SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League today released the complete schedule of regular-season games for the 2007-08 season, the league’s 72nd year of operation. The season, comprising an all-time high of 1,160 games, begins on Wed., Oct. 3 and concludes on Sun., Apr. 13. Each of the league’s 29 clubs will play 80 games, 40 at home and 40 on the road. With a divisional format again in place for the 2008 Calder Cup Playoffs, more than two-thirds of this year’s schedule (782 of 1,160) will feature games between division rivals. The top four teams in each division will qualify for the 2008 postseason, with one possible exception: if the fifth-place team in the West Division finishes with more points than the fourth-place team in the North Division, it would cross over and compete in the North Division playoffs. For the eighth year in a row, the AHL’s regular season opens with a game at the Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza, as the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins play host to the two-time defending Eastern Conference champion Hershey Bears on Oct. 3 at 7:05 p.m. ET.
The AHL returns to Cleveland in 2007-08 as the Lake Erie Monsters hit the ice as the top development affiliate of the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche. The Monsters open at the Quicken Loans Arena vs. Grand Rapids on Oct. 6. The AHL also begins play in two other new markets, as the Rockford IceHogs (Chicago Blackhawks) and Quad City Flames (Calgary Flames) join the circuit this fall. The Flames host Rockford in both teams’ season opener on Oct. 6; the IceHogs play their first nine games of the season on the road before hosting San Antonio at the newly renovated Rockford MetroCentre on Nov. 2.
The Hamilton Bulldogs begin defense of their 2007 Calder Cup championship in Rochester on Oct. 7, with their home opener at Copps Coliseum set for Fri., Oct. 12, against the same Americans. The Binghamton Senators and the city of Binghamton, N.Y., will host the 2008 AHL All-Star Classic at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena, Jan. 27-28.
In operation since 1936, the AHL continues to serve as the top development league for all 30 National Hockey League teams. More than 83 percent of today’s NHL players are American Hockey League graduates, and for the sixth year in a row, more than 6 million fans attended AHL games across North America in 2006-07.
The Amerks 2007-2008 regular season schedule:
2007-10-05 4 Syracuse at Rochester 7:35 pm EDT
2007-10-06 15 Rochester at Toronto 4:00 pm EDT
2007-10-07 19 Hamilton at Rochester 6:05 pm EDT
2007-10-12 24 Rochester at Hamilton 7:30 pm EDT
2007-10-13 41 Providence at Rochester 7:35 pm EDT
2007-10-16 50 Rochester at Manitoba 7:30 pm CDT
2007-10-17 55 Rochester at Manitoba 7:30 pm CDT
2007-10-19 62 Manitoba at Rochester 7:35 pm EDT
2007-10-20 69 Rochester at Hershey 7:00 pm EDT
2007-10-26 100 Syracuse at Rochester 7:35 pm EDT
2007-10-27 111 Rochester at Syracuse 7:30 pm EDT
2007-10-28 119 Binghamton at Rochester 6:05 pm EDT
2007-11-01 127 Rochester at Grand Rapids 7:00 pm EDT
2007-11-02 137 Grand Rapids at Rochester 7:35 pm EDT
2007-11-03 147 Hamilton at Rochester 7:35 pm EDT
