NLL announces '07 schedule

[Sonny]

The National Lacrosse League has announced its schedule for the 2007 regular season. The NLL, with thirteen teams across the US and Canada, begins its 104-game regular season schedule on Saturday, December 30th, 2006. Opening Night features a pair of East vs. West battles, as the defending champion Colorado Mammoth host the Rochester Knighthawks at Pepsi Center at 9PM ET. Later that evening, the Portland LumberJax open their second season in the league by hosting the Buffalo Bandits at the Rose Garden at 10:30PM ET. Both teams won their respective regular season divisions last season. Teams will each play a 16-game regular season schedule, consisting of eight home and eight away games. The regular season will once again be played over sixteen weeks, and concludes on April 14th.

Some of the notable games on the schedule include:

The expansion Chicago and New York teams will each play their inaugural game against the other. The Shamrox will host New York on January 6th at Sears Centre.

Buffalo and Colorado will play each other twice in a rematch of last season’s championship game. Colorado hosts Buffalo on January 13th; Buffalo hosts Colorado on March 24th.

The weekend’s action starts early on three occasions, with a trio of games to be played on Thursday nights this season. Colorado hosts Portland on January 25th. Portland hosts Colorado on February 15th. Colorado hosts San Jose on April 12th. All other games are scheduled for Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

The 2007 All-Star Game is on Saturday, March 10th at Portland and will air on OLN. The overall broadcast schedule of NLL games on OLN will be announced in the near future. OLN changes its name to Versus next month.

On March 24th, Minnesota hosts Toronto at 11:30PM ET at Xcel Energy Center. The game follows the evening’s NHL tilt between the Minnesota Wild and Los Angeles Kings.

The league has much to build on from the successful 2006 season, in which it drew more than one million total fans for the first time and recorded its highest average attendance in history (10,804). “We’re pleased to announce our 2007 schedule and look forward to another great season”, said Commissioner Jim Jennings. “With thirteen franchises, including our expansion into New York and Chicago, and weekly national TV on OLN/VERSUS, we’re ready to reach new heights in 2007”.

The playoff format will remain from last season. The top four teams from the Eastern and Western Divisions at season’s end will advance to the playoffs, which remain in single-game elimination format.


2007 NLL REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE (all times Eastern)

WEEK ONE

Saturday, December 30

Rochester at Colorado - 9:00 PM
Buffalo at Portland - 10:30 PM


WEEK TWO

Friday, January 5

Colorado at Arizona - 9:30 PM
Rochester at San Jose - 10:30 PM

Saturday, January 6

New York at Chicago - 8:30 PM
Philadelphia at Edmonton - 9:00 PM


WEEK THREE

Friday, January 12

New York at Buffalo - 7:30 PM
San Jose at Calgary - 9:30 PM

Saturday, January 13

Portland at Philadelphia - 7:30 PM
Toronto at Rochester - 7:35 PM
Chicago at Minnesota - 8:00 PM
Calgary at Edmonton - 9:00 PM
Buffalo at Colorado - 9:00 PM
Arizona at San Jose - 10:00 PM


WEEK FOUR

Friday, January 19

Rochester at Minnesota - 8:00 PM
Colorado at Edmonton - 9:00 PM
Portland at Arizona - 9:30 PM

Saturday, January 20

San Jose at Philadelphia - 7:30 PM
Rochester at Toronto - 7:30 PM
Minnesota at Buffalo - 7:30 PM
Chicago at New York - 8:00 PM
Colorado at Calgary - 9:30 PM
Arizona at Portland - 10:30 PM


WEEK FIVE

Thursday, January 25

Portland at Colorado - 9:00 PM

Friday, January 26

Philadelphia at New York - 7:30 PM
Chicago at San Jose - 10:30 PM

Saturday, January 27

Toronto at Philadelphia - 7:30 PM
New York at Rochester - 8:05 PM
Minnesota at Calgary - 9:30 PM


WEEK SIX

Friday, February 2

Toronto at Buffalo - 7:30 PM
New York at Arizona - 9:30 PM
Minnesota at Portland - 10:30 PM

Saturday, February 3

Buffalo at Toronto - 7:30 PM
Chicago at Rochester - 7:35 PM
Edmonton at Colorado - 9:00 PM
Calgary at San Jose - 10:00 PM


