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Pirates Release 2002-2003 Schedule

August 2, 2002 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Portland Pirates News Release


PORTLAND, ME - The Portland Pirates released the schedule for the 2002-03 season today, their tenth in the American Hockey League. For just the third time in their history, the Pirates will open the season at home when they host the Norfolk Admirals on Friday, October 11th at 7:05 p.m.

"Given the unique opportunities of this season presented by two anniversaries and our hosting of the 2003 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic, we are excited about the year ahead and our forty-game home AHL schedule," said Brian Petrovek, Pirates' President/CEO. "Again this season, families will find it very easy to attend our home games because the large majority of them occur on weekends. And this year, we'll have a wider range of promotions and discounted ticket programs to meet more fans' needs which we'll be announcing in the near future."

Thirty-two of the Pirates' 40 home games will be played either on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Fans will have plenty of chances to see the Pirates during January when the team plays ten home games, including eight straight from January 11th to January 27th. On the other side of the ledger, the Pirates will play eight straight games away from the Cumberland County Civic Center from February 12th to February 26th, their longest stretch away from home in team history.

The Pirates will play 70 of their 80 games against Eastern Conference teams. They will play ten games each against traditional rivals such as the Providence Bruins, the Lowell Lock Monsters and the Saint John Flames and new rivals the Manchester Monarchs. Providence makes its first Portland appearance on Saturday, November 9th.

The Pirates will also renew acquaintances with three opponents and meet two new ones. The Pirates will play two games against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in December. They are the first meetings since the 1999-2000 season. After a year hiatus, the Pirates will once again play the Hamilton Bulldogs and the Philadelphia Phantoms. The Pirates will play their first-ever game against the Manitoba Moose on Sunday, October 20th in Portland. They will play four games total against the Moose, including two in their first trip to Winnipeg in March. The Pirates will return to Binghamton, New York for the first time since the 1996-97 season when they play the new Binghamton Senators. The Senators will make their first visit to Portland on Sunday, February 9th.

Pirates' home games during the 2002-03 season will begin at 7:05 p.m. Monday through Saturday and at 4:05 p.m. on Sunday. There are two exceptions. The traditional New Years Eve game will be played on Tuesday, December 31st at 6:05 p.m. The Pirates game on Saturday, March 8th against Providence will face-off at 2:05 p.m. A schedule of televised games will be announced at a later date.

The Pirates are members of the North Division, Eastern Conference of the AHL. Providence, Lowell, Manchester and the Worcester IceCats are all members of the North Division. The AHL will once again conduct the Calder Cup Playoffs through a conference format. The top ten teams in both the Eastern and Western Conference will qualify for the playoffs. The three division winners in each conference will be seeded 1-3 based on total points. Teams that finish 7-10 will play a best-of-three qualifying round with the winners reseeded to face the remaining six teams. The AHL now features 28 teams, each one affiliated with a National Hockey League team. The Pirates have been the primary development team for the Washington Capitals since their arrival in Portland in 1993.

Full-season and partial season ticket packages for the 2002-03 season are on sale now. Some plans start as low as $80. Fans can receive more information by logging on to the Pirates' web site, www.portlandpirates.com, or by calling the Pirates' offices at (207) 828-4665.

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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.

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