Crunch Release 2009-10 Schedule
Syracuse, NY (August 13, 2009) – The Syracuse Crunch announced today their schedule for the 2009-10 American Hockey League season.
The Crunch will open their 16th AHL season on Friday, October 2 against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at Wachovia Arena in Wilkes-Barre , Pennsylvania . It is the sixth time in the Crunch’s 16-year history and fourth year in a row that they will start the season on the road (2000-01, 2003-04, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09). The Crunch open up at home against Adirondack on Saturday, October 10.
The 40-game home schedule includes 34 weekend games, with 32 of those dates being played on either a Friday or Saturday. Saturday is the busiest night for the Crunch at home, as they will play 18 games. The Crunch also have 14 games on Friday, five on Wednesday, two on Sunday and one on Tuesday.
The Crunch will play 42 games against their new East Division foes ( Albany 8, Binghamton 8, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 8, Adirondack 6, Hershey 6 and Norfolk 6). Syracuse also has 16 contests against the Atlantic Division ( Bridgeport 2, Hartford 2, Lowell 2, Manchester 2, Portland 2, Providence 2, Springfield 2 and Worcester 2).
In addition, the Crunch will face-off against North Division teams 16 times (Rochester 10, Hamilton 2, Lake Erie 2 and Toronto 2) and West Division clubs six times (Houston 2, San Antonio 2 and Texas 2).
The Crunch plays 10 games in October, 13 in November, 11 in December, 14 in January, 13 in February, 14 in March and 5 in April. Syracuse plays 10 home games in March, the most of any month.
The longest home stand of the season is four games (February 27 – March 6), totaling eight days. The longest road trip of the season is five games, starting on January 3 at Hartford and ending 12 days later on January 15 in Springfield . The Crunch play three games in three nights eight times this season, the same number as last season.
Notable games include the home opener vs. Adirondack on Saturday, October 10, the first home meeting of the season with I-90 rival Rochester on Saturday, October 24 and hosting the defending Calder Cup Champion Hershey Bears on Saturday, March 20.
The Crunch will face four teams (Lowell Devils, Manchester Monarchs, Texas Stars and Worcester Sharks) for the first time ever this season.
The complete 2009-10 Crunch schedule can be found here.