The Alaska Aces open the season less than four months from now with a pair of hockey games at Sullivan Arena against the San Francisco Bulls.
The Oct. 18-19 series will mark the start of Alaska's 10th season in the ECHL, in which they are the reigning Brabham Cup regular-season champions.
The team announced its 72-game schedule Wednesday, an offering that includes a chance to ring in the New Year with the Reign, no games against Eastern Conference teams and two eight-game road trips, including one that keeps the Aces out of Sullivan for a month.
The Aces will play 36 of their regular-season games at home. Of those, 31 will be played on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
For the seventh season in a row, Aces fans can spend New Year's Eve at Sullivan Arena. The Aces play the Ontario Reign that night, a Tuesday.
The New Year's Eve game is part of an eight-game homestand that runs from Dec. 18 to Jan. 4. That stretch ends a month-long period -- Nov. 18 to Dec. 18 -- when the Aces don't play at home. They play eight games on the road in that span.
Alaska's other eight-game road trip comes near the end of the season, when it plays 11 of its final 14 games on the road, including the last three in Colorado.
The Aces are on the road for eight games from March 18-30, return for an April 4-6 three-game home finale against San Francisco and wrap up the season April 9-12 with three games in Colorado.
The biggest scheduling change is the absence of Eastern Conference opponents. Alaska faces Western Conference teams only in the regular season -- Ontario, San Francisco, Stockton, Bakersfield, Utah, Las Vegas, Idaho and Colorado.
The Aces will see Las Vegas and San Francisco the most (12 times apiece) and Stockton and Utah the least (six times apiece).
Alaska doesn't face the Stockton Thunder -- the team that eliminated the Aces in Game 6 of last season's Western Conference semifinals -- until Feb. 7-9 in Anchorage.
For information on season tickets, call the Aces at 258-ACES.
Reach Beth Bragg at bbragg@adn.com or 257-4335.
Alaska Aces 2013-14 schedule
1. Fri, Oct. 18 vs. San Francisco
2. Sat, Oct. 19 vs. San Francisco
3. Fri, Oct. 25 @ Las Vegas
4. Sat, Oct. 26 @ Las Vegas
5. Sun, Oct. 27 @ Las Vegas
6. Fri, Nov. 1 vs. Bakersfield
7. Sat, Nov. 2 vs. Bakersfield
8. Sun, Nov. 3 vs. Bakersfield
9. Wed, Nov. 6 @ Idaho
10. Fri, Nov. 8 @ Idaho
11. Sat, Nov. 9 @ Idaho
12. Fri, Nov. 15 vs. Las Vegas
13. Sat, Nov. 16 vs. Las Vegas
14. Sun, Nov. 17 vs. Las Vegas
15. Wed, Nov. 27 @Colorado
16. Fri, Nov. 29 @ Colorado
17. Wed, Dec. 4 @ Utah
18. Fri, Dec. 6 @ Utah
19. Sat, Dec. 7 @ Utah
20. Wed, Dec. 11 @ Idaho
21. Fri, Dec. 13 @ Idaho
22. Sat, Dec. 14 @ Idaho
23. Wed, Dec. 18 vs. Utah
24. Fri, Dec. 20 vs. Utah
25. Sat, Dec. 21 vs. Utah
26. Fri, Dec. 27 vs. Ontario
27. Sat, Dec. 28 vs. Ontario
28. Tue, Dec. 31 vs. Ontario
29. Fri, Jan. 3 vs. Idaho
30. Sat, Jan. 4 vs. Idaho
31. Thur, Jan. 9 @ San Francisco
32. Fri, Jan. 10 @ San Francisco
33. Sat, Jan. 11 @ San Francisco
34. Wed, Jan. 15 vs. Las Vegas
35. Fri, Jan. 17 vs. Las Vegas
36. Sat, Jan. 18 vs. Las Vegas
37. Fri, Jan. 24 @ Colorado
38. Sat, Jan. 25 @ Colorado
39. Wed, Jan. 29 vs. Idaho
40. Fri, Jan. 31 vs. Idaho
41. Sat, Feb. 1 vs. Idaho
42. Fri, Feb. 7 vs. Stockton
43. Sat, Feb. 8 vs. Stockton
44. Sun, Feb. 9 vs. Stockton
45. Sat, Feb. 15 @ Ontario
46. Sun, Feb. 16 @ Ontario
47. Mon, Feb. 17 @ Bakersfield
48. Wed, Feb. 19 vs. Ontario
49. Fri, Feb. 21 vs. Ontario
50. Sat, Feb. 22 vs. Ontario
51. Fri, Feb. 28 @ San Francisco
52. Sat, Mar. 1 @ San Francisco
53. Sun, Mar. 2 @ Stockton
54. Fri, Mar. 7 vs. Bakersfield
55. Sat, Mar. 8 vs. Bakersfield
56. Sun, Mar. 9 vs. Bakersfield
57. Fri, Mar. 14 vs. Colorado
58. Sat, Mar. 15 vs. Colorado
59. Wed, Mar. 19 @ San Francisco
60. Fri, Mar. 21 @ San Francisco
61. Sat, Mar. 22 @ Stockton
62. Sun, Mar. 23 @ Stockton
63. Tue, Mar. 25 @ Bakersfield
64. Fri, Mar. 28 @ Las Vegas
65. Sat, Mar. 29 @ Las Vegas
66. Sun, Mar. 30 @ Las Vegas
67. Fri, Apr. 4 vs. San Francisco
68. Sat, Apr. 5 vs. San Francisco
69. Sun, Apr. 6 vs. San Francisco
70. Wed, Apr. 9 @ Colorado
71. Fri, Apr. 11 @ Colorado
72. Sat, Apr. 12 @ Colorado
By BETH BRAGG