The Lloydminster Bobcats of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) are pleased to announce the release of the team’s pre-season and regular season schedule for 2015-16.
Click Here for the full schedule
The schedule features an opening weekend home and home series with the Bonnyville Pontiacs, a game on Halloween night, and other annual traditions such as Parents’ Weekend and Teddy Bear Toss Night. The 2015-16 season will be a historic one for the Bobcats, who will compete in Hockey Canada’s RBC Cup as the host team when the tournament takes place from May 14th-22nd. This is the first time that Lloydminster has hosted the national championship.
The Bobcats’ pre-season schedule begins on Thursday, August 27th when the team travels to Bonnyville before the Pontiacs return the following night for the first pre-season home game for the ‘Cats on Friday, August 28th.
Lloydminster will host two more exhibition games on September 2nd and September 5th.
The Bobcats won’t have to wait long for a chance at redemption, as they open the season with a home and home series versus the rival Pontiacs, who eliminated them from the playoffs last season. Game one will be in Bonnyville on Friday, September 11th with the teams returning to Lloydminster the following night. This season, fans will have three opportunities to take in the Lloydminster-Bonnyville rivalry on home ice (September 12th, December 2nd, and January 8th), and the Bobcats also go to Bonnyville three times (September 11th, October 28th, and February 3rd).
On Tuesday, September 29th, the Bobcats will get their first look at the defending AJHL champion Spruce Grove Saints at the Civic Centre.
The annual AJHL Showcase, taking place this year in Camrose, Alberta, will see the Bobcats take on two of Alberta’s top teams in the Camrose Kodiaks and the Brooks Bandits. Those two games will be held on October 1st and 2nd.
The Bobcats will host Parents’ Weekend from October 15th-17th, with two games at home against the Canmore Eagles (16th) and the Calgary Mustangs (17th). Any family members looking to extend their stay past the weekend will have an opportunity to see home games on the prior Wednesday (October 14th vs. Sherwood Park) or the following Friday (October 23rd vs. Okotoks).
Fans will be encouraged to dress up before coming to the rink on Halloween night as the Bobcats host the Grande Prairie Storm in a 7:30 game on Saturday, October 31st.
An annual tradition will continue on Saturday, November 28th as the ‘Cats host the Fort McMurray Oil Barons for Teddy Bear Toss Night. Fans are encouraged to bring stuffed animals to throw onto the ice immediately following the Bobcats first goal of the game. Children who bring a stuffed animal will be let in the rink free of charge and all teddy bears will be donated to Lloyd FM’s annual Gift of Christmas campaign.
The 2015 portion of the schedule will wrap up on December 20th in Calgary as the Bobcats take on the Mustangs. For Lloydminster fans, the last chance to see the ‘Cats on home ice before Christmas will be on Wednesday, December 9th when the Spruce Grove Saints come to town. The season will resume on January 2nd, 2016 with two back-to-back games in Grande Prairie, and then on January 5th the team will return home to take on the Camrose Kodiaks.
The playoff picture will become clear when the schedule wraps up in early March. The Bobcats’ final home game will be played on Saturday, February 27th against the Brooks Bandits, and the ‘Cats will complete the regular season on March 4th and 5th with a two-game set in Drayton Valley.
The 2016 AJHL Gas Drive Playoffs will open on March 10th, 2016, with the AJHL champion advancing to the 2016 Western Canada Cup in Estevan, SK. From there, the winner and runner up will have a chance to compete for the National Jr. ‘A’ Championship in Lloydminster.
The Bobcats’ schedule is available online at www.lloydminsterbobcats.ca.
TICKETING
Season tickets for the 2015-16 campaign are on sale now! Reserve your great seat for all 2015-16 games, and get the first crack at seats for the 2016 Playoffs and the 2016 RBC Cup! More information is available at tickets.lloydminsterbobcats.ca.