Please note: This schedule is completely different than the one that was originally released on August 4th, and contains a few minor
changes to the revised schedule that was announced on August 10th and corrected on August 11th. Home game times were added on September 8th, with Sunday times
finalized on October 23rd. On October 29th, the October 31st road game was moved to December 8th. On November 19th, the February 7th home game was moved to
February 20th.
The 2009-10 AAHL season will consist of 48 total games per team - 24 at home and 24 on the road. It begins on October 23rd and ends on March 21st.
There will be 6 teams in the league - the Evansville IceMen, the Chi-Town Shooters, the Battle Creek Revolution, the Chicago Blaze, the Detroit Hitmen, and the Madison Ice Muskies. The first four are returning from last season, the Hitmen are a re-located franchise that was formerly announced as the Lapeer Thunder, and the Ice Muskies joined the AAHL when the league absorbed the MWHL.
The top 4 teams will qualify for the Champion's Cup Playoffs. The first round will use a Best-of-5 format, while the finals will be Best-of-7. I would assume the first round will be played March 26th through April 4th, with the finals starting on or around April 9th.
Here is the IceMen schedule in full-color pocket-sized calendar format...
(Just print it off and fold it in half the long way, and it's about the size of a dollar bill!)
Or you can print off a larger text-only black-and-white version that's a little more ink-friendly...
PROMOTIONS
The following promotions have been announced:
10/30: Opening Night, sponsored by the Nick Nackery
Fans are encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes to the game, and the first 300 fans will receive a Halloween-themed giveaway item. Also, if you buy your Halloween costume at the Nick Nackery and bring your receipt to the game, you'll be entered to win a special Halloween Prize Package from the Nick Nackery.
11/1: College Night
Fans are encouraged to wear their favorite school's colors.
11/6: Vectren Night
The first 300 fans through the doors will receive a free gift from Vectren.
11/7: Saluting Local Heroes / Night of Rememberance
This weekend marks 4 years since the tragic November 6th tornado struck the Tri-State. As we remember those who died that night, we salute our local heroes who kept the death toll from being worse - police, fire, paramedics, and the Red Cross.
11/14: Military Appreciation Night, sponsored by the National Guard
Just a few days after Veterans Day, the IceMen will salute all military personell, past and present. The evening will feature a bunch of patriotic music. Additional details TBA.
11/28: Black Buggy Night
Details TBA.
12/4: Ladies Night, sponsored by Body Makeover
Details TBA.
12/5: Blizzard's Birthday Bash, sponsored by Save-A-Lot and Goldenrod Dairy
The first 300 kids through the door will receive a free picture frame from Goldenrod.
12/11: TBA
12/18: TBA
12/19: Christmas with the IceMen
Fans are asked to bring a new (unwrapped) toy for Toys For Tots.
Also, Santa and his buddy "Blizzard Claus" will be on hand!
12/30: TBA
1/1: TBA
1/15: TBA
1/16: TBA
1/23: TBA
1/29: TBA
2/5: TBA
2/13: TBA
2/19: TBA
2/20: TBA
3/10: TBA
3/13: TBA
3/21: TBA
For the latest promotion schedule at any time, please visit the official website's Upcoming Promotions page.
TICKETS
Single-game general-admission tickets will be $7 this season. That's only $1 more than last year's crazy-low price, and it will likely still be the cheapest in the league.
Season tickets are $150, a savings of $18 over the course of the 24-game home schedule. Season tickets also get you a guaranteed reserved seat, and a 10% discount on all IceMen merchandise. Quite a deal!
Half-season ticket packages are also available for $75. You'll save $9 on any 12 home games of your choice, and have a guaranteed reserved seat for each of those games.
To reserve your favorite seat for the whole season or just a half-season, or to purchase general admission single-game tickets for any game in advance, visit the souvenir table at any IceMen home game or call the IceMen office at 812-435-8971.
Remember that unless you're a season-ticket holder, seating is first-come first-served. Doors generally open 45-60 minutes before game time and Swonder is always at or near capacity for IceMen games, so if you want a particular seat, show up early!
SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN
There are 21 total weekends during the regular season, not including the All-Star Weekend. Of the 21 weekends, the IceMen have at least one home game during 16 of them. (One of the weekends without a home game is Christmas weekend.) There are 8 weekends with 1 home game, and 8 weekends with 2 home games. (The 3-home-game weekend that was in the original schedule has been nixed.) There are 4 weekends that feature a Friday-Saturday home double-header, and 3 of those are back-to-back games against our beloved Chi-Town Shooters.
We'll see lots of Chi-Town and Madison, and not much of anybody else...especially Detroit.
• 17 total games against the Shooters - 9 home, 8 away
• 13 total games against the Ice Muskies - 6 home, 7 away
• 9 total games against the Blaze - 5 home, 4 away
• 6 total games against the Revolution - 2 home, 3 away, 1 away (neutral site)
• 3 total games against the Hitmen - 2 home, 1 away
The home schedule is nicely balanced over the course of the season. After our 1 game in October, we have 5 home games in November, 6 in December, 5 in January, and 4 in February. The home schedule concludes with 3 games in March before the playoffs begin. Our longest homestand is 4 games, from 10/30 to 11/7.
The road schedule is fairly balanced as well. We start off a bit light, with 2 road games in October and 3 in November. The travel picks up a bit in the latter part of the season, with 4 away games in December, 4 more in January, 6 in February, and 5 in March. The longest road trip is 5 games; otherwise, the IceMen never play more than 2 consecutive games away from Swonder.
Finally, the new schedule is much more weekend-friendly for Evansville. We now have 10 Friday home games and 9 Saturday home games, up from 8 and 5 in the original schedule. There are now 3 Sunday home games, down from 7. The 2 Wednesday games remain, although one of those now precedes a holiday. (It's December 30th, so schools will be out and many folks will be off work the next day for New Year's Eve...so it's not really a typical Wednesday.) Overall, it's a pretty favorable home schedule.
SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS
• There are 3 pre-season games scheduled. The IceMen start things off on Wednesday, October 14th, in Dayton against the IHL's Gems. The only home pre-season game will be Friday, October 16th, with the Chi-Town Shooters visiting Swonder. The IceMen and Shooters will then head north and play a rematch in Dyer on Saturday, October 17th.
• The regular season begins on October 23rd and 24th with a pair of games in Madison. That's an awfully long road trip for any Maniacs who want to support the team right off the bat. According to Google Maps, Madison is about a 7½ hour drive from Evansville, about 45 minutes longer than the drive to Battle Creek.
• Our home opener is still October 30th, but it's now against Madison (instead of Battle Creek) and it's not the only home game of the weekend. The IceMen will return to the ice at the friendly confines for a Sunday contest against the Chicago Blaze on November 1st.
• The first of 4 sets of back-to-back home games will be November 6th and 7th against the Revolution. Believe it or not, BC won't return to Evansville for the rest of the regular season. So if you want to see the IceMen take on the Revs, mark these dates on your calendar!
• The Detroit Hitmen make their first Evansville appearance on Saturday, November 28th. It's the only IceMen game over the Thanksgiving weekend. Good chance to bring your family out to Swonder!
• We'll see the Shooters more than any other team over the course of the season, but they're actually the last opponent to venture our way at the start of the season...go figure. Darren Seid and his band of (insert term of your choice here) finally come to Evansville for a back-to-back set on December 4th and 5th. Chi-Town returns the next 2 weekends as well, for a single contest on Friday the 11th and another back-to-back on December 18th and 19th. Mark your calendars and commence drooling.
• December 12th might present a good time for a Maniac road trip. The IceMen head to Rolling Meadows to take on the Blaze in their own barn for the first time.
• The schedule-makers didn't do the IceMen any favors over the long New Year's weekend. Evansville will be home on Wednesday the 30th, at Madison on Thursday the 31st, home against Chi-Town on Friday the 1st, and at Chi-Town on Sunday the 3rd. That's 4 games in 3 cities over a 5-day stretch...just brutal. Regardless, the New Year's Day game against the Shooters should be fun.
