ONTARIO REIGN UNVEIL 2008-2009 INAUGURAL SEASON SCHEDULE
Season opener at Bakersfield; first home game versus Las Vegas Oct. 25
ONTARIO, Calif. – The Ontario Reign of the ECHL, an affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings, announced today the release of their upcoming 2008-2009 season schedule. The ECHL released the full schedule for the 24-team league earlier today in Princeton, N.J.
To begin the season, the Reign will play its first-ever game as an ECHL franchise against the Bakersfield Condors in Bakersfield on Oct. 18 at 7:00 p.m. After an additional game in Bakersfield followed by a pair of games in Las Vegas, the Reign will return home to the Citizens Business Bank Arena for their home opener, Saturday, Oct. 25 at 7:00 p.m. against the Las Vegas Wranglers. Located at 4000 Ontario Center Parkway in Ontario Calif., the Citizens Business Bank Arena is a state-of-the-art, $130 million multi-purpose facility with 9,736 seats for hockey as well as 36 suites, a continuous concourse and a VIP club.
The Reign schedule includes 72 games with 36 games played at home. The Reign will play 30 out of 36 home games on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays with six games played on Wednesdays throughout the season. All home games will begin at 7:00 p.m. PST, except for Sundays, which will begin at 5:00 p.m.
The 2008-2009 schedule features 33 games against Pacific Division opponents. Division rivals include the Bakersfield Condors, Las Vegas Wranglers, Stockton Thunder and the Fresno Falcons.
All Sunday games during the 2008-2009 season will be Ontario Reign Kids Club games. All children enrolled in the kids club will receive complimentary admission to the games. To sign up your child for the kids club call the Reign office at (909) 941-7801.
Ontario will also face off against the Las Vegas Wranglers in their annual “Midnight Holiday Roundup” game on Dec. 15 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, NV.
Ontario Reign season tickets are now on sale and offer an affordable entertainment option for families and residents of the Inland Empire. All season tickets include parking and access to all thirty-six home games starting at only $332, a savings of up to 25% off regular ticket prices! For more information about Reign season tickets contact the Reign office at (909) 941-PUCK (7825).
2008-2009 SCHEDULE
October
Sat., Oct. 18 @ Bakersfield 7:00 PM
Thur., Oct. 23 @ Las Vegas TBD
Fri., Oct. 24 @ Las Vegas TBD
Sat., Oct. 25 vs. Las Vegas 7:00 PM
Wed., Oct. 29 vs. Bakersfield 7:00 PM
Fri., Oct. 31 @ Phoenix TBD
November
Sat., Nov. 01 vs. Phoenix 7:00 PM
Wed., Nov. 05 @ Utah 6:05 PM
Fri., Nov. 07 @ Utah 6:05 PM
Sat., Nov. 08 @ Utah 6:05 PM
Wed., Nov. 12 vs. Stockton 7:00 PM
Fri., Nov. 14 vs. Bakersfield 7:00 PM
Sat., Nov. 15 vs. Stockton 7:00 PM
Fri., Nov. 21 @ Fresno 7:30 PM
Sat., Nov. 22 @ Fresno 7:30 PM
Wed., Nov. 26 @ Stockton 7:00 PM
Fri., Nov. 28 vs. Bakersfield 7:00 PM
Sat., Nov. 29 vs. Alaska 7:00 PM
Sun., Nov. 30 vs. Alaska 5:00 PM
December
Wed., Dec. 03 vs. Victoria 7:00 PM
Fri., Dec. 05 vs. Stockton 7:00 PM
Sat., Dec. 06 @ Stockton 7:30 PM
Sun., Dec. 07 vs. Victoria 5:00 PM
Tue., Dec. 09 @ Phoenix TBD
Fri., Dec. 12 vs. Las Vegas 7:00 PM
Sat., Dec. 13 vs. Fresno 7:00 PM
Mon., Dec. 15*** @ Las Vegas 11:59 PM
Fri., Dec. 19 @ Las Vegas TBD
