Wild unveils 2011-12 hockey schedule
Courtesy photoIt's time for the North American Hockey League (NAHL) playoffs to begin and the Wenatchee Wild are one of a handful of favorites for the 2009-2010 title. The Wild earned the best regular season record and begin their quest for the crown tomorrow when they host Game 1 of the West Division playoffs against the Kenai River Brown Bears in their best-of-series starting at 7:05 p.m.
WENATCHEE, Wash. - The 2-time NAHL West Division Champion Wenatchee Wild has released its schedule for the 2011-12 season.
The Wild will kick off the 2011-12 campaign with four games in as many days at the league's ninth annual Showcase Tournament in Blaine, Minn., which will be held Sept. 14-17.
The team's home-opening series, against division foe Alaska, is on Sept. 23-24. The Wild will also host Alaska when it rings in 2012 with a 2-game series on Dec. 30-31.
Forty-eight of the Wild's 60 games will be home-and-away West Division contests, 12 apiece against Dawson Creek and Fresno, and eight apiece against Alaska, Fairbanks and Kenai River. The Wild's two home series against the Fairbanks Ice Dogs, who won the 2011 Robertson Cup championship, are on Nov. 18-19 and Feb. 3-4.
With the addition of two expansion clubs, a total of 28 teams will take part in the 2011-12 NAHL season. The additional teams resulted in the creation of a fifth division for the upcoming campaign (Midwest). The 6-team West Division is the league's only division to remain completely in tact from last season.
Wenatchee's non-division schedule consists of home-and-away sets against Odessa and Topeka, one of four teams that qualified for the 2011 Robertson Cup Championship Tournament.
In addition to the Wild's 28-game regular-season home schedule, the Town Toyota Center will also be the site of Wenatchee's first NCAA Division I hockey game between the Air Force Falcons and Simon Fraser Clan on Saturday, Oct. 1. Wild season ticket holders will have the first opportunity to purchase tickets for the collegiate exhibition game, which will feature former Wild players Adam McKenzie, Ryan Timar and Mitch Torrel, for just $10 apiece.
The Wild's full 2011-12 schedule: All Times Local
SEPTEMBER ?- Wednesday, Sept. 14, vs. Janesville (at Blaine, MN), Thursday, Sept. 15 vs. ABERDEEN (at Blaine, MN), Friday, Sept. 16, vs. Corpus Christi (at Blaine, MN); Saturday, Sept. 17 vs. CHICAGO (at Blaine, MN); Friday, Sept. 23, vs. ALASKA, 7:05 PM; Saturday, Sept. 24 vs. ALASKA, 7:05 PM;
OCTOBER ?- Friday, Oct. 14, vs. ODESSA, 7:05 PM; Saturday, Oct. 15, vs. ODESSA, 7:05 PM; Friday, Oct. 21, vs. KENAI RIVER, 7:05 PM, Saturday, Oct. 22, vs. KENAI RIVER, 7:05 PM; Tuesday, Oct. 25, at Alaska, 7 PM; Wednesday, Oct. 26, at Alaska, 7 PM; Friday, Oct. 28, at Fairbanks, 7:30 PM; Saturday, Oct. 29, at Fairbanks, 7:30 PM;
NOVEMBER - Friday, Nov. 4, at Alaska, 7:30 PM; Saturday, Nov. 5, at Alaska, 7:30 PM; Friday, Nov. 18, vs. FAIRBANKS, 7:05 PM; Saturday, Nov. 19, vs. FAIRBANKS, 7:05 PM; Friday, Nov. 25, at Fresno, 7:35 PM; Saturday, Nov. 26, at Fresno, 7:35 PM;
DECEMBER - Friday, Dec. 2, vs. DAWSON CREEK, 7:05 PM; Saturday, Dec. 3, vs. DAWSON CREEK, 7:05 PM; Sunday, Dec. 4, vs. DAWSON CREEK, 5:05 PM, Friday, Dec. 9, at Odessa, 7:05 PM; Saturday, Dec. 10, at Odessa, 7:05 PM; Friday, Dec. 16, at Topeka, 7:05 PM; Saturday, Dec. 17,
at Topeka, 7:05 PM; Friday, Dec. 30, vs. ALASKA, 7:05 PM; Saturday, Dec. 31, vs. ALASKA, 6 PM;
JANUARY - Friday, Jan. 6, at Fresno, 7:35 PM; Saturday, Jan. 7, at Fresno, 7:35 PM; Friday, Jan. 13, at Dawson Creek, 7 PM; Saturday, Jan. 14
at Dawson Creek, 7 PM; Sunday, Jan. 15, at Dawson Creek, 3 PM; Friday, Jan. 20, vs. FRESNO, 7:05 PM; Saturday, Jan. 21, vs. FRESNO, 7:05 PM; Friday, Jan. 27, vs. KENAI RIVER, 7:05 PM; Saturday, Jan. 28, vs. KENAI RIVER, 7:05 PM;
FEBRUARY - Friday, Feb. 3, vs. FAIRBANKS, 7:05 PM; Saturday, Feb. 4, vs. FAIRBANKS, 7:05 PM; Friday, Feb. 10, at Kenai River, 7:30 PM; Saturday, Feb. 11, at Kenai River, 7:30 PM; Monday, Feb. 13, at Fairbanks, 7 PM; Tuesday, Feb. 14, at Fairbanks, 7 PM; Friday, Feb. 17, at Kenai River, 7:30 PM; Saturday, Feb. 18, at Kenai River, 7:30 PM; Friday, Feb. 24, vs. TOPEKA, 7:05 PM; Saturday, Feb. 25, vs. TOPEKA, 7:05 PM;
MARCH - Saturday, March 3, vs. FRESNO, 7:05 PM; Sunday, March 4, vs. FRESNO, 5:05 PM; Thursday, March 8, at Dawson Creek, 7 PM; Friday, March 9, at Dawson Creek, 7 PM; Saturday, March 10, at Dawson Creek, 7 PM; Friday, March 16, vs. DAWSON CREEK, 7:05 PM; Saturday, March 17, vs. DAWSON CREEK, 7:05 PM; Sunday, March 18, vs. DAWSON CREEK, 5:05 PM; Friday, March 23, at Fresno, 7:35 PM; Saturday, March 24, at Fresno, 7:35 PM; Friday, March 30, vs. FRESNO, 7:05 PM; Saturday, March 31, vs. FRESNO, 7:05 PM.