• In case you forgot, the following weekend is the first-ever AAHL All-Star Weekend, right here in Evansville. Friday's skills competition is slated for 7 PM, with Saturday's All-Star Game starting at 3.
• Following the break, the IceMen get right back into it with the Shooters - which is the way it should be. January 15th and 16th, Chi-Town comes to Swonder for the teams' 3rd back-to-back in Evansville in a 7-week span. I'm guessing things could get rather explosive.
• The following weekend is a tough one - at Chicago on Friday, home against Detroit on Saturday, and at Chi-Town on Sunday. Three games in three days is never easy, but especially when you're playing 3 different teams in 3 different cities. Also, it's worth noting that January 23rd will be Detroit's second and final visit to Evansville during the regular season.
• The 3-in-3 fun continues a few weeks later, starting with a neutral-site game against Battle Creek in Fort Wayne on Friday 2/12. (It officially counts as a home game for the Revolution.) The IceMen and Shooters then partake in a good old-fashioned home-and-home series on Saturday (in Evansville) and Sunday (in Dyer). Unfortunately, our Valentine's Day date with the Shooters will be on the road...but we should all note that the 2/13 game will be Chi-Town's final trip to Evansville during the regular season.
• At the end of February, the IceMen play a pair of weekend games in Chi-Town on Saturday and Sunday, the 27th and 28th. Sure sounds like a golden opportunity for a Maniac road trip...
• After a Wednesday home game against the Blaze on 3/10, the IceMen head to Madison on 3/12 before returning to Swonder for the last Saturday home game of the regular season on the 13th. Hopefully it'll be a Lucky 13th...
• The regular season concludes with one last 3-in-3 weekend. It starts with a trip to Chi-Town and Madison on 3/19 and 3/20, followed by the regular season finale at home on Sunday 3/21. It'll be the 4th game in 10 days against the Ice Muskies, and playoff seeding could be on the line. Sounds like a good time to pack Swonder to the rafters, eh?
The 2009-10 AAHL season will consist of 48 total games per team - 24 at home and 24 on the road. It begins on October 23rd and ends on March 21st.
There will be 6 teams in the league - the Evansville IceMen, the Chi-Town Shooters, the Battle Creek Revolution, the Chicago Blaze, the Detroit Hitmen, and the Madison Ice Muskies. The first four are returning from last season, the Hitmen are a re-located franchise that was formerly announced as the Lapeer Thunder, and the Ice Muskies joined the AAHL when the league absorbed the MWHL.
The top 4 teams will qualify for the Champion's Cup Playoffs. The first round will use a Best-of-5 format, while the finals will be Best-of-7. I would assume the first round will be played March 26th through April 4th, with the finals starting on or around April 9th.
Here is the IceMen schedule in full-color pocket-sized calendar format...
(Just print it off and fold it in half the long way, and it's about the size of a dollar bill!)
Or you can print off a larger text-only black-and-white version that's a little more ink-friendly...
PROMOTIONS
The following promotions have been announced:
10/30: Opening Night, sponsored by the Nick Nackery
Fans are encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes to the game, and the first 300 fans will receive a Halloween-themed giveaway item. Also, if you buy your Halloween costume at the Nick Nackery and bring your receipt to the game, you'll be entered to win a special Halloween Prize Package from the Nick Nackery.
11/1: College Night
Fans are encouraged to wear their favorite school's colors.
11/6: Vectren Night
The first 300 fans through the doors will receive a free gift from Vectren.
11/7: Saluting Local Heroes / Night of Rememberance
This weekend marks 4 years since the tragic November 6th tornado struck the Tri-State. As we remember those who died that night, we salute our local heroes who kept the death toll from being worse - police, fire, paramedics, and the Red Cross.
11/14: Military Appreciation Night, sponsored by the National Guard
Just a few days after Veterans Day, the IceMen will salute all military personell, past and present. The evening will feature a bunch of patriotic music. Additional details TBA.
