Portland, Maine - The Portland Pirates announced today their 2009-10 AHL regular season schedule. The Pirates will be entering their seventeenth season as a member of the American Hockey League while embarking on the 33rd season of professional hockey in Portland. The Pirates will open their regular season on Saturday, October 3rd on the road against the Springfield Falcons, and will be opening up at home on Saturday, October 10th against long time rival the Providence Bruins at 7 p.m.

In addition, the Pirates will be the host team on two occasions in both Lewiston and Buffalo. The Pirates call Lewiston home on Friday, December 4th at 7 p.m. against the Providence Bruins and on Sunday, March 21st at 7 p.m. against the Manchester Monarchs. The Pirates will be playing two home games at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo on Thursday, November 12th at 7 p.m. against the Rochester Americans and on Sunday, March 7th at a special 4 p.m. start time, also against Rochester.

“We’re really excited about the balance and variety of this year’s schedule,” said Pirates Managing Owner/CEO Brian Petrovek. “With the pricing adjustments we made in the offseason, knowing that the quality of play on the ice continues to improve every year in the AHL, we hope Pirates Hockey fans will cheer the team on at the Civic Center, in Lewiston and in Buffalo like never before in record numbers.”

This year’s schedule will be highlighted by four family-friendly dates on Saturday, October 31st at 7 p.m., Thursday, December 31st with a special 5:30 p.m. puck drop for the annual Kid’s New Year’s Game, Monday, February 15th at 1:00 p.m., and on Sunday, April 4th at 4:00 p.m. On October 31st, the Portland Pirates will face off against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. With the Pirates hosting a game on Halloween, the team will celebrate the occasion with an invitation for all to come dressed in their Halloween costumes for the game and enjoy some great Halloween festivities.

For the fifteenth year, the Pirates will be hosting a New Year’s Eve game on December 31st, a 5:30 p.m. start time against the Worcester Sharks. Following the game, there will be the annual special indoor fireworks display, the largest indoor fireworks display in the Northeast, which each season is an expected sellout. On Monday, February 15th, the Pirates will celebrate President’s Day with a special 1:00 p.m. start, where families are encouraged to come spend an afternoon with the Pirates to take advantage of the holiday and school vacation. Lastly, on Sunday, April 4th at 4:00 p.m., bring the whole family to enjoy Easter Sunday with the Pirates.

The home schedule has dates spread throughout the season, with 29 of 36 home games in Portland falling on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Most weekday and weekend contests will be played at 7 p.m., while the five Sunday contests will have a 4 p.m. start. Saturday nights will once again be Labatt Blue Light Hockey Night in Portland. The Portland Pirates, Labatt Blue Light and local sponsors will be teaming up to give fans an evening of great fun, entertainment and exciting Portland Pirates action. The Pirates will be playing at home on thirteen Saturdays this season, starting October 10th and ending in early April. The Pirates are proud to once again offer the Family Five Pack deal, sponsored by Sudzie Autowash, for all five home Sunday games at the Cumberland County Civic Center. This package is valued at $123, but is available to fans for only $60. Please call the Pirates Ticket Office for more information at (207) 828-4665 Ext. 350.

The Pirates have exciting promotional events planned for the upcoming season, which include two special jersey nights, a Pirate Breast Caner Awareness jersey and a throw back Calder Cup Championship jersey the Pirates wore in 1994. This season the Pirates will play five Tuesday night games and will be announcing a special “Two for Tuesday” ticket and promotional plan at a later date. The Pirates have also announced that all college students with a valid college ID can purchase best available tickets to Pirates home games for only $10.

An exciting new partnership between the Pirates and Greater Portland area schools will allow kids from elementary through high school the opportunity to attend the Pirates game on Tuesday, February 2nd against Manchester at a special 11:00 a.m. start. This educational field trip for the participating schools is designed to promote healthy lifestyle choices for youth of all ages. For more information about this educational event, contact School Events Coordinator Caitlin Malloy at (207) 828-4665 Ext. 328.

The Pirates are pleased to announce that fans can listen to all 80 Pirates regular season games broadcasted live on Atlantic Coast Radio’s WLOB 93.5 FM/1310 AM, as well as online for free at portlandpirates.com. To view the complete list of broadcast dates and times, visit portlandpirates.com.

Ticket plans for the 2009-2010 season are on sale at the Pirates office, located at 94 Free Street in Portland. The Pirates office is open Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For all the information about the Pirates 2009-2010 season ticket plans, benefits, prices and 2010 Time Warner Cable AHL All-Star Classic information, visit www.portlandpirates.com or call (207) 828-4665 Ext. 350 to speak with one of the Pirates account executives.


