Pirates announce date for home opener

Published on June 28, 2005 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Portland Pirates News Release


PORTLAND, ME- The Portland Pirates announced today that the team will kick off its 2005-06 home schedule on Saturday, October 15th at the Cumberland County Civic Center, marking the first "Saturday Night is Hockey Night in Portland" experience of the season. On opening night, each fan will receive thundersticks and experience the unveiling of the brand-new state-of-the-art video scoreboard which will feature live game action replays, graphics and animations never seen before in Portland. The night will also be highlighted by the introduction of the Pirates new affiliation with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. After the game, the Pirates will host a post-game party at the Stadium Restaurant and Sports Bar for fans to meet the team.

In addition to opening night, the American Hockey League also guaranteed the Pirates four other home dates, including Saturday, November 26 and Saturday, December 31.

The Saturday, November 26 game will feature the fan-favorite 10,000 "Dash for Cash" promotion, just in time for holiday shopping. The Saturday, December 31st game is part of New Years Portland and will mark the eleventh time the Pirates have hosted a Kids New Years celebration with fireworks. Last year, the popular game date marked the highest attended game of the year with a sellout crowd of 7,027.

The opponent for opening night and all Pirates home and away games will be announced later this summer.

Also today, American Hockey League President and CEO David Andrews made several announcements from the AHL Board of Governors' annual meeting at Amelia Island, Fla.

First, the Board approved the conference and division alignment and playoff plan for the 2005-06 season:

Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division: Albany River Rats, Hartford Wolf Pack, Lowell Lock Monsters, Manchester Monarchs, Portland Pirates, Providence Bruins, Springfield Falcons

East Division: Binghamton Senators, Bridgeport Sound Tigers, Hershey Bears, Norfolk Admirals, Philadelphia Phantoms, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

Western Conference
North Division: Cleveland Barons, Grand Rapids Griffins, Hamilton Bulldogs, Manitoba Moose, Rochester Americans, Syracuse Crunch, Toronto Marlies

West Division: Chicago Wolves, Houston Aeros, Iowa Stars, Milwaukee Admirals, Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights, Peoria Rivermen, San Antonio Rampage

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 to view grid). 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.

Season ticket plans for the 2005-06 season are now on sale at the Pirates office, located at 531 Congress Street in Portland. Ticket plans start at just $50. The office is open Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30p.m. Fans can also purchase tickets over the phone by calling (207) 828-4665 or by e-mailing tickets@portlandpirates.com.

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American Hockey League Stories from June 28, 2005


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