In a game where neither team could get a cushion, the Quad City Mallards escaped with a 4-2 victory over the Allen Americans.

No lead was more than two goals during the contest, and the winning goal was scored by Thomas Frazee at 13:24 of the second period.

The win gave Quad City a 1-0 lead in the best of seven series.

The Mallards were paced by Frazee, who registered one goal and one assist.

Quad City additionally got points from Jordan Mayer, who also racked up one goal and one assist. Quad City also had goals scored by Gergo Nagy and Justin Fox, who scored one goal each. Other players who recorded assists for Quad City were Darren McMillan, Vladimir Nikiforov, Jeff Lee, and Matt Boyd, who contributed one each.

Allen put up an impenetrable defensive front on the penalty kill, and did not allow Quad City to score on any of its three power plays. The Americans forced the Mallards goalie Thomas Heemskerk to work between the pipes, taking 34 shots.

Allen was helped by Bruce Graham, who finished with one goal. Graham scored 7:28 into the second period to make the score 2-1 Quad City. Anthony Maiani picked up the assist. Allen also got points from Maiani, who also grabbed one goal and one assist to lead the team in points. In addition, Allen received assists from Tyler Ludwig, Jamie Schaafsma, and Jonathon Zion, who each chipped in one.

Heemskerk recorded 32 saves for Quad City. The Mallards incurred 12 minutes in penalty time with six minors. The Americans' Bryan Pitton stopped 22 shots out of the 26 that he faced. Allen incurred eight minutes in penalty time with four minors.