The Mississippi RiverKings today (July 23rd, 2010) announced that the Central Hockey League has released the 2010-2011 regular season schedule. In its first season as a member of the CHL Southern Conference, the RiverKings will compete in a schedule consisting of 66 games, 33 at home and 33 away from the DeSoto Civic Center.
The schedule for the RiverKings will begin with a home-and-home two-game series on the season’s opening weekend against the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs. The first game will occur at the CenturyTel Center in Bossier City, LA on Friday, October 15th, starting at 7:05 PM. A rematch between the teams will be the RiverKings’ home opener in Southaven, the following night, Saturday, October 16th, also at 7:05 PM.
The RiverKings’ final home game of the season will come Friday, March 25th at the DCC, when Mississippi hosts the Allen Americans. The teams will have a re-match the following night, Saturday, March 26th on the Americans’ home ice in Texas. That will be followed by the final regular season game for the RiverKings on Sunday, March 27th against the Wichita Thunder in Wichita.
Mississippi will open the season with seven of its first nine games at home, broken up only by the season opener at Bossier-Shreveport and an October 29th appearance at Missouri, before going on its first road trip of the year, a three-game swing through Colorado and Rapid City between November 12th and November 16th.
In the group of three home contests to open the season will be the RiverKings’ first-ever meeting with one of the group of five teams coming to the CHL this year from the International Hockey League, the expansion Evansville Icemen. Evansville meets Mississippi in Southaven on Friday, October 22nd at 7:05 PM.
The first RiverKings’ contest against a former IHL franchise that competed in that league last year will be on Friday, November 19th in Southaven against the Quad City Mallards, a game that begins at 7:05 PM.
Mississippi’s longest home stand of the year will be a nine-game stint between January 18th (vs. Bossier-Shreveport) and February 8th (vs. Missouri). The RiverKings’ two longest road trips of the year will both come in five-game segments, one between December 22nd (at Bloomington) and January 1st (at Bossier-Shreveport), then again between January 7th (at Laredo) and January 16th (at Fort Wayne). The pair of five-game swings will be divided only by a home game against Bossier-Shreveport on January 2nd.
This year’s Face Off Field Trip contest for Mid-South youngsters will take place on Tuesday, January 25th, when the RiverKings host the Bloomington Prairie Thunder in their annual 10:05 AM game at the DeSoto Civic Center.
All home contests will again be played with a 7:05 PM start time, with the exception of Sunday home contests that will begin at 3:05 PM, and the January 25th Face Off Field Trip game at 10:05 AM.
RiverKings’ Director of Business Operations Ab Mattice commented, “We are glad to now have a schedule and know who our opponents are going to be this season. We’re excited to now focus even greater attention on specific elements of each night’s game operations, start to line up our non-profits, and begin in earnest working with fundraisers.”
Mattice continued, “As a former coach once said, one thing about a schedule…every team has one. Our fans now have a schedule they can look forward to. We will continue to make sure they have the best possible sports entertainment experience every night they come watch us play.”
Other notes on the 2010-11 RiverKings schedule……
The RiverKings will play 23 games on Saturday, 21 games on Friday, eight on Tuesday, seven on Sunday, four on Wednesday, and three on Thursday.
The RiverKings will be busy in November and January with 13 games on the schedule in each month. March is next with 12 games and December will have eleven contests scheduled.
Mississippi will be celebrating Thanksgiving in Tulsa on Thursday, November 25th and will be Bossier-Shreveport on New Year’s Night, January first.
Evansville now becomes the closest opponent for the RiverKings at 300 miles, while Arizona is the furthest away for Mississippi at 1431 miles.
Mississippi plays Arizona for the first time in team history this season, playing a three-game series with the Sundogs in Arizona on March 2nd, 4th and 5th. The Sundogs will not play in Southaven this season.
In addition to the Sundogs, the RiverKings will not host Colorado, Fort Wayne, or Odessa at home this season. Mississippi hosts Evansville, Tulsa, and Bossier-Shreveport the most, playing each team at home five times.
Meanwhile, the RiverKings do not travel to Dayton, Odessa, or Rio Grande Valley at all during the regular season. They will play at Bossier-Shreveport and Wichita each four times, the most of any CHL opponent.
Mississippi plays Bossier-Shreveport and Evansville nine times each during the year, the most of any league opponent. Odessa, a team from the new Southern Conference alignment the RiverKings are now a member of, will not play Mississippi at all this year.
The complete regular season schedule for the RiverKings can be found on the team web site.