2007-11-09 164 Rochester at Hamilton 7:30 pm EST
2007-11-10 187 Rochester at Syracuse 7:30 pm EST
2007-11-11 192 Chicago at Rochester 6:05 pm EST
2007-11-16 211 Rockford at Rochester 7:35 pm EST
2007-11-18 232 Grand Rapids at Rochester 6:05 pm EST
2007-11-21 244 Manitoba at Rochester 7:05 pm EST
2007-11-22 248 Rochester at Binghamton 6:05 pm EST
2007-11-23 259 Lake Erie at Rochester 7:35 pm EST
2007-11-30 298 Rochester at Manchester 7:05 pm EST
2007-12-01 314 Rochester at Providence 7:05 pm EST
2007-12-07 340 Toronto at Rochester 7:35 pm EST
2007-12-08 344 Rochester at Albany 7:00 pm EST
2007-12-09 360 Binghamton at Rochester 6:05 pm EST
2007-12-13 370 Rochester at Chicago 7:00 pm CST
2007-12-14 381 Rochester at Rockford 7:30 pm CST
2007-12-15 394 Rochester at Peoria 7:00 pm CST
2007-12-21 424 Toronto at Rochester 7:35 pm EST
2007-12-22 428 Rochester at Binghamton 7:05 pm EST
2007-12-26 447 Toronto at Rochester 7:05 pm EST
2007-12-28 465 Hamilton at Rochester 7:35 pm EST
2007-12-29 473 Rochester at Lake Erie 7:30 pm EST
2007-12-30 483 Syracuse at Rochester 6:05 pm EST
2008-01-02 502 Rochester at Toronto 7:30 pm EST
2008-01-04 509 Rochester at Manitoba 7:30 pm CST
2008-01-05 521 Rochester at Manitoba 7:30 pm CST
2008-01-11 555 Manchester at Rochester 7:35 pm EST
2008-01-12 564 Rochester at Hamilton 7:00 pm EST
2008-01-13 578 Peoria at Rochester 6:05 pm EST
2008-01-16 587 Rochester at Grand Rapids 7:00 pm EST
2008-01-18 595 Rochester at Grand Rapids 7:00 pm EST
2008-01-20 622 Rochester at Quad City 5:05 pm CST
2008-01-21 624 Rochester at Iowa 5:05 pm CST
2008-01-23 636 Quad City at Rochester 7:05 pm EST
2008-01-25 651 Lake Erie at Rochester 7:35 pm EST
2008-01-26 659 Rochester at Lake Erie 7:30 pm EST
2008-02-01 681 Toronto at Rochester 7:35 pm EST
2008-02-02 694 Rochester at Toronto 4:00 pm EST
2008-02-06 709 Syracuse at Rochester 7:05 pm EST
2008-02-09 729 San Antonio at Rochester 7:35 pm EST
2008-02-15 761 Hershey at Rochester 7:35 pm EST
2008-02-16 778 Rochester at Syracuse 7:30 pm EST
2008-02-17 785 Hamilton at Rochester 6:05 pm EST
2008-02-20 798 Albany at Rochester 7:05 pm EST
2008-02-22 808 Binghamton at Rochester 7:35 pm EST
2008-02-24 831 Houston at Rochester 6:05 pm EST
2008-03-01 869 Rochester at Syracuse 7:30 pm EST
2008-03-02 881 Iowa at Rochester 6:05 pm EST
2008-03-07 903 Rochester at San Antonio 7:00 pm CST
2008-03-09 919 Rochester at Houston 4:05 pm CDT
2008-03-14 947 Rochester at Syracuse 7:30 pm EDT
2008-03-15 949 Rochester at Binghamton 7:05 pm EDT
2008-03-20 982 Rochester at Lake Erie 7:00 pm EDT
2008-03-21 992 Grand Rapids at Rochester 7:35 pm EDT
2008-03-22 996 Rochester at Binghamton 7:05 pm EDT
2008-03-26 1021 Manitoba at Rochester 7:05 pm EDT
2008-03-28 1035 Manitoba at Rochester 7:35 pm EDT
2008-03-29 1041 Rochester at Grand Rapids 7:00 pm EDT
2008-03-30 1059 Binghamton at Rochester 6:05 pm EDT
2008-04-04 1084 Rochester at Syracuse 7:30 pm EDT
2008-04-05 1098 Grand Rapids at Rochester 7:35 pm EDT
2008-04-06 1109 Syracuse at Rochester 6:05 pm EDT
2008-04-09 1114 Rochester at Hamilton 7:30 pm EDT
2008-04-11 1132 Syracuse at Rochester 7:35 pm EDT
2008-04-12 1146 Rochester at Toronto 4:00 pm EDT
2008-04-13 1155 Lake Erie at Rochester 6:05 pm EDT