From: Ryan Stanzel
Director of Communications
Friday, August 5, 2005
713.361.7930 (Direct Line)

AEROS’ 2005-06 SCHEDULE IS ANNOUNCED

Houston begins season with home-and-home against San Antonio Oct. 7-8

Houston, Texas – The Houston Aeros, in conjunction with the American Hockey League, have announced their 2005-06 regular season schedule. The Aeros will open up their 12th season on Friday, Oct. 7, at Toyota Center at 7:35 p.m. against the San Antonio Rampage. The same teams meet the next night at San Antonio’s SBC Center. This marks just the fourth time in franchise history the Aeros have begun the season with a home game.

The Aeros’ regular season schedule features 7:05 p.m. game times Monday-Thursday, 7:35 p.m. starts Friday and Saturday and 5:05 p.m. Sunday start times. The Tuesday, Feb. 7 game against Milwaukee will begin at 11:05 a.m. as part of the Aeros’ annual Chronicle in Education Day.

The Aeros will face their in-state foes San Antonio 12 times (six home, six road), while playing 10 games (five home, five road) against Omaha, Iowa and Peoria. Houston has eight games (four home, four away) versus Chicago and Milwaukee, and four (two home, two road) against Manitoba, Cleveland, and Grand Rapids out of the North Division. The Aeros will face the following teams two times (one home, one road): Toronto, Hamilton, Manchester, Hartford and Rochester.

Houston will get tested early, with the trip to SBC Center kicking off a five-game road trip including its first stop in Peoria in nearly 10 years on Friday, Oct. 14 and its first two games at Omaha on Tuesday, Oct. 18 and Thursday, Oct. 20. The St. Louis Blues moved their affiliate from Worcester to Peoria this season to play as the Rivermen, while the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights debut as the Calgary Flames’ affiliate.

After a three-game homestand that includes Manchester’s first ever visit into Houston on Saturday, Oct. 22, it’s back on the road for three more games to finish out October.

November sees eight home games, tied with January for the most in 2005-06. It begins with a five-game homestand with back-to-back games against Manitoba on Friday, Nov. 4 and Saturday, Nov. 6. Following a four-game road trip that includes Houston’s first trip to Toronto on Saturday, Nov. 19, it’s back home for nine-of-12 games at home.

That stretch is highlighted by Peoria’s first two visits into town on Friday, Dec. 16 and Saturday, Dec. 17; a day-after-Christmas contest against San Antonio on Monday, Dec. 26; and Iowa’s first trip to Houston on Wednesday, Dec. 28. The Iowa Stars also begin play in 2005-06. The Dallas Stars shared an affiliation with the Minnesota Wild in Houston in 2004-05.

A busy January slate includes 13 games – eight at home. The Toronto Marlies, new affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs, play at Toyota Center for the only time on Tuesday, Jan. 10, and Rochester makes its lone trip into town Friday, Jan. 20. Those games are part of a season-long, seven-game homestand from January 6-21.

The Aeros play two home games each against Milwaukee and Iowa in February, with the rest of the month spent on the road. One of three five-game road trips sees Houston trek to Manchester, N.H., for the first time on Friday, Feb. 10.

March is the Aeros’ busiest month with 15 games, including 10 on the road. Hamilton has never played at Houston in the regular season, but the Bulldogs and Aeros dueled through seven games in the 2003 Calder Cup Finals, with the Aeros prevailing. The Bulldogs come to Houston on Thursday, March 2. The Aeros’ final five-game road trip finishes the month, with two games in Omaha that bookend games in Chicago, Iowa and Peoria.

The Aeros open up April with a five-game homestand, followed by a game each in Chicago and Iowa on Saturday, April 15 and Sunday, April 16 to finish the regular season.

The Aeros’ longest homestand is seven games, while they make three, five-game road trips.

Home games by month – October 4, November 8, December 6, January 8, February 4, March 5, April 5

Home games by day – Monday 1, Tuesday 6, Wednesday 3, Thursday 4, Friday 11, Saturday 8, Sunday 7

Three games in three nights: 10

You can join the Aeros “Elite Fleet” today. Elite Fleet members get tickets to all 40 Aeros games for the price of 30, along with great benefits like guaranteed premium items and discounted merchandise. Elite Fleet packages start at just $300. Partial packages of 13 and 22 games are also on sale and begin at only $130. Call 713.974.PUCK for details.