11/28: Black Buggy Night
Details TBA.
12/4: Ladies Night, sponsored by Body Makeover
Details TBA.
12/5: Blizzard's Birthday Bash, sponsored by Save-A-Lot and Goldenrod Dairy
The first 300 kids through the door will receive a free picture frame from Goldenrod.
12/11: TBA
12/18: TBA
12/19: Christmas with the IceMen
Fans are asked to bring a new (unwrapped) toy for Toys For Tots.
Also, Santa and his buddy "Blizzard Claus" will be on hand!
12/30: TBA
1/1: TBA
1/15: TBA
1/16: TBA
1/23: TBA
1/29: TBA
2/5: TBA
2/13: TBA
2/19: TBA
2/20: TBA
3/10: TBA
3/13: TBA
3/21: TBA
For the latest promotion schedule at any time, please visit the official website's Upcoming Promotions page.
TICKETS
Single-game general-admission tickets will be $7 this season. That's only $1 more than last year's crazy-low price, and it will likely still be the cheapest in the league.
Season tickets are $150, a savings of $18 over the course of the 24-game home schedule. Season tickets also get you a guaranteed reserved seat, and a 10% discount on all IceMen merchandise. Quite a deal!
Half-season ticket packages are also available for $75. You'll save $9 on any 12 home games of your choice, and have a guaranteed reserved seat for each of those games.
To reserve your favorite seat for the whole season or just a half-season, or to purchase general admission single-game tickets for any game in advance, visit the souvenir table at any IceMen home game or call the IceMen office at 812-435-8971.
Remember that unless you're a season-ticket holder, seating is first-come first-served. Doors generally open 45-60 minutes before game time and Swonder is always at or near capacity for IceMen games, so if you want a particular seat, show up early!
SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN
There are 21 total weekends during the regular season, not including the All-Star Weekend. Of the 21 weekends, the IceMen have at least one home game during 16 of them. (One of the weekends without a home game is Christmas weekend.) There are 8 weekends with 1 home game, and 8 weekends with 2 home games. (The 3-home-game weekend that was in the original schedule has been nixed.) There are 4 weekends that feature a Friday-Saturday home double-header, and 3 of those are back-to-back games against our beloved Chi-Town Shooters.
We'll see lots of Chi-Town and Madison, and not much of anybody else...especially Detroit.
• 17 total games against the Shooters - 9 home, 8 away
• 13 total games against the Ice Muskies - 6 home, 7 away
• 9 total games against the Blaze - 5 home, 4 away
• 6 total games against the Revolution - 2 home, 3 away, 1 away (neutral site)
• 3 total games against the Hitmen - 2 home, 1 away
The home schedule is nicely balanced over the course of the season. After our 1 game in October, we have 5 home games in November, 6 in December, 5 in January, and 4 in February. The home schedule concludes with 3 games in March before the playoffs begin. Our longest homestand is 4 games, from 10/30 to 11/7.
The road schedule is fairly balanced as well. We start off a bit light, with 2 road games in October and 3 in November. The travel picks up a bit in the latter part of the season, with 4 away games in December, 4 more in January, 6 in February, and 5 in March. The longest road trip is 5 games; otherwise, the IceMen never play more than 2 consecutive games away from Swonder.
Finally, the new schedule is much more weekend-friendly for Evansville. We now have 10 Friday home games and 9 Saturday home games, up from 8 and 5 in the original schedule. There are now 3 Sunday home games, down from 7. The 2 Wednesday games remain, although one of those now precedes a holiday. (It's December 30th, so schools will be out and many folks will be off work the next day for New Year's Eve...so it's not really a typical Wednesday.) Overall, it's a pretty favorable home schedule.
SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS
• There are 3 pre-season games scheduled. The IceMen start things off on Wednesday, October 14th, in Dayton against the IHL's Gems. The only home pre-season game will be Friday, October 16th, with the Chi-Town Shooters visiting Swonder. The IceMen and Shooters will then head north and play a rematch in Dyer on Saturday, October 17th.
