2009-10 SCHEDULE RELEASED
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Griffins on Thursday released their schedule for the 2009-10 season, their 14th overall and ninth as members of the American Hockey League.
The primary affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings will begin its 80-game slate on Saturday, Oct. 3 in Peoria, marking the Griffins’ earliest season opener since their 1999-2000 IHL campaign (Oct. 1). After starting with five consecutive road contests, the Griffins will kick off a season-high six-game stand at Van Andel Arena by hosting a three-game weekend against the Abbotsford Heat on Friday, Oct. 23 and Sunday, Oct. 25, sandwiched around a visit by the Toronto Marlies on Saturday, Oct. 24.
Griffins Home Opening Weekend marks the first of three times during the 2009-10 season that Grand Rapids will play three home games in as many nights, a scheduling anomaly that occurred twice last season and only three times total over the franchise’s first 13 seasons.
Highlights of the 2009-10 schedule include:
• Twenty-seven prime home dates (16 Fridays and 11 Saturdays), including a run of eight consecutive Fridays at home from Oct. 23 to Dec. 11. All Friday games this season will once again feature the popular Dollar Dogs, Dollar Beers promotion;
• The first-ever visits to Van Andel Arena by Abbotsford (Oct. 23) and the Texas Stars (Nov. 20);
• Grand Rapids’ ninth annual Matinee Game presented by Lake Michigan Credit Union on Nov. 11 at noon versus the Lake Erie Monsters;
• Numerous holiday home games, including the Friday after Thanksgiving (Nov. 27), the Saturday and Sunday after Christmas (Dec. 26-27), and the Griffins’ 13th annual New Year’s Eve celebration;
• A run of 10 of 11 games at Van Andel Arena from Oct. 23 to Nov. 20, balanced by a late-season stretch (Feb. 26-March 25) in which 10 of 12 contests will be staged on the road;
• An April 2 visit to Abbotsford, B.C., which will mark the Griffins’ first game in the Pacific Time Zone since Nov. 24, 2004, when they earned a 4-3 shootout win over the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks at Anaheim’s Arrowhead Pond.
Most Griffins home games will begin at 7 p.m., with eight exceptions. In addition to the noon start on Nov. 11 and 4 p.m. faceoffs for four Sunday games, the Sunday, Oct. 25 contest will begin at 5 p.m., and the Friday, Dec. 11 (6:30 p.m.) and Saturday, Dec. 12 (8 p.m.) games will feature different start times to accommodate other arena events.
Griffins full-season, mini-plan and group ticket packages for the 2009-10 season are now on sale. For more information, visit griffinshockey.com or call the Griffins office at (616) 774-4585. Single-game tickets will go on sale to the public in September.
Griffins 2009-10 schedule options: PDF Outlook Graphic
| Date | Opponent | Time |
| Sat., Oct. 3 | @ Peoria Rivermen | 8:00 |
| Sat., Oct. 10 | @ Toronto Marlies | 3:00 |
| Thu., Oct. 15 | @ Texas Stars | 8:30 |
| Sat., Oct. 17 | @ San Antonio Rampage | 8:00 |
| Sun., Oct. 18 | @ San Antonio Rampage | 4:00 |
| Fri., Oct. 23 | ABBOTSFORD HEAT | 7:00 |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | TORONTO MARLIES | 7:00 |
| Sun., Oct. 25 | ABBOTSFORD HEAT | 5:00 |
| Thu., Oct. 29 | HOUSTON AEROS | 7:00 |
| Fri., Oct. 30 | HOUSTON AEROS | 7:00 |
| Fri., Nov. 6 | CHICAGO WOLVES | 7:00 |
| Sun., Nov. 8 | @ Lake Erie Monsters | 3:00 |
| Wed., Nov. 11 | LAKE ERIE MONSTERS | Noon |
| Fri., Nov. 13 | MILWAUKEE ADMIRALS | 7:00 |
| Sat., Nov. 14 | ROCHESTER AMERICANS | 7:00 |
| Fri., Nov. 20 | TEXAS STARS | 7:00 |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | @ Toronto Marlies | 4:00 |
| Wed., Nov. 25 | @ Chicago Wolves | 8:00 |
| Fri., Nov. 27 | ROCKFORD ICEHOGS | 7:00 |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | @ Peoria Rivermen | 8:00 |
| Tue., Dec. 1 | @ Lake Erie Monsters | 7:00 |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | ROCKFORD ICEHOGS | 7:00 |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | PEORIA RIVERMEN | 7:00 |
| Wed., Dec. 9 | SAN ANTONIO RAMPAGE | 7:00 |
| Fri., Dec. 11 | LAKE ERIE MONSTERS | 6:30 |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | MILWAUKEE ADMIRALS | 8:00 |