HOUSTON AEROS 2005-2006 SCHEDULE (home games in caps)

OCTOBER – REGULAR SEASON (12)
FRI. 7 SAN ANTONIO 7:35 p.m.
Sat. 8 @ San Antonio 7 p.m.
Fri. 14 @ Peoria 7:30 p.m.
Sat. 15 @ Grand Rapids 6 p.m.
Tue. 18 @ Omaha 7 p.m.
Thur. 20 @ Omaha 7 p.m.
FRI. 21 GRAND RAPIDS 7:35 p.m.
SAT. 22 MANCHESTER 7:35 p.m.
TUE. 25 CHICAGO 7:05 p.m.
Fri. 28 @ Milwaukee 7 p.m.
Sat. 29 @ Grand Rapids 6 p.m.
Sun. 30 @ Peoria 6 p.m.

NOVEMBER (12)
FRI. 4 MANITOBA 7:35 p.m.
SUN. 6 MANITOBA 5:05 p.m.
WED. 9 OMAHA 7:05 p.m.
FRI. 11 OMAHA 7:35 p.m.
SAT. 12 SAN ANTONIO 7:35 p.m.
Sun. 13 @ San Antonio 5 p.m.
Thur. 17 @ Manitoba 7:30 p.m.
Fri. 18 @ Manitoba 7:30 p.m.
Sat. 19 @ Toronto 6 p.m.
FRI. 25 MILWAUKEE 7:35 p.m.
SUN. 27 MILWAUKEE 5:05 p.m.
WED. 30 CLEVELAND 7:05 p.m.

DECEMBER (10)
SUN. 4 CLEVELAND 5:05 p.m.
Fri. 9 @ Rochester 6:35 p.m.
Sat. 10 @ Hamilton 6 p.m.
Sun. 11 @ Cleveland 4:05 p.m.
FRI. 16 PEORIA 7:35 p.m.
SAT 17 PEORIA 7:35 p.m.
FRI. 23 OMAHA 7:35 p.m.
MON. 26 SAN ANTONIO 7:05 p.m.
WED. 28 IOWA 7:05 p.m.
Sat. 31 @ San Antonio 7 p.m.

JANUARY (13)
Thur. 5 @ San Antonio 7 p.m.
FRI. 6 GRAND RAPIDS 7:35 p.m.
TUE. 10 TORONTO 7:05 p.m.
THUR. 12 IOWA 7:05 p.m.
FRI. 13 IOWA 7:35 p.m.
SUN. 15 SAN ANTONIO 5:05 p.m.
FRI. 20 ROCHESTER 7:35 p.m.
SAT. 21 PEORIA 7:35 p.m.
Sun. 22 @ Chicago 4 p.m.
Tue. 24 @ Peoria 7 p.m.
Thur. 26 @ Iowa 7:05 p.m.
Fri. 27 @ Peoria 7:30 p.m.
SAT. 28 CHICAGO 7:35 p.m.

FEBRUARY (11)
SAT. 4 MILWAUKEE 7:35 p.m.
TUE. 7 MILWAUKEE 11:05 a.m.
Fri. 10 @ Manchester 6:35 p.m.
Sat. 11 @ Hartford 6 p.m.
Wed. 15 @ Cleveland 6:05 p.m.
Fri. 17 @ Iowa 7:05 p.m.
Sat. 18 @ Iowa 7:05 p.m.
TUE. 21 IOWA 7:05 p.m.
THUR. 23 IOWA 7:05 p.m.
Sat. 25 @ Milwaukee 7 p.m.
Sun. 26 @ Milwaukee 2 p.m.

MARCH (15)
THUR. 2 HAMILTON 7:05 p.m.
SAT. 4 HARTFORD 7:35 p.m.
Sun. 5 @ San Antonio 4 p.m.
TUE. 7 CHICAGO 7:05 p.m.
THUR. 9 CHICAGO 7:05 p.m.
Sun. 12 @ Omaha 5 p.m.
Wed. 15 @ Chicago 7 p.m.
Fri. 17 @ Milwaukee 7 p.m.
Sat. 18 @ San Antonio 7 p.m.
SUN. 19 SAN ANTONIO 5:05 p.m.
Thur. 23 @ Omaha 7 p.m.
Fri. 24 @ Chicago 7:30 p.m.
Sat. 25 @ Iowa 7:05 p.m.
Wed. 29 @ Peoria 7 p.m.
Fri. 31 @ Omaha 7 p.m.

APRIL (7)
SAT. 1 PEORIA 7:35 p.m.
SUN. 2 PEORIA 5:05 p.m.
SUN. 9 SAN ANTONIO 5:05 p.m.
TUE. 11 OMAHA 7:05 p.m.
FRI. 14 OMAHA 7:35 p.m.
Sat. 15 @ Chicago 7 p.m.
Sun. 16 @ Iowa 5:05 p.m.


DATES AND TIMES SUBJECT TO CHANGE