Ravens Unveil Schedule
September 8, 2003 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Vancouver Ravens News Release
VANCOUVER (September 8th, 2003) - The Vancouver Ravens and Calgary Roughnecks will take their Western Canada rivalry to the next level in the National Lacrosse League's 2003-2004 season, squaring off four times during the 16-game regular schedule released today by the NLL in New York City.
The Ravens, British Columbia's professional indoor lacrosse franchise entering its third season in the NLL, play host to the Roughnecks in their home opener, Friday, January 9th, at General Motors Place in downtown Vancouver. The game will face off at 7:30 p.m. Pacific and will be one of four Friday night home dates at General Motors Place.
Vancouver will also play four Sunday afternoon matinees at General Motors Place.
The Ravens have the honour of kicking off the NLL's 2003-2004 regular season, Friday, December 26th, in Glendale, Arizona. That game against the NLL's new Arizona franchise is also part of the grand opening weekend for the new Glendale Arena, to be highlighted by the Phoenix Coyotes' first National Hockey League game in the new facility, Saturday, Dec. 27th against the Nashville Predators.
The Ravens' home schedule is highlighted by the first-ever visit to Vancouver by John Tavares and the Buffalo Bandits, Friday, January 16th, at 7:30 p.m. Tavares is a multiple winner of the NLL's Most Valuable Player and Leading Scorer awards and is generally regarded as one of the finest to ever play the game.
Superstar Gary Gait and the Colorado Mammoth visit General Motors Place Sunday, February 1st , at 12:30 p.m. while the defending champion Toronto Rock come to Vancouver Friday, February 20th, at 7:30 p.m. The Ravens then close out their schedule with a second home date against the Roughnecks, Sunday, March 28th, at 12:30 p.m. and the home schedule finale Sunday, April 4th against Arizona, at 4:30 p.m.
Also visiting General Motors Place is the new San Jose franchise (formerly the Albany Attack, 2002 NLL finalists) Sunday, February 8th, at 4:30 p.m. and the new Anaheim franchise (formerly the New Jersey Storm), Friday, March 12th.
Vancouver's road schedule includes two trips to Arizona (the season opener Dec. 26th and the final road game of the regular season for the Ravens, Saturday, April 3rd), two trips to Calgary (Sunday, Jan. 25th and Friday, Feb. 27th) and single visits to Toronto Jan. 23rd, Colorado Feb. 7th, Anaheim March 13th and San Jose March 20th.
"It's arguably our toughest schedule to date in terms of the calibre of the competition, but that's good news for Ravens fans who are looking for the world's best lacrosse at General Motors Place," said Dave Evans, General Manager and Director of Player Personnel for the Vancouver Ravens.
"Guys like Gary Gait and John Tavares are perhaps the top two players in the modern era of the game and, for the first time, our fans get to see both of them in the same season," said Evans, himself a member of the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame. "The Toronto Rock will be here as part of their NLL title defense in one of the most anticipated games of the season and Calgary will be here twice in games that could figure prominently in the race for the Western divisional title."
Evans also pointed to the transformation of the NLL from a northeastern regional league three years ago to a truly North American, continental league in 2003-2004.
"With last year's successful debut by the Colorado Mammoth in Denver and new franchises this year in San Jose, Anaheim and Arizona, it's bound to sell tickets as we build geographical rivalries with those cities," said Evans. "They're understood by local sports fans as rivals of the Canucks in the National Hockey League and that should translate into attracting new fans to the NLL here in BC."
For information on season tickets for the Vancouver Ravens, call (604) 899-5300 or visit www.vancouverravens.com.
National Lacrosse League Stories from September 8, 2003
- Ravens Unveil Schedule - Vancouver Ravens
- Mammoth Season Begins January 2 at Pepsi Center - Colorado Mammoth
- Knighthawks Open Season at Home against Philadelphia - Rochester Knighthawks
- NLL Announces Regular Season Schedule - NLL
- Wings Ready to Take Flight with Season Opener December 27 - Philadelphia Wings
- Bandits Hire Public Relations Director - Buffalo Bandits
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.