• The regular season begins on October 23rd and 24th with a pair of games in Madison. That's an awfully long road trip for any Maniacs who want to support the team right off the bat. According to Google Maps, Madison is about a 7½ hour drive from Evansville, about 45 minutes longer than the drive to Battle Creek.
• Our home opener is still October 30th, but it's now against Madison (instead of Battle Creek) and it's not the only home game of the weekend. The IceMen will return to the ice at the friendly confines for a Sunday contest against the Chicago Blaze on November 1st.
• The first of 4 sets of back-to-back home games will be November 6th and 7th against the Revolution. Believe it or not, BC won't return to Evansville for the rest of the regular season. So if you want to see the IceMen take on the Revs, mark these dates on your calendar!
• The Detroit Hitmen make their first Evansville appearance on Saturday, November 28th. It's the only IceMen game over the Thanksgiving weekend. Good chance to bring your family out to Swonder!
• We'll see the Shooters more than any other team over the course of the season, but they're actually the last opponent to venture our way at the start of the season...go figure. Darren Seid and his band of (insert term of your choice here) finally come to Evansville for a back-to-back set on December 4th and 5th. Chi-Town returns the next 2 weekends as well, for a single contest on Friday the 11th and another back-to-back on December 18th and 19th. Mark your calendars and commence drooling.
• December 12th might present a good time for a Maniac road trip. The IceMen head to Rolling Meadows to take on the Blaze in their own barn for the first time.
• The schedule-makers didn't do the IceMen any favors over the long New Year's weekend. Evansville will be home on Wednesday the 30th, at Madison on Thursday the 31st, home against Chi-Town on Friday the 1st, and at Chi-Town on Sunday the 3rd. That's 4 games in 3 cities over a 5-day stretch...just brutal. Regardless, the New Year's Day game against the Shooters should be fun.
• In case you forgot, the following weekend is the first-ever AAHL All-Star Weekend, right here in Evansville. Friday's skills competition is slated for 7 PM, with Saturday's All-Star Game starting at 3.
• Following the break, the IceMen get right back into it with the Shooters - which is the way it should be. January 15th and 16th, Chi-Town comes to Swonder for the teams' 3rd back-to-back in Evansville in a 7-week span. I'm guessing things could get rather explosive.
• The following weekend is a tough one - at Chicago on Friday, home against Detroit on Saturday, and at Chi-Town on Sunday. Three games in three days is never easy, but especially when you're playing 3 different teams in 3 different cities. Also, it's worth noting that January 23rd will be Detroit's second and final visit to Evansville during the regular season.
• The 3-in-3 fun continues a few weeks later, starting with a neutral-site game against Battle Creek in Fort Wayne on Friday 2/12. (It officially counts as a home game for the Revolution.) The IceMen and Shooters then partake in a good old-fashioned home-and-home series on Saturday (in Evansville) and Sunday (in Dyer). Unfortunately, our Valentine's Day date with the Shooters will be on the road...but we should all note that the 2/13 game will be Chi-Town's final trip to Evansville during the regular season.
• At the end of February, the IceMen play a pair of weekend games in Chi-Town on Saturday and Sunday, the 27th and 28th. Sure sounds like a golden opportunity for a Maniac road trip...
• After a Wednesday home game against the Blaze on 3/10, the IceMen head to Madison on 3/12 before returning to Swonder for the last Saturday home game of the regular season on the 13th. Hopefully it'll be a Lucky 13th...
• The regular season concludes with one last 3-in-3 weekend. It starts with a trip to Chi-Town and Madison on 3/19 and 3/20, followed by the regular season finale at home on Sunday 3/21. It'll be the 4th game in 10 days against the Ice Muskies, and playoff seeding could be on the line. Sounds like a good time to pack Swonder to the rafters, eh?
![2009-10 IceMen Roster (Revised 11-25-09) [PNG Image]](http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/2972/200910roster.png){kind=link}