The Manitoba Moose will get very familiar with one of their old IHL rivals next season.
The American Hockey League revealed the 76-game schedule for all 31 teams on Wednesday, and the Moose and Chicago Wolves will meet up a total of 12 times next season, including three straight match-ups in February.
That means 16 per cent of their games in a 31-team league will all be against one team.
The AHL is moving to more divisional games next season, with the Moose set to face the other six Central Division teams eight times apiece. They’ll only face 11 different teams all season long. In fact, 60 of their 76 games will be against divisional opponents.
Outside their division, they’re only facing the Colorado Eagles, Laval Rocket, Belleville Senators, and the Toronto Marlies.
The Moose will open the campaign with a brief two-game road trip with games against the San Antonio Rampage and the Texas Stars starting on October 4. Manitoba will then return for a four-game homestand with two contests against each the Toronto Marlies and the Iowa Wild.
The Moose will host a New Year’s Eve game at Bell MTS Place with the Rockford IceHogs to pay a visit.
Their longest homestand of the season is six games, but there’s three of them — one each in December, February, and the end of March. Six of the Moose’s final nine games are on home ice before concluding the regular season in Chicago on April 11.
They play in three consecutive days only once all season long.
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It’s also a weekend-heavy schedule, and 15 of their 38 home games are scheduled for the afternoon.
To commemorate their 20th season playing in Winnipeg, the Moose will also wear a special patch on their jerseys next season:
Credit: Manitoba Moose