Noah Bailey, Author at Minnesota Mallards Hockey Club (NAHL)

Mallards Head to Watford City for Home Series Against Wisconsin Windigo

Oct 5, 2026 | Team News

The Minnesota Mallards are heading west for a unique home weekend.

Minnesota will travel to Watford City, North Dakota, for a two-game home series against the Wisconsin Windigo at the Rough Rider Center, marking the second consecutive weekend the two Midwest Division opponents will go head-to-head.

The Mallards and Windigo will drop the puck Saturday, October 10 at 7:00 PM before wrapping up the series Sunday afternoon at 3:00 PM.

Familiar Opponent, New Setting

There will not be many surprises when the puck drops Saturday night.

Minnesota is coming directly off a road weekend against the Windigo in Brookfield, Wisconsin, giving both teams a fresh look at one another heading into the rematch.

The quick turnaround creates a different challenge than a typical weekend. With four meetings between the clubs over a short stretch, adjustments become increasingly important. Both coaching staffs have recent film to work with, players are familiar with their matchups, and small details can become the difference.

Last Saturday’s meeting saw Wisconsin come away with a 6-3 victory despite Minnesota generating opportunities throughout the night. Jack Fang found the back of the net for his third goal of the season as the Mallards battled to stay within striking distance.

Now Minnesota gets another opportunity against the same opponent.

A Chance to Respond

Back-to-back weekends against a division rival give the Mallards an immediate chance to respond.

Rather than waiting weeks or months for another matchup, Minnesota can take what it learned in Wisconsin and bring those adjustments directly into this weekend.

That means cleaning up the details, limiting extended offensive-zone time for the Windigo and taking advantage when opportunities appear at the other end of the ice.

The Mallards have already shown early this season that they are capable of responding after difficult games. Minnesota opened its regular season by sweeping Kenai River and later picked up a dramatic shootout victory over Anchorage before heading into the NAHL Showcase.

The focus now is on continuing to grow and finding consistency as the season moves deeper into October.

Bringing Mallards Hockey to Watford City

This weekend also gives the organization an opportunity to bring Mallards hockey to a different community.

The Rough Rider Center in Watford City will serve as home ice for Minnesota for both games, giving fans in western North Dakota the opportunity to see NAHL hockey up close.

While the setting may be different from a typical home weekend in Forest Lake, the goal remains exactly the same.

Protect home ice.

Minnesota will look to establish its game early Saturday night, build momentum throughout the weekend and come away from Watford City with valuable points in the Midwest Division race.

One More Round With the Windigo

Four games against the same opponent in two weekends creates the kind of familiarity that can quickly build intensity.

Every shift becomes more familiar.

Every matchup becomes more important.

And every adjustment from the previous weekend has a chance to show up immediately.

For the Mallards, this weekend is an opportunity to turn familiarity into an advantage and deliver a strong response against a Windigo team they now know well.

Saturday, October 10 — 7:00 PM
Sunday, October 11 — 3:00 PM
Rough Rider Center — Watford City, North Dakota

Two more games against the Windigo.

This time, they’re home games.

Fear The Flock. Fly Mallards Fly.

Fans unable to make the trip can follow Mallards games live on NAHL TV.

Mallards Wrap Up NAHL Showcase, Turn Focus to Road Series Against Wisconsin

Sep 29, 2026 | Team News

The Minnesota Mallards have officially wrapped up the 2026 NAHL Showcase, finishing the week with a 1-2 record after three competitive games.

While the final record may not tell the entire story, the Mallards showed throughout the Showcase that they were capable of competing in tight games. Both losses came in close contests, giving Minnesota plenty to build on as the team returns home and gets back to work.

The Mallards opened the Showcase on September 23 against the Billings Cattle Punchers. Minnesota remained within one goal late in the third period before Billings added an empty-net goal in the final minute to make it a 4-2 final.

Minnesota responded the following day against the Odessa Jackalopes with one of its strongest defensive performances of the young season.

Ryan Lucarelli scored the only goal of the game after receiving a pass from Ty Gordon and staying with his own rebound to put the puck away. Goaltender Max Pitts handled the rest, shutting out Odessa to earn his first shutout as a Minnesota Mallard and secure a 1-0 victory.

The Mallards then completed their Showcase schedule against the Houston Bulls, finishing the event at 1-2.

Plenty to Build On

The Showcase gave Minnesota another opportunity to measure itself against teams from outside its usual schedule and continue learning what it will take to win consistently throughout the season.

Three games in a short span also gave the coaching staff plenty of film and situations to evaluate.

The Mallards showed they can play in low-scoring defensive battles, stay competitive in close games, and respond after a tough result. Now the focus shifts toward turning those competitive performances into wins.

With the Showcase behind them, Minnesota will look to have a positive week of practice, clean up the details, and prepare for its next challenge.

Hitting the Road for Wisconsin

The Mallards will now hit the road and head to Wisconsin for a pair of games against the Wisconsin Windigo.

After a busy week at the Showcase, the upcoming practices will be an important opportunity for Minnesota to reset, sharpen its game, and prepare for two tough road matchups.

Road wins are never easy to come by, but the Mallards will head into Wisconsin looking to take what they learned from the Showcase and steal two wins away from home.

Next up: Minnesota Mallards at Wisconsin Windigo.

#FearTheFlock #FlyMallardsFly #MinnesotaMallards #NAHL

Mallards Split First Two Games at the 2026 NAHL Showcase

Sep 25, 2026 | Team News

The Minnesota Mallards opened the 2026 NAHL Showcase with a pair of hard-fought games, dropping a close one to the Billings Cattle Punchers before bouncing back with a shutout win over the Odessa Jackalopes.

