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ECHL South Carolina Stingrays

Stingrays Announce 2008-08 Schedule

April 30, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL)
South Carolina Stingrays News Release


NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. - The South Carolina Stingrays today released the team's 2008-09 ECHL regular season schedule. The 2007-08 season marks the 16th season of hockey in the Low Country for the Stingrays.

The Stingrays will open up the season with a home-and-home against the Augusta Lynx in a rematch of the first round of this year's Kelly Cup Playoffs when the Rays came back from a two games to none deficit to win the series and move on to the second round. The Rays will open up the season in Augusta on Friday, October 17 and play their first home game on Saturday, October 18.

The 2008-09 season is highlighted once again with home games against North Division foes as Dayton comes down on November 22nd, Elmira visits the Coliseum for the first time since coming over from the UHL on December 19th and 20th and Trenton makes a late-season trek to South Carolina on March 6th. In return, for the second season in a row, the Stingrays travel up north. This time, the Rays have to pack their warm clothes in February when they take their longest road trip of the season, playing four games in five days against Trenton, Johnstown and Reading in late February.

Come spend your holidays this season with the Stingrays and the team plays on Halloween night against Florida, the night before Thanksgiving against Charlotte and New Year's Eve against Mississippi.

This year's Pack the House night will take place on Saturday, January 17th against the Augusta Lynx. Last year, the Stingrays welcomed a record-breaking, sell-out crowd of 10,565 to the Coliseum for the event and look once more to sell out the night for the 2008-09 season.

This season will feature just one three-night home-stand toward the end of the season when the Rays play Augusta on Friday, March 20th, Charlotte on Saturday, March 21st, and Florida on Sunday, March 22nd. Following that, the Stingrays will have just one home game remaining when the team finishes off their home regular season against the Mississippi Sea Wolves on March 29th.

Once again, the Stingrays play 36 of their 72 games at home, including 28 weekend dates, up from 26 last season. The team has ten Friday games, twelve Saturday games and six Sunday games this year. The Stingrays will be without two Southern Division foes from this season as both the Columbia Inferno and Texas Wildcatters will not be members of the ECHL next season. Due to their absence, South Carolina will match up against teams like Mississippi and Pensacola more often, playing them nine times and ten times respectively.

Stingrays Season Tickets and mini plans are now on sale for the 2008-09 Season! For more information, including benefits, pricing, and package options, please call the Stingrays front office at 744-2248 or view the information online at www.stingrayshockey.com. Stingrays Hockey - A Whole Lot Cooler.

The ECHL began in 1988-89 with five teams playing in four states, the Premier 'AA' Hockey League has grown into a coast-to-coast league that will have 24 teams in 16 states and British Columbia playing 864 games from Oct. 17, 2008 to Apr. 4, 2009. Nineteen of the 24 teams have played at least five years in their current city.

The third-longest tenured professional hockey league behind only the National Hockey League and the American Hockey League, the ECHL averaged 4,174 per game last season, marking the fourth year in row and the 16th time in the last 18 years that the league has averaged over 4,000 fans.

The Premier 'AA' Hockey League welcomed 3,756,191 fans, marking the fifth straight season and the 11th time in the last 12 years that it has exceeded 3.75 million fans. The 51 sold out crowds are the most in the last five seasons and mark the fourth time in the last five years that the ECHL has had at least 40 sellouts.

The conference and division alignments and the format for the 2009 Kelly Cup Playoffs will be determined and approved at a later date by the ECHL Board of Governors.

Stingrays 2008-09 Schedule (All dates are subject to change)

October

Fri 17 at Augusta

Sat 18 Augusta

Tue 21 Charlotte

Fri 24 at Pensacola

Sat 25 at Pensacola

Fri 31 Florida

November

Sun 2 Florida

Thur 6 at Charlotte

Fri 7 Charlotte

Sat 8 Gwinnett

Thur 13 at Charlotte

Fri 14 at Gwinnett

Sat 15 at Charlotte

Tue 18 Gwinnett

Fri 21 Mississippi

Sat 22 Dayton

Wed 26 Charlotte

Fri 28 at Mississippi

Sat 29 at Mississippi

December

Tue 2 Pensacola

Thur 4 Pensacola

Fri 5 at Charlotte

Sat 6 Gwinnett

Fri 12 at Florida

Sat 13 at Florida

Tue 16 at Augusta

Fri 19 Elmira

Sat 20 Elmira

Fri 26 at Gwinnett

Sat 27 at Gwinnett

Sun 28 Mississippi

Wed 31 Mississippi

January

Fri 2 at Pensacola

Sat 3 at Pensacola

Tue 6 Augusta

Fri 9 at Augusta

Sat 10 at Charlotte

Fri 16 Florida

Sat 17 Augusta

Fri 23 at Mississippi

Sun 25 at Mississippi

Tue 27 Gwinnett

Fri 30 Augusta

Sat 31 Charlotte

February

Tue 3 at Florida

Wed 4 at Florida

Fri 6 Florida

Sat 7 Augusta

Fri 13 at Gwinnett

Sat 14 Pensacola

Sun 15 Pensacola

Wed 18 at Trenton

Fri 20 at Johnstown

Sat 21 at Trenton

Sun 22 at Reading

Fri 27 Mississippi

Sat 28 Charlotte

March

Fri 6 Trenton

Sat 7 at Augusta

Sun 8 Pensacola

Thur 12 at Charlotte

Sat 14 Gwinnett

Tue 17 at Augusta

Fri 20 Augusta

Sat 21 Charlotte

Sun 22 Florida

Tue 24 at Pensacola

Wed 25 at Pensacola

Fri 27 at Gwinnett

Sun 29 Mississippi

Tue 31 at Augusta

April

Sat 4 at Gwinnett

Check out the South Carolina Stingrays Statistics

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