Rivermen Announce 2017-18 Schedule
June 11, 2017 - 09:00 pm
Photo Credit: Addison Blair
Rivermen Announce 2017-18 Schedule
Peoria set to open 5th SPHL campaign in Evansville, IN October 21
Peoria, IL – The Peoria Rivermen, in coordination with the Southern Professional Hockey League, announced their 2017-18 schedule Sunday. The Rivermen will open their season with games at Evansville October 21 and 24 before hosting Bruce Saurs Hockey Weekend in Peoria October 27 and 28 against the expansion Birmingham Bulls.
Over the course of the 56-game regular season, the Rivermen will face the Evansville Thunderbolts, their most common opponent, 13 times, with six of those coming at Carver Arena. Peoria will clash with Mississippi and Huntsville eight times each, and the Rivermen will square up with Knoxville, Birmingham, Fayetteville, and Roanoke five times apiece. The Rivermen will take on their furthest geographic rivals, Pensacola and Macon, four times and thrice, respectively, throughout the season.
Following their home opening weekend against Birmingham, the Rivermen will host a pair of games against Pensacola November 3 & 4 before playing a home-and-home set with the Knoxville Ice Bears the following weekend, skating in Tennessee Friday, November 10 before hosting the Ice Bears on Veteran’s Day.
The Rivermen will make their first multi-city road trip of the season when they travel to the Ford Center in Evansville November 17 before taking on the Birmingham Bulls in Alabama the following night. Peoria will return home to host the Mississippi RiverKings November 24 & 25 before traveling to Fayetteville, North Carolina, to battle the Marksmen December 1 & 2.
Peoria will continue the month of December with a pair of home games against the Huntsville Havoc December 8 & 9, then travel to Knoxville for a pair of contests the 15th and 16th of the month. The Rivermen are then scheduled to host Mississippi December 22 before welcoming the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs to Carver Arena the following night.
The Rivermen will conclude calendar 2017 with a three-game weekend, hosting the Thunderbolts December 29 before traveling to Huntsville on the 30th and skating at the Ford Center on the 31st.
Peoria will open January 2018 with a pair of home/road weekends, playing at Mississippi January 5 and hosting Knoxville the following night before playing a home-and-home pair with Evansville the following weekend, battling the Thunderbolts at Carver Arena January 12 before playing at the Ford Center the following night.
The Rivermen will travel to Huntsville for a pair of games at the Von Braun Center January 19 & 20 before hosting Evansville on the 26th and 28th while playing a game against the Thunderbolts in Southern Indiana on January 27.
Following their home-and-home-and-home series with the Thunderbolts, the Rivermen will play five straight games on the road over the course of two weekends, playing a pair at Huntsville Friday and Saturday, February 2 & 3 before taking on the Bulls in Birmingham the 9th and 10th, wrapping up the stretch with their lone trip to Macon, GA for a February 11th showdown with the Mayhem.
Peoria will play its first three-game home weekend February 16-18 against the Fayetteville Marksmen. The Rivermen will host Huntsville the following Friday, February 23, before traveling to Evansville to take on the Thunderbolts the next night.
The Rivermen will open the March portion of their schedule with a three-game home weekend, hosting Evansville March 2 before welcoming Mississippi to Carver Arena for a pair the 3rd and 4th. Peoria will then be on the road back-to-back weekends, playing at Landers Center in Southaven, Mississippi March 9 & 10 before making their lone trip to Pensacola for games the 16th and 17th.
Peoria will return home for a three-game weekend at Carver Arena March 23-25, hosting the Macon Mayhem the first two nights before welcoming Evansville into town on the 25th. Peoria will then wrap up its regular season slate with four games against Roanoke, skating at the Berglund Center March 30 & 31, and hosting the Dawgs at Carver Arena the 6th and 7th of April.
All 13 Friday night games and all 11 Saturday evening contests will begin at 7:15 Central Time, 10 minutes later than last season. Peoria’s four Sunday home games slated for 3:05 puck drops. More information regarding season, group, and individual game tickets is available by calling the Rivermen office at (309)-676-1040.
Full season tickets for Peoria's 36th season of professional hockey presented by Midwest Orthopaedic Center are on sale at the Rivermen office in the Peoria Civic Center, located at 201 S.W. Jefferson Street, or over the phone at (309) 676-1040. For the latest Rivermen news and notes, follow online at www.rivermen.net or through Facebook (www.facebook.com/PeoriaRivermen) - Twitter(https://twitter.com/Peoria_Rivermen)