The Mallards opened Showcase play on September 23 against Billings and stayed within striking distance throughout the game.

Minnesota trailed 3-2 late in the third period and pushed for the tying goal in the final minutes. With the Mallards’ net empty for the extra attacker, Billings was able to add an empty-net goal in the final minute to seal a 4-2 victory.

Despite the loss, Minnesota had a quick turnaround with another Showcase matchup the following day.

Mallards Shut Out Odessa 1-0

On September 24, the Mallards responded with a strong defensive effort against the Odessa Jackalopes.

The game remained scoreless until Ryan Lucarelli broke through for Minnesota.

After receiving a pass from Ty Gordon, Lucarelli created the scoring opportunity and stayed with the play, burying the puck off his own rebound to give the Mallards a 1-0 lead.

That would be all the offense Minnesota needed.

Goaltender Max Pitts shut the door the rest of the way, turning aside everything Odessa sent his way to earn his first shutout as a Minnesota Mallard.

The Mallards held on for the 1-0 win and moved to 1-1 through their first two games of the Showcase.

One Day Off Before Houston

Minnesota gets a day away from game action on September 25 before returning to the ice for its final Showcase game.

The Mallards will take on the Houston Bulls on September 26 as they look to finish the 2026 NAHL Showcase on a strong note.

After two very different games to open the event — a tight 4-2 loss and a 1-0 shutout win — the Mallards will look to carry that defensive effort and momentum into their final matchup.

Next up: Houston Bulls — September 26.

#FearTheFlock | #FlyMallardsFly | #MinnesotaMallards | #NAHLShowcase

Mallards Take Down Anchorage 7-6 in Shootout Thriller

Sep 21, 2026 | Team News

The Minnesota Mallards closed out the weekend with a wild one, defeating the Anchorage Wolverines 7-6 in a shootout at Forest Lake Sports Center.

Minnesota appeared to be in complete control through the first 40 minutes, carrying a commanding 6-2 lead into the third period.

Anchorage refused to go away.

The Wolverines stormed back with four goals in the third period, erasing the Mallards’ advantage and tying the game at 6-6 to force overtime.

Neither team could find the winner in the extra frame, sending the game to a shootout.

The Mallards ultimately came through when it mattered most, with Ty Gordon delivering the shootout winner to secure the 7-6 victory and send the Forest Lake crowd home happy.

It was a dramatic finish to the weekend and another early test for a Mallards team continuing to build momentum.

Next Up: The NAHL Showcase

With the home weekend complete, Minnesota now turns its sights to the NAHL Showcase this week.

The Mallards will face three different opponents:

Wednesday, September 23 – 10:30 AM

Mallards vs. Cattle Punchers

Thursday, September 24 – 12:00 PM

Mallards vs. Odessa

Saturday, September 26 – 12:30 PM

Mallards vs. Houston Bulls

Coming off a 7-6 shootout thriller, the Mallards will look to carry that momentum into a big week on the NAHL stage.

Next stop: the NAHL Showcase.

#FearTheFlock #FlyMallardsFly #MinnesotaMallards #NAHL

Mallards Sweep Brown Bears on Opening Weekend, Carry Momentum Into Another Home Set

Sep 14, 2026 | Team News, Uncategorized

The Minnesota Mallards couldn’t have asked for a much better start to the regular season.

Playing in front of their home crowd at the Forest Lake Sports Center, the Mallards opened the season with back-to-back wins over the Kenai River Brown Bears, earning a weekend sweep and starting the year 2-0.

Offensive Firepower on Opening Night

The Mallards came out firing Friday night, defeating the Brown Bears 7-4 in an action-packed season opener.

After Kenai River struck first, Minnesota responded in a big way. The Mallards found their rhythm offensively and put together four unanswered goals in the opening period, quickly turning the momentum in their favor.

Minnesota continued to generate offense throughout the night, eventually putting seven on the board to secure its first victory of the regular season.

The win gave Mallards fans plenty to celebrate on opening night and provided an early look at the speed, skill and depth this group can bring to the ice.

Mallards Finish the Sweep

Minnesota returned to the Forest Lake Sports Center on Saturday looking to finish the job.

The second game featured a tighter battle, but once again the Mallards found a way to come out on top. Minnesota earned a 4-2 victory to complete the two-game sweep of the Brown Bears.

Starting the regular season with consecutive wins was an important step for a Mallards team continuing to build chemistry and establish its identity. More importantly, Minnesota showed it could win in different ways — producing seven goals in a high-scoring opener before responding with a more controlled performance the following night.

With the sweep, the Mallards move to 2-0 and carry plenty of momentum into another big weekend at home.

Two More Alaska Opponents Coming to Forest Lake

The Mallards won’t have to wait long for their next challenge.

Minnesota remains at the Forest Lake Sports Center this week as two more Alaska opponents come to town.

The Fairbanks Ice Dogs will visit Forest Lake on Friday, September 18 at 7:00 PM before the Mallards take on the Anchorage Wolverines on Saturday, September 19 at 7:00 PM.

After opening the season with a sweep, Minnesota will look to keep rolling, protect home ice and continue building momentum early in the season.

The first weekend set the tone.

Now, it’s time to keep it going.

Friday, September 18 | 7:00 PM
Minnesota Mallards vs. Fairbanks Ice Dogs
Forest Lake Sports Center

Saturday, September 19 | 7:00 PM
Minnesota Mallards vs. Anchorage Wolverines
Forest Lake Sports Center

FEAR THE FLOCK.