Courtesy Adirondack Thunder
The Adirondack Thunder hockey team has released its regular season schedule for the 2017-18 ECHL season, their third as a member of the ECHL.
The home schedule, which consists of 36 home games, will begin on Saturday, Oct. 14, as the Thunder take on the Brampton Beast at the Glens Falls Civic Center at 7 p.m., the first time that the Thunder have opened the regular season at home.
The 2017-18 home schedule will conclude on Friday, April 6, as the Thunder take on the Manchester Monarchs in a rematch of both the 2015 and 2016 Kelly Cup Playoffs.
The Thunder’s home schedule is highlighted by 13 Saturday home games and 12 Friday home dates for a total of 25 games on those evenings. The schedule also contains three Sunday home games making it the most weekend heavy schedule in three seasons in the ECHL, team officials said.
The 2017-18 schedule will be rounded out with two Tuesdays and six Wednesdays.
All Friday and Saturday home games will begin at 7:00 p.m., with the exception of Saturday, March 17, which will begin at 3 p.m. for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Sunday games will begin at 3 p.m., with the exception of the annual New Year’s Eve game, which will start at 5 p.m.
Officials said the Thunder’s busiest month on home ice will be December, as the team is home for 10 games, including three Saturdays. December is followed by January (eight home games), October (five), February (five), March (five), April (two) and November (one).
The Thunder’s most frequent opponent on home ice this season will be the ECHL’s newest team, the Worcester Railers, who will visit the Glens Falls Civic Center seven times during the 2017-18 season. Adirondack will play 46 of its 72 games this season against Northeast opposition, with 12 meetings apiece against Worcester (seven home, five away), the Manchester Monarchs (five home, seven away) and the Reading Royals (six home, six away) and ten meetings with the Brampton Beast (five home, five away).
Adirondack will face three opponents for the first time this season: the Fort Wayne Komets, Quad City Mallards and Worcester Railers. Fort Wayne and Worcester, along with the Toledo Walleye, will visit the Glens Falls Civic Center for the first time in the ECHL while the Thunder will visit Fort Wayne, Quad City and Worcester for the first time.
“We’re extremely happy with the emphasis our 2017-18 schedule has placed on Friday, Saturday and Sunday home games at the Glens Falls Civic Center,” Adirondack Thunder President Jeff Mead said. “With 25 of our games being played on Friday and Saturday evenings, we want to make sure that the Glens Falls Civic Center is the place to be in Upstate New York on the weekend. We’re excited to welcome three new teams into our building as we look to make year three of Thunder hockey the best product we’ve offered yet.”
The Thunder’s schedule will continue to feature the traditional New Year’s Eve game, which will be played on Sunday, Dec. 31, as the Thunder host the Reading Royals. The New Year’s Eve game has been a tradition in Glens Falls dating back to the Adirondack Red Wings, and was one of five crowds of over 4,500 fans during the 2016-17 season, officials said.
The Thunder’s full promotional schedule with giveaways, theme nights and ticket specials will be announced at a later date.
Season tickets are on sale now at $13 per ticket. Call 518-480-3355, ext. 1 or visit ECHLThunder.com for more information.