Battalion releases 2016-17 schedule
NORTH BAY, Ont. – The North Bay Battalion will open its 2016-17 regular season on Friday, Sept. 23, at home against the Niagara IceDogs, the Ontario Hockey League club announced Wednesday.
The Battalion then waits a week before hosting the Kitchener Rangers on Sept. 30 in the second game of the franchise’s fourth season in the Gateway City.
North Bay plays 34 home games, comprising 17 Thursdays, 11 Sundays, two Wednesdays, two Fridays, one Monday and one Saturday.
The Battalion’s annual Thanksgiving Monday game features the IceDogs as the visitors in a 2 p.m. start, while the Troops host the Mississauga Steelheads on Saturday, Dec. 31, in the traditional New Year’s Eve game at 1 p.m.
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday home games start at 7 p.m. Sunday games start at 2 p.m., except for a Nov. 13 date with the Erie Otters at 7 p.m., a Nov. 20 meeting with the Barrie Colts at 3 p.m. and a Jan. 29 date with the Peterborough Petes at 4 p.m.
Within the Central Division, one of two in the Eastern Conference, the Battalion faces the Sudbury Wolves eight times and Barrie, Mississauga and Niagara six times each. The Troops play East Division teams four times each and Western Conference opponents twice each, except for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, who provide the opposition four times.
BATTALION BULLETS: The Battalion plays host to the Memorial Cup champion London Knights on Nov. 3 and visits London on Nov. 18 … The Saginaw Spirit, the former North Bay Centennials franchise that moved to Michigan in 2002, visits on Jan. 22 … The Battalion’s busiest month is October, which features 13 games, including five at home. The Troops play 12 games in each of November and February, with 11 in January. November accounts for a season-high seven home dates … From Feb. 17-26, the Battalion plays five consecutive road games to complete a total of seven in an eight-game stretch. The Troops play three straight road games Jan. 6-8 … The longest stretch of home games is three, from Dec. 11-18 … For the first time since the insipidly named holiday was instituted in Ontario in 2008, the Battalion is idle on the Family Day holiday Monday, which falls on Feb. 20. The Troops have never played at home on the holiday … The Battalion, which played 15 seasons in Brampton before relocating to North Bay, visits its former Peel Region rivals in Mississauga on Oct. 2, Feb. 3 and March 3 … The Battalion has one home-and-home series. The Troops host the Wolves on March 16 before visiting Sudbury the next night … The Battalion’s preseason schedule features two meetings with each of Sudbury and the Owen Sound Attack.
Following is the complete schedule of exhibition and regular-season games, with home games capitalized:
Exhibition
Sunday, Sept. 4 at Sudbury 2:00
Tuesday, Sept. 6 vs. SUDBURY 7:00
Saturday, Sept. 10 vs. OWEN SOUND 2:00
Sunday, Sept. 11 at Owen Sound 2:00
Regular Season
Friday, Sept. 23 vs. NIAGARA 7:00
Friday, Sept. 30 vs. KITCHENER 7:00
Sunday, Oct. 2 at Mississauga 2:00
Thursday, Oct. 6 vs. OWEN SOUND 7:00
Saturday, Oct. 8 at Sault Ste. Marie 7:07
Monday, Oct. 10 vs. NIAGARA 2:00
Thursday, Oct. 13 vs. HAMILTON 7:00
Saturday, Oct. 15 at Ottawa 2:00
Sunday, Oct. 16 at Kingston 2:00
Thursday, Oct. 20 vs. OTTAWA 7:00
Friday, Oct. 21 at Guelph 7:30
Saturday, Oct. 22 at Hamilton 7:00
Thursday, Oct. 27 vs. OSHAWA 7:00
Saturday, Oct. 29 at Windsor 7:05
Sunday, Oct. 30 at Sarnia 2:05
Thursday, Nov. 3 vs. LONDON 7:00
Friday, Nov. 4 at Niagara 7:00
Sunday, Nov. 6 vs. MISSISSAUGA 2:00
Saturday, Nov. 12 at Barrie 7:30
Sunday, Nov. 13 vs. ERIE 7:00
Thursday, Nov. 17 vs. KINGSTON 7:00
Friday, Nov. 18 at London 7:30
Sunday, Nov. 20 vs. BARRIE 3:00
Thursday, Nov. 24 vs. SAULT STE. MARIE 7:00
Friday, Nov. 25 at Hamilton 7:30
Saturday, Nov. 26 at Erie 7:00
Wednesday, Nov. 30 vs. OSHAWA 7:00
Friday, Dec. 2 at Sudbury 7:00
Thursday, Dec. 8 vs. FLINT 7:00
Friday, Dec. 9 at Oshawa 7:35
Sunday, Dec. 11 vs. WINDSOR 2:00
Thursday, Dec. 15 vs. OTTAWA 7:00
Sunday, Dec. 18 vs. PETERBOROUGH 2:00
Wednesday, Dec. 28 at Owen Sound 7:00
Thursday, Dec. 29 vs. SUDBURY 7:00
Saturday, Dec. 31 vs. MISSISSAUGA 1:00
Friday, Jan. 6 at Kingston 7:00
Saturday, Jan. 7 at Peterborough 7:05
Sunday, Jan. 8 at Ottawa 2:00
Thursday, Jan. 12 vs. MISSISSAUGA 7:00
Friday, Jan. 13 at Sudbury 7:00
Sunday, Jan. 15 vs. BARRIE 2:00
Thursday, Jan. 19 vs. SUDBURY 7:00
Saturday, Jan. 21 at Peterborough 7:05
Sunday, Jan. 22 vs. SAGINAW 2:00
Friday, Jan. 27 at Kitchener 7:30
Sunday, Jan. 29 vs. PETERBOROUGH 4:00
Thursday, Feb. 2 vs. SARNIA 7:00
Friday, Feb. 3 at Mississauga 7:00
Sunday, Feb. 5 vs. SAULT STE. MARIE 2:00
Thursday, Feb. 9 vs. GUELPH 7:00
Saturday, Feb. 11 at Niagara 7:00
Sunday, Feb. 12 at Oshawa 6:05
Thursday, Feb. 16 vs. NIAGARA 7:00
Friday, Feb. 17 at Sudbury 7:00
Saturday, Feb. 18 at Barrie 7:30
Friday, Feb. 24 at Flint 7:00
Saturday, Feb. 25 at Saginaw 7:05
Sunday, Feb. 26 at Sault Ste. Marie 2:07
Thursday, March 2 vs. BARRIE 7:00
Friday, March 3 at Mississauga 7:00
Sunday, March 5 vs. HAMILTON 2:00
Wednesday, March 8 vs. SUDBURY 7:00
Saturday, March 11 at Barrie 7:30
Sunday, March 12 at Niagara 2:00
Thursday, March 16 vs. SUDBURY 7:00
Friday, March 17 at Sudbury 7:00
Sunday, March 19 vs. KINGSTON 2:00