WEEK SEVEN

Saturday, February 10

Arizona at Edmonton - 9:00 PM
Philadelphia at Calgary - 9:30 PM

Sunday, February 11

Buffalo at Chicago - 4:00 PM


WEEK EIGHT

Thursday, February 15

Colorado at Portland - 10:30 PM

Saturday, February 17

Buffalo at Philadelphia - 7:30 PM
Portland at Rochester - 7:35 PM
Minnesota at New York - 8:00 PM

Sunday, February 18

Edmonton at Arizona - 3:00 PM
Chicago at Toronto - 3:00 PM
New York at Minnesota - 8:00 PM
Calgary at Colorado - 8:00 PM


WEEK NINE

Friday, February 23

Portland at Edmonton - 9:00 PM
Toronto at Calgary - 9:30 PM

Saturday, February 24

Calgary at Toronto - 7:30 PM
San Jose at New York - 7:30 PM
Philadelphia at Buffalo - 7:30 PM
Arizona at Rochester - 8:05 PM
Minnesota at Chicago - 8:30 PM
Portland at Colorado - 9:00 PM


WEEK TEN

Friday, March 2

San Jose at Edmonton - 9:00 PM
Chicago at Arizona - 9:30 PM

Saturday, March 3

Rochester at Philadelphia - 7:30 PM
Toronto at New York - 8:00 PM

Sunday, March 4

Buffalo at Minnesota - 2:00 PM


WEEK ELEVEN

Saturday, March 10

NLL All-Star Game at Portland - 10:00 PM


WEEK TWELVE

Friday, March 16

Toronto at Edmonton - 9:00 PM
Calgary at Arizona - 9:30 PM

Saturday, March 17

Buffalo at New York - 12:30 PM
Colorado at Toronto - 7:30 PM
Minnesota at Philadelphia - 7:30 PM
Rochester at Chicago - 8:30 PM
Portland at San Jose - 10:00 PM

Sunday, March 18

Philadelphia at Minnesota - 6:00 PM


WEEK THIRTEEN

Saturday, March 24

Colorado at Buffalo - 7:30 PM
Chicago at Philadelphia - 7:30 PM
Rochester at New York - 7:30 PM
Arizona at Calgary - 9:30 PM
San Jose at Portland - 10:30 PM
Toronto at Minnesota - 11:30 PM

Sunday, March 25

New York at Chicago - 4:00 PM
Edmonton at San Jose - 8:00 PM


WEEK FOURTEEN

Friday, March 30

Philadelphia at Toronto - 7:30 PM
Arizona at Colorado - 9:00 PM
Calgary at Portland - 10:30 PM

Saturday, March 31

Edmonton at New York - 12:30 PM
Chicago at Buffalo - 7:30 PM
Philadelphia at Rochester - 7:35 PM
Colorado at Minnesota - 8:00 PM
San Jose at Arizona - 9:30 PM
Portland at Calgary - 9:30 PM

Sunday, April 1

Edmonton at Chicago - 4:00 PM


WEEK FIFTEEN

Friday, April 6

Minnesota at Toronto - 7:30 PM
Edmonton at Calgary - 9:30 PM
San Jose at Portland - 10:30 PM

Saturday, April 7

Arizona at Buffalo - 7:30 PM
New York at Philadelphia - 7:30 PM
Minnesota at Rochester - 7:35 PM
Toronto at Chicago - 8:30 PM
Edmonton at San Jose - 10:00 PM


WEEK SIXTEEN

Thursday, April 12

San Jose at Colorado - 9:00 PM

Friday, April 13

Rochester at Buffalo - 7:30 PM
Calgary at Arizona - 10:30 PM
Colorado at San Jose - 10:30 PM
Edmonton at Portland - 10:30 PM

Saturday, April 14

New York at Toronto - 7:30 PM
Buffalo at Rochester - 7:35 PM
Arizona at Minnesota - 8:00 PM
Philadelphia at Chicago - 8:30 PM
Calgary at Edmonton - 9:00 PM

Champion's Cup Playoffs

Divisional Semifinals
April 20-22

Divisional Finals
April 27-29

Championship Game
May 11-13