AHL Peoria Rivermen

AHL sets divisions, schedule and playoff formats for 2005-06

Published on June 28, 2005 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


June 28, 2005 - American Hockey League President and CEO David Andrews made several announcements today from the AHL Board of Governors' annual meeting at Amelia Island, Fla., regarding conference & division alignment and schedule format.

The Rivermen, members of the seven-team West Division in the Western Conference, will play five of their division foes (Chicago Wolves, Houston Aeros, Iowa Stars, Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights & the San Antonio Rampage) five times at home and five times on the road, and square off against the Milwaukee Admirals four times at home and four on the road. Fifty-eight (58) games, or 72.5 percent, of the team's inaugural 80-game AHL schedule will be played against division opponents.

Peoria will battle members of the North Division in the Western Conference a total of 20 times, 10 at home and 10 on the road. The Rivermen face off against the Cleveland Barons, Grand Rapids Griffins and Manitoba Moose twice at home and twice on the road. Peoria will take on the Hamilton Bulldogs, the Rochester Americans, the Syracuse Crunch and the Toronto Marlies once at home and once on the road.

The remaining two games are against the Manchester Monarchs, which is the only Eastern Conference opponent the Rivermen face during their 2005-06 AHL inaugural season.

At the conclusion of the 2005-06 regular season, the 2006 Calder Cup Playoffs will feature the top four teams in each of the four divisions, with one possible exception: if the fifth-place team in the Atlantic Division finishes with more points than the fourth-place team in the East Division, it would cross over and compete in the East Division playoffs. The postseason format will again feature a divisional playoff, leading to conference finals and ultimately the Calder Cup Finals. All rounds will comprise best-of-seven series.

The Board of Governors also approved the schedule format for the 2005-06 regular season (Click Here for PDF version). The AHL's 70th season, which will begin on Wed., Oct. 12, will comprise a total of 1,080 games, with each of the league's 27 member teams playing an unbalanced 80-game schedule, including 40 home dates and 40 road dates and featuring both traditional and regional rivalries. The entire 2005-06 schedule is expected to be announced in late July.

In continuous operation since 1936, the AHL serves as the top development league for all 30 National Hockey League teams. During the 2004-05 season, an all-time record of 7.1 million fans attended AHL games across North America.

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American Hockey League Stories from June 28, 2005


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