10/3/09 7:00 PM Portland @ Springfield
10/9/09 7:00 PM Portland @ Albany
10/10/09 7:00 PM Providence @ Portland
10/11/09 4:00 PM Portland @ Lowell
10/16/09 7:00 PM Hartford @ Portland
10/17/09 7:00 PM Portland @ Manchester
10/18/09 4:05 PM Portland @ Providence
10/23/09 7:15 PM Portland @ Norfolk
10/24/09 7:15 PM Portland @ Norfolk
10/25/09 5:00 PM Portland @ Hershey
10/30/09 7:00 PM Lowell @ Portland
10/31/09 7:00 PM Bridgeport @ Portland
11/6/09 7:00 PM Hershey @ Portland
11/8/09 4:00 PM Springfield @ Portland
11/11/09 7:05 PM Portland @ Wilkes-Barre
11/12/09 7:00 PM Rochester @ Portland (at Buffalo)
11/15/09 4:00 PM Portland @ Bridgeport
11/17/09 7:00 PM Norfolk @ Portland
11/18/09 7:05 PM Portland @ Worcester
11/20/09 7:00 PM Worcester @ Portland
11/21/09 7:00 PM Norfolk @ Portland
11/27/09 7:00 PM Portland @ Hartford
11/28/09 1:30 PM Portland @ Lowell
11/29/09 3:00 PM Portland @ Springfield
12/2/09 7:00 PM Portland @ Manchester
12/4/09 7:00 PM Providence @ Portland
12/5/09 7:00 PM Providence @ Portland (at Lewiston)
12/6/09 3:05 PM Portland @ Worcester
12/11/09 7:00 PM Portland @ Hartford
12/12/09 7:00 PM Portland @ Springfield
12/15/09 7:00 PM Portland @ Bridgeport
12/18/09 7:00 PM Springfield @ Portland
12/19/09 7:00 PM Bridgeport @ Portland
12/26/09 7:00 PM Manchester @ Portland
12/31/09 5:30 PM Worcester @ Portland
1/2/10 7:00 PM Portland @ Manchester
1/3/10 4:05 PM Portland @ Providence
1/8/10 7:05 PM Portland @ Binghamton
1/9/10 7:00 PM Portland @ Adirondack
1/10/10 3:05 PM Portland @ Worcester
1/12/10 7:00 PM Lowell @ Portland
1/15/10 7:00 PM Worcester @ Portland
1/16/10 1:30 PM Portland @ Lowell
1/23/10 7:00 PM Lowell @ Portland
1/26/10 7:00 PM Manchester @ Portland
1/29/10 7:00 PM Bridgeport @ Portland
1/30/10 7:00 PM Bridgeport @ Portland
2/2/10 11:00 AM Manchester @ Portland
2/5/10 7:05 PM Portland @ Providence
2/6/10 7:00 PM Portland @ Lowell
2/12/10 7:00 PM Syracuse @ Portland
2/13/10 7:00 PM Adirondack @ Portland
2/15/10 1:00 PM Hartford @ Portland
2/19/10 7:00 PM Portland @ Albany
2/20/10 7:05 PM Portland @ Rochester
2/21/10 3:00 PM Portland @ Rochester
2/23/10 7:00 PM Wilkes-Barre @ Portland
2/24/10 7:05 PM Portland @ Worcester
2/26/10 7:00 PM Albany @ Portland
2/27/10 7:00 PM Portland @ Hartford
2/28/10 4:00 PM Albany @ Portland
3/5/10 7:00 PM Portland @ Bridgeport
3/6/10 7:30 PM Portland @ Syracuse
3/7/10 4:00 PM Rochester @ Portland (at Buffalo)
3/12/10 7:00 PM Manchester @ Portland
3/13/10 7:00 PM Binghamton @ Portland
3/14/10 4:00 PM Springfield @ Portland
3/16/10 7:00 PM Lowell @ Portland
3/19/10 7:30 PM Portland @ Manchester
3/20/10 7:00 PM Portland @ Lowell
3/21/10 4:00 PM Manchester @ Portland (at Lewiston)
3/26/10 7:05 PM Portland @ Providence
3/27/10 7:00 PM Springfield @ Portland
3/28/10 4:00 PM Hartford @ Portland
4/2/10 7:30 PM Portland @ Springfield
4/3/10 7:00 PM Portland @ Bridgeport
4/4/10 4:00 PM Providence @ Portland
4/9/10 7:30 PM Portland @ Manchester
4/10/10 7:00 PM Lowell @ Portland
4/11/10 4:00 PM Worcester @ Portland