Rivermen Announce 2002-03 ECHL Schedule
July 18, 2002 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release
The East Coast Hockey League has officially released its schedule for the 2002-03 season and it finds Peoria Rivermen playing 31 of their 36 home games on weekend dates (Friday-Saturday-Sunday). The home schedule is heavy in the second half of the season with 2/3 of Peoria's home games (24) played after January 1.
The Rivermen will open with a pair of games on the road Friday, October 11 at Toledo and Saturday, October 12 at Cincinnati. Peoria's home opener is the following week on Friday, October 18 when they host the new NW Division entry from Lexington, Kentucky. The team then returns to the road for a pair of games in Wheeling on Saturday and Sunday. Four of Peoria's first five games are on the road. Fifty-two of Peoria's games come in the Northwest Division. The Rivermen will play Cincinnati, Lexington and Johnstown eight times (four at home/four on the road). Peoria will meet Wheeling and Dayton nine times during the regular season and will take on rival Toledo ten times (five in each building). The remainder of the schedule has Peoria taking on the NE Division eight times (Reading, Trenton, Atlantic City, Roanoke, and Greensboro) and playing twelve games against the Southern Conference (Arkansas, Greenville, Pee Dee, South Carolina, Louisiana, Baton Rouge and Mississippi).
The schedule has the Rivermen going up against 19 of the league's other 26 teams including visits to Peoria from Baton Rouge, Trenton, Mississippi, Atlantic City, Louisiana and Lexington. On the road, the Rivermen will visit first time opponents South Carolina, Greenville, Pee Dee and Lexington. Peoria will meet the last two Kelly Cup Champions, 2002 winner Greenville and the 2001 champion South Carolina.
Special dates on the schedule include a 7:00 P.M. game on Thanksgiving against division rival Cincinnati and a 7:00 P.M. game on New Year's Eve against the defending Northern Conference Champion Dayton Bombers. A special post-game concert will follow the Saturday, January 18 bout against the Johnstown Chiefs. Back again is the very popular Sunday afternoon Peoria Journal Star Kid's Day. There will be nine of these special dates this season with ticket and food discounts. Season tickets are still available along with mini-ticket plans that can be catered to individual needs. Six-packs and 12-packs are also available through the Rivermen office.
American Hockey League Stories from July 18, 2002
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- Rivermen Announce 2002-03 ECHL Schedule - Peoria Rivermen
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