Sat., Dec. 20 vs. Phoenix 7:00 PM
Sun., Dec. 21 vs. Stockton 5:00 PM
Sat., Dec.27 @ Phoenix TBD
Sun., Dec.28 @ Fresno 5:00 PM
January
Fri., Jan. 02 vs. Idaho 7:00 PM
Sat., Jan. 03 vs. Idaho 7:00 PM
Wed., Jan. 07 vs. Alaska 7:00 PM
Fri., Jan. 09 @ Victoria TBD Sat.,
Sat., Jan. 10 @ Victoria TBD
Wed., Jan. 14 @ Phoenix TBD
Fri., Jan. 16 vs. Utah 7:00 PM
Sat., Jan. 17 vs. Utah 7:00 PM
Fri., Jan. 23 vs. Fresno 7:00 PM
Sat., Jan. 24 @ Bakersfield 7:00 PM
Sun., Jan. 25 vs. Bakersfield 5:00 PM
Wed., Jan. 28 @ Alaska 8:15 PM
Fri., Jan. 30 @ Alaska 8:15 PM
Sat., Jan. 31 @ Alaska 8:15 PM
February
Fri., Feb. 06 vs. Idaho 7:00 PM
Sat., Feb. 07 vs. Alaska 7:00 PM
Fri., Feb. 13 @ Bakersfield 7:00 PM
Sat., Feb. 14 vs. Utah 7:00 PM
Sun., Feb. 15 @ Stockton 4:00 PM
Wed., Feb. 18 vs. Victoria 7:00 PM
Fri., Feb. 20 vs. Phoenix 7:00 PM
Sat., Feb. 21 @ Phoenix TBD
Sun., Feb. 22 vs. Victoria 5:00 PM
Fri., Feb. 27 vs. Phoenix 7:00 PM
Sat., Feb. 28 vs. Las Vegas 7:00 PM
March
Fri., Mar. 06 vs. Utah 7:00 PM
Sat., Mar. 07 vs. Bakersfield 7:00 PM
Sun., Mar. 08 @ Stockton 4:00 PM
Wed., Mar. 11 @ Victoria TBD
Fri., Mar. 13 @ Victoria TBD
Sat., Mar. 14 @ Victoria TBD
Wed., Mar. 18 @ Fresno 7:00 PM
Fri., Mar. 20 @ Las Vegas TBD
Sat., Mar. 21 vs. Phoenix 7:00 PM
Sun., Mar. 22 vs. Las Vegas 5:00 PM
Wed., Mar. 25 @ Idaho 6:10 PM
Fri., Mar. 27 @ Idaho 6:10 PM
Sat., Mar. 28 @ Idaho 6:10 PM
April
Fri., Apr. 03 @ Bakersfield 7:00 PM
Apr. 04 @ Bakersfield 7:00 PM
* All game times PST
** Game times subject to change
*** Midnight game
ECHL
The ECHL opens its 21st season on Oct. 17, 2008 with eight games being played in seven states from Alaska to Florida.
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 a 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.
The ECHL has affiliations with 26 of the 30 teams in the NHL in 2007-08, marking the 11th consecutive season that the league has had affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL.
There have been 355 former ECHL players who have gone on to play in the NHL after playing in the ECHL, including 99 in the last three seasons. There have been 210 former ECHL players who have played their first game in the NHL in the past seven seasons.
There are 15 coaches in the NHL who have ECHL experience including former Wheeling coach Peter Laviolette, who is head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes, and former Mississippi coach Bruce Boudreau, who is head coach of the Washington Capitals.
The ECHL is represented for the seventh consecutive year on the National Hockey League championship team in 2007 with Anaheim assistant coach Dave Farrish, players Francois Beauchemin and George Parros and broadcasters John Ahlers and Steve Carroll.
The ECHL has affiliations with 26 of the 29 teams in the American Hockey League in 2007-08 and for the past 18 years there has been an ECHL player on the Calder Cup champion.
In each of the last two seasons there have been more than 225 players who have played in both the ECHL and the AHL and there were over 800 call-ups involving more than 500 players. In the last five seasons the ECHL has had more call-ups to the AHL than all other professional leagues combined with over 2,000 call-ups involving more than 1,000 players since 2002-03.
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