The Lake Erie Monsters, presented by Kaiser Permanente, will face the Grand Rapids Griffins on Saturday, October 11th at 7:30 p.m. at Quicken Loans Arena to kick off a five-game home stand that will begin their second season in Cleveland. The 80-game regular season schedule was released by the American Hockey League today.

VIEW COMPLETE 2008-09 SCHEDULE >>

The Monsters will play 31 of their 40 home games on the weekend, including six Friday games, 15 Saturday games, and 10 Sunday games. Four of the Saturday games will be double-headers, with The Q hosting both hockey and basketball in the same day. On October 18th (Cavs preseason), November 22nd and March 7th, the Monsters will host a matinee match-up, followed by a Cleveland Cavaliers nightcap. March 21st will feature the Cavs in the early game, followed by the Monsters at night.

The Monsters will play a total of 14 back-to-backs, as well as 10 back-to-back-to-backs in 2008-09. The team will host a season-high seven-game home stand from February 25th – March 8th, which will follow Lake Erie’s longest road swing of the year, nine games between February 7th and February 21st. The Monsters will finish the 2008-09 regular season right where they started it, at home, on April 11th.

The Monsters played their inaugural season in Cleveland in 2007-08. Fans came out to support their new hometown team, as the Monsters recorded four of the top seven highest-attended games in the AHL last season. The Monsters averaged just under 6,000 fans per game over the course of the season, with an average of more than 7,300 people turning out for weekend games. Several weekend dates saw between 11,000 – 15,000 fans pack The Q. With the Monsters serving as the top affiliate of the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, fans were able to watch some of the top young prospects in all of hockey: a total of 11 Lake Erie players were called up by the Avs during 2007-08, including five who made their NHL debut.

Fans can expect to enjoy the same fun, affordable family entertainment that became synonymous with Monsters games last season, including free postgame open skates and autograph sessions, celebrity promotional appearances, and Dollar Dog Fridays, when all hot dogs and 16-ounce pops are only $1 each.

Full season tickets, starting at just $10 per seat per game, as well as group tickets, are on sale now by visiting LakeErieMonsters.com or calling (216) 420-0000. Partial (multiple games) season ticket plans will go on sale later this summer. Single game tickets will go on sale closer to the start of the season on a date to be announced. The 2008-09 promotional schedule will also be announced at a later date and before single game tickets go on sale.

The Lake Erie Monsters are part of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Quicken Loans Arena organization and also owned by a group led by Cavaliers Majority Owner and Quicken Loans Founder and Chairman Dan Gilbert.

The Lake Erie Monsters, presented by Kaiser Permanente, will face the Grand Rapids Griffins on Saturday, October 11th at 7:30 p.m. at Quicken Loans Arena to kick off a five-game home stand that will begin their second season in Cleveland. The 80-game regular season schedule was released by the American Hockey League today.

VIEW COMPLETE 2008-09 SCHEDULE >>

The Monsters will play 31 of their 40 home games on the weekend, including six Friday games, 15 Saturday games, and 10 Sunday games. Four of the Saturday games will be double-headers, with The Q hosting both hockey and basketball in the same day. On October 18th (Cavs preseason), November 22nd and March 7th, the Monsters will host a matinee match-up, followed by a Cleveland Cavaliers nightcap. March 21st will feature the Cavs in the early game, followed by the Monsters at night.

The Monsters will play a total of 14 back-to-backs, as well as 10 back-to-back-to-backs in 2008-09. The team will host a season-high seven-game home stand from February 25th – March 8th, which will follow Lake Erie’s longest road swing of the year, nine games between February 7th and February 21st. The Monsters will finish the 2008-09 regular season right where they started it, at home, on April 11th.

The Monsters played their inaugural season in Cleveland in 2007-08. Fans came out to support their new hometown team, as the Monsters recorded four of the top seven highest-attended games in the AHL last season. The Monsters averaged just under 6,000 fans per game over the course of the season, with an average of more than 7,300 people turning out for weekend games. Several weekend dates saw between 11,000 – 15,000 fans pack The Q. With the Monsters serving as the top affiliate of the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, fans were able to watch some of the top young prospects in all of hockey: a total of 11 Lake Erie players were called up by the Avs during 2007-08, including five who made their NHL debut.

Fans can expect to enjoy the same fun, affordable family entertainment that became synonymous with Monsters games last season, including free postgame open skates and autograph sessions, celebrity promotional appearances, and Dollar Dog Fridays, when all hot dogs and 16-ounce pops are only $1 each.

Full season tickets, starting at just $10 per seat per game, as well as group tickets, are on sale now by visiting LakeErieMonsters.com or calling (216) 420-0000. Partial (multiple games) season ticket plans will go on sale later this summer. Single game tickets will go on sale closer to the start of the season on a date to be announced. The 2008-09 promotional schedule will also be announced at a later date and before single game tickets go on sale.

The Lake Erie Monsters are part of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Quicken Loans Arena organization and also owned by a group led by Cavaliers Majority Owner and Quicken Loans Founder and Chairman Dan Gilbert.