Saturday, Oct. 10, 7 p.m. Allstate Arena
It all starts tonight. The Chicago Wolves will open their 22nd season at Allstate Arena against the Milwaukee Admirals as the battle for the Amtrak Rivalry trophy gets underway.
The Central Division rivals will become quite familiar with one another this season with tonight marking the first of 12 meetings this season between them. The two clubs have also become well acquainted with one another over the years. The Admirals represent the Wolves’ longest-standing rival with 220 regular-season and 34 playoff clashes between them.
The Wolves might have the edge in their 221st regular-season meeting, however, with Chicago experiencing a recent run of success during their season and home openers. Chicago has won each of its last three season openers (vs. Rockford, at San Antonio, and vs. Charlotte), but the team has won its last three home openers, as well.
By The Numbers
391: Head coach JOHN ANDERSON enters his 14th season with the Wolves and his 10th when the team has been part of the AHL. He amassed 391 regular-season wins during his first nine AHL seasons, which ranks fifth in league history.
2: Twice last season, the Wolves scored highlight-reel goals against Milwaukee that wound up on ESPN SportsCenter’s Top 10. TY RATTIE scored a no-look spin-a-rama on Dec. 26 that took first place on the countdown and MAGNUS PAAJARVI whacked a puck out of mid-air that went top-shelf on March 27 to earn second place.
3: The Wolves welcome back three of their top four scorers from last season in PAT CANNONE (14 goals, 33 assists), TY RATTIE (21 goals, 21 assists), and JEREMY WELSH (20 goals, 21 assists).
.643: The Wolves have posted an 11-5-2-3 record in season openers, which comes out to a .643 points percentage.
Follow The Action
Tonight’s game begins at 7 p.m. and can be seen on WCIU The U Too. (channel listings can be found here) The game can also be streamed on www.ahllive.com.
Those away from a TV or computer can follow @Chicago_Wolves or @ChiWolvesLive on Twitter for live in-game play-by-play.
