a truly great contest of teams that made fans wonder if they could ever sit in a seat without being on the edge again. But alas, the Mallards only had six shots on goal in the third period, which doesn’t bode well for a victory. With 50 seconds left Motte came out of the crease to play the puck past the dots as he headed for the bench, the extra attacker coming out to help. An icing by the visitors whittled time off the clock, but brought the puck into their own zone. As the final horn sounded, Nagle caught Alex Petan’s last shot of the season; the Mallards were done.

It wasn’t an ending the Mallards wanted, but it was a better ending than could have been. The Komets now must wait to see the results of the Kalamazoo Wings and Toledo Walleye series. As of this writing, the Walleye lead the series 3-2 and Game Six two to nothing.

MOLINE, IL – Never say the impossible isn’t possible. The Quad City Mallards proved that they had some magic yet left in them for Friday’s do or die game against the Fort Wayne Komets, winning in a heart-stopping, nail-biting, nerve-wracking overtime period that almost became two overtime periods. After being swept in the first round of the play-offs by the Missouri Mavericks last season, the team didn’t want to suffer that fate again. To get swept after earning the most wins in a season in almost ten years, and seeing their bench-boss Terry Ruskowski relieved of duties and replaced by then-assistant coach Phil Axtell partway through the season, would be an ignominious end.

In perhaps an omen of the end result, Josh MacDonald scored just 31 seconds after the opening face-off. Andrew Panzarella and Alex Petan assisted on the opening goal, which went from right side to left side on Pat Nagle. Panzarella passed from the left corner around the boards to MacDonald, who stood along the right boards halfway between the blue-line and the face-off dot.

Seven and a half minutes later, Dan Milan would be whistled for delay of game after shooting the puck out of play in his own zone just past the face-off dots. That wasn’t the least of what happened about eight minutes into the game, however. The puck sailed through the air and struck a woman sitting just outside the Mallards’ defensive zone above the brow, just three rows up from the glass. Security rushed to her aid, napkins at the ready to staunch the blood. A paramedic arrived shortly after, wrapping her head in gauze before escorting her away. Behind Mallards goalie C.J. Motte, a stanchion that held the glass in place had come loose. Arena crew worked furiously to fix the issue as play continued, eventually bringing some type of bungee cord to brace the top of the glass to the two pieces on either side of it.

After the horn sounded to send the two teams to their respective locker rooms, a tussle broke out at the Komets’ blue-line. Kevin Gibson and Travis Ewanyk exchanged some pleasantries and some shoving, and both found themselves in the penalty boxes to start the second period. Gibson was charged with slashing, while Ewanyk had a roughing penalty. It was while both had 48 seconds remaining to serve that the Mallards added to their lead, Mike Wilson netting his first goal of the play-offs with help from Brady Brassart and MacDonald. MacDonald and Brassart batted the puck back and forth as they skated down the offensive zone, one taking a shot. Wilson swooped in to pick up the rebound, firing into the gaping net. But the Komets came back, proving they wouldn’t be content with going to a fifth game.

Jason Binkley ended Motte’s shut-out at four minutes and 46 seconds of the frame, Kyle Thomas and Mike Cazzola assisting. Five minutes later, Jamie Schaafsma tied the game on the power-play. Shawn Szydlowski and Ryan Lowney picked up the apples on that unusual tally, as while Nolan LaPorte was already in the box for slashing, there was a delayed penalty against Brassart waiting to be called. Because the next stoppage of play was the goal, Brassart’s slashing penalty was awarded at the same time as the goal.

The third period was uneventful, though not calm by any means. The two teams played a physical game throughout the night, and seemed to have finally found the line the officials would call penalties for and toed it. There were many chances throughout the final frame for either team to break the tie, but neither was able to capitalize.

The game extended to an extra frame for the second night in a row, though fans hoped for a longer performance than Wednesday’s 22 second long frame. The Komets had many opportunities to send the Mallards to the golf course, but Motte was able to stand strong throughout the frame. Through the night, both goalies had made stupendous saves to keep their teams in the game. In fact, both made 36 saves on the night.

In a blur of orange and black, Sam Warning netted the game-winning goal with 15.2 seconds remaining before another overtime period would be required, Brassart and Chris Leibinger assisting.  The bench exploded onto the ice, as fans began to cheer as if they had won more than just an elimination game.