Sports stats

ECHL ECHL

ECHL Announces 2012-13 Schedule

May 30, 2012 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


PRINCETON, N.J. - The ECHL announced on Wednesday that its 25th season will begin on Friday, Oct. 12 with seven games being played in six states from New Jersey to California and continues on Saturday, Oct. 13 with 11 more games in nine states. Opening Weekend concludes on Sunday, Oct. 14 with one game.

Three of the ECHL's four new members open their home schedules on the first weekend of the season. On Oct. 12, the Fort Wayne Komets host the Kalamazoo Wings at Memorial Coliseum while the San Francisco Bulls host the Bakersfield Condors in the first professional hockey game at the Cow Palace since 1996. The Evansville IceMen play their first ECHL game on Saturday, Oct. 13, hosting Fort Wayne at the Ford Center.

The Orlando Solar Bears open their home schedule at Amway Center on Saturday, Oct. 20 against Florida.

Began in 1988-89 with five teams in four states, the ECHL has grown into a coast-to-coast league that will have 23 teams in 16 states playing 828 games from Oct. 12, 2012 to March 30, 2013.

Wheeling celebrates its 21st season in 2012-13 while South Carolina plays its 20th season. Toledo returns for its 19th season, Florida celebrates its 15th year, Trenton its 14th season and Reading its 12th season in the ECHL. Alaska, Bakersfield, Gwinnett, Idaho and Las Vegas each celebrate their 10th ECHL season in 2012-13.

The third-longest tenured professional hockey league behind only the National Hockey League and the American Hockey League, the ECHL averaged 4,281 fans per game in 2011-112 which is the eighth consecutive season and the 20th time in the last 22 years that the ECHL has averaged over 4,000 fans.

The Florida Everblades will raise their first-ever Kelly Cup championship banner at Germain Arena on Saturday, Oct. 13 as they host Orlando in the Solar Bears' first-ever ECHL game.

The Elmira Jackals will celebrate their Atlantic Division title when they open at First Arena against Reading on Friday, Oct. 12, while Ontario, which has led the ECHL in attendance each of the last three seasons, will raise its Pacific Division championship banner on Oct. 13 against Stockton.

Kalamazoo, which has won the North Division title each of its three seasons in the ECHL, opens its home schedule on Friday, Oct. 19 against Fort Wayne. The Gwinnett Gladiators will celebrate their South Division title the same night against Ontario.

Las Vegas will raise its Western Conference championship banner on Friday, Oct. 19 when they host Stockton. The Alaska Aces will raise their sixth division title banner the same night against Utah.

The Trenton Titans, who led the ECHL with a 26.1 percent increase in attendance in 2011-12, opens at home on Friday, Oct. 12 against Greenville. Colorado, which has sold out all 350 regular season and playoff games in team history, hosts Alaska at the Budweiser Events Center on Opening Night, while Idaho hosts Utah and Stockton entertains Ontario in their clubs' home openers.

Toledo, which has surpassed 6,000 fans per game in two of its three seasons at Huntington Center, hosts Kalamazoo on Saturday, Oct. 13. Cincinnati, which has increased its attendance for each of the last five seasons, opens on Saturday against Wheeling.

It will be a Kelly Cup Playoffs rematch at the North Charleston Coliseum as the South Carolina Stingrays open their home schedule on Oct. 13 against Gwinnett. Also on Saturday, Reading opens its home schedule against Trenton while Utah hosts Idaho in the back end of an opening weekend home-and-home series.

The Bakersfield Condors wrap up Opening Weekend on Sunday, hosting the Las Vegas Wranglers at Rabobank Arena on Sunday, Oct. 14.

The Greenville Road Warriors open play at the BI-LO Center against their in-state rivals, the South Carolina Stingrays, on Friday, Oct. 19. Wheeling is the final team to host its home opener on Friday, Oct. 26 against Reading.

After no games between out-of-conference opponents during the 2011-12 regular season, the 2012-13 schedule sees 24 games between Eastern and Western Conference foes. Ontario travels to Gwinnett on Oct. 19 and South Carolina on Oct. 20 and 21. Bakersfield visits Wheeling on Jan. 25, Toledo on Jan. 26 and Kalamazoo on Jan. 27 while Idaho is at South Carolina on Jan. 25 and Gwinnett on Jan. 26 and 27. Las Vegas heads to Trenton on Jan. 25 and is at Reading on Jan. 26 and 27.

Florida and Fort Wayne will each play a three-game series at Colorado. The Everblades visit on Nov. 21, 23 and 24, while the Komets are at Budweiser Events Center on Feb. 6, 8 and 9. Orlando visits Las Vegas on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 and is at Ontario on Dec. 2 while Gwinnett travels to Utah on March 6 and to Idaho on March 8 and 9.

Check out the ECHL Statistics



ECHL Stories from May 30, 2012


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central