| Sun., Dec. 13 | @ Toronto Marlies | 5:00 |
| Tue., Dec. 15 | @ Peoria Rivermen | 8:00 |
| Fri., Dec. 18 | @ San Antonio Rampage | 8:00 |
| Sat., Dec. 19 | @ Texas Stars | 8:00 |
| Sun., Dec. 20 | @ Houston Aeros | 5:05 |
| Sat., Dec. 26 | CHICAGO WOLVES | 7:00 |
| Sun., Dec. 27 | PEORIA RIVERMEN | 4:00 |
| Mon., Dec. 28 | @ Milwaukee Admirals | 8:00 |
| Thu., Dec. 31 | HAMILTON BULLDOGS | 7:00 |
| Sat., Jan. 2 | @ Rockford IceHogs | 8:05 |
| Sun., Jan. 3 | LAKE ERIE MONSTERS | 4:00 |
| Wed., Jan. 6 | SAN ANTONIO RAMPAGE | 7:00 |
| Fri., Jan. 8 | @ Rochester Americans | 7:05 |
| Sat., Jan. 9 | @ Hamilton Bulldogs | 7:00 |
| Fri., Jan. 15 | PEORIA RIVERMEN | 7:00 |
| Sat., Jan. 16 | HAMILTON BULLDOGS | 7:00 |
| Sun., Jan. 17 | ROCKFORD ICEHOGS | 4:00 |
| Fri., Jan. 22 | TORONTO MARLIES | 7:00 |
| Sat., Jan. 23 | @ Rockford IceHogs | 8:05 |
| Sun., Jan. 24 | @ Chicago Wolves | 4:00 |
| Fri., Jan. 29 | CHICAGO WOLVES | 7:00 |
| Sat., Jan. 30 | ROCKFORD ICEHOGS | 7:00 |
| Wed., Feb. 3 | @ Rockford IceHogs | 8:05 |
| Fri., Feb. 5 | TORONTO MARLIES | 7:00 |
| Sat., Feb. 6 | HOUSTON AEROS | 7:00 |
| Tue., Feb. 9 | @ Texas Stars | 8:30 |
| Fri., Feb. 12 | @ Houston Aeros | 8:35 |
| Sat., Feb. 13 | @ Houston Aeros | 8:35 |
| Mon., Feb. 15 | @ Rockford IceHogs | 3:05 |
| Fri., Feb. 19 | HAMILTON BULLDOGS | 7:00 |
| Sat., Feb. 20 | PEORIA RIVERMEN | 7:00 |
| Sun., Feb. 21 | TEXAS STARS | 4:00 |
| Wed., Feb. 24 | SAN ANTONIO RAMPAGE | 7:00 |
| Fri., Feb. 26 | @ Rochester Americans | 7:05 |
| Sat., Feb. 27 | @ Lake Erie Monsters | 7:30 |
| Sun., Feb. 28 | @ Lake Erie Monsters | 4:00 |
| Thu., March 4 | @ Peoria Rivermen | 8:00 |
| Fri., March 5 | MANITOBA MOOSE | 7:00 |
| Sat., March 6 | MANITOBA MOOSE | 7:00 |
| Fri., March 12 | @ Hamilton Bulldogs | 7:30 |
| Sat., March 13 | @ Hamilton Bulldogs | 7:00 |
| Sun., March 14 | @ Rochester Americans | 3:00 |
| Fri., March 19 | @ Manitoba Moose | 8:30 |
| Sun., March 21 | @ Manitoba Moose | 3:00 |
| Thu., March 25 | @ Milwaukee Admirals | 8:00 |
| Fri., March 26 | MILWAUKEE ADMIRALS | 7:00 |
| Sat., March 27 | TEXAS STARS | 7:00 |
| Wed., March 31 | ROCHESTER AMERICANS | 7:00 |
| Fri., April 2 | @ Abbotsford Heat | 10:30 |
| Sat., April 3 | @ Abbotsford Heat | 9:00 |
| Wed., April 7 | ROCHESTER AMERICANS | 7:00 |
| Fri., April 9 | LAKE ERIE MONSTERS | 7:00 |
| Sat., April 10 | @ Chicago Wolves | 8:00 |
| Sun., April 11 | @ Milwaukee Admirals | 6:00 |
All Times Eastern
Dates, Opponents and Times Subject to Change
Games Broadcast on WOOD 1300 AM (Exceptions: Nov. 11 and Feb. 15 on WTKG 1230 AM)
Grand Rapids Griffins
2009-10 Schedule Breakdown
Season Opener: Sat., Oct. 3 at Peoria Rivermen
Home Opener: Fri., Oct. 23 vs. Abbotsford Heat
2010 Time Warner Cable AHL All-Star Classic: Mon., Jan. 18 and Tue., Jan. 19 in Portland, Maine
Home Finale: Fri., April 9 vs. Lake Erie Monsters
Season Finale: Sun., April 11 at Milwaukee Admirals
By Conference
Western – 80 (40 home, 40 road), Eastern – 0
By Division
North – 34 (17 home, 17 road), West – 46 (23 home, 23 road), East – 0, Atlantic – 0
By Opponent
Lake Erie, Peoria and Rockford – 8 games each (4 home, 4 road)
Chicago, Hamilton, Houston, Milwaukee, Rochester, San Antonio, Texas and Toronto – 6 games each (3 home, 3 road)
Abbotsford and Manitoba – 4 games each (2 home, 2 road)
By Day (Home)
Friday – 16, Saturday – 11, Wednesday – 6, Sunday – 5, Thursday – 2
By Day (Road)
Saturday – 14, Sunday – 9, Friday – 7, Tuesday and Thursday – 3, Monday and Wednesday – 2
By Month (Home)
December and January – 8, November and February – 6, October and March – 5, April – 2
By Month (Road)
February – 8, December and March – 7, October and January – 5, November and April – 4
Longest Home Stand
6 games: Oct. 23-Nov. 6
Longest Road Trip
6 games: March 12-25
Three Games in Three Nights
12 times: Oct. 23-25, Dec. 11-13, Dec. 18-20, Dec. 26-28, Jan. 15-17, Jan. 22-24, Feb. 19-21, Feb. 26-28, March 4-6, March 12-14, March 25-27, April 9-11
Four Games in Five Nights
3 times: Dec. 9-13, Feb. 24-28, April 7-11
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