The American Hockey League announced the 2012-13 schedule this afternoon, which will see Cleveland’s Lake Erie Monsters play the first of 38 home games on Friday, October 12th at 7:30 p.m. Of the team’s 38 games at Quicken Loans Arena this coming season, 24 of those will be weekend dates, including nine Friday night games, 13 on Saturday and two Sunday afternoon games.

As part of the 76-game schedule format, the longest home stand of the season will be eight games, from February 21st to March 7th, while the longest road trip will see seven games played from November 1st to November 14th. The home schedule also features two doubleheaders with the Cleveland Cavaliers: Saturday, October 13th (Monsters vs. Oklahoma City – 1:00 p.m.; Cavs preseason vs. Washington – 7:30 p.m.) and Saturday, December 1st (Monsters vs. San Antonio – 1:00 p.m.; Cavs vs. Portland – 7:30 p.m.)

The complete 2012-13 Lake Erie Monsters schedule can be found here: http://lakeeriemonsters.com/schedule/

Fans can look forward to the same fun, value-packed entertainment at Monsters games this season that they have come to expect during the team’s first five years at The Q, including:

• EVERY WEEKDAY: College ID Night, presented by RTA and Cleveland+, returns in 2012-13: special discounted tickets with a valid college ID. There are 14 Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night games this season.
   
• EVERY THURSDAY: Thirsty Thursdays, presented by RTA, are back for the second straight season in 2012-13: featuring $2 draft beers and $5 margaritas. There are seven Thursday night games this season.
   
• EVERY FRIDAY: Dollar Dog Fridays, presented by Sugardale and Pepsi, is one of the most popular promotions every season and will return for 2012-13: hot dogs and sodas for just $1 each; PLUS free postgame open skate. There are nine Friday night games this season.
   
• EVERY SATURDAY and SUNDAY AFTERNOON: Kids Day: – featuring balloon artists, interactive games and more. There are four Saturday and Sunday afternoon games this season. PLUS the two Sunday afternoon games will include free postgame autograph sessions with the full Monsters team.

The 2012-13 home schedule will feature five specialty jerseys: Cleveland Lumberjacks Night (NEW!) – December 22nd; Hawaiian Night (NEW!) – January 26th; Cleveland Browns Night – February 23rd; St. Patrick’s Day – March 17th; Autism Awareness Night (NEW!) – April 13th.

 Among the many free giveaways this coming season, there will be several brand-new, never-before-seen at Monsters games items, including: “Like” thumb foam finger – November 23rd; Monsters snapback hat – December 15th; goalie glove oven mitt – December 22nd; Cavs and Monsters team poster – January 4th; Sully fireman and policeman bobblehead – March 23rd.

Cleveland fans can also once again look forward to the following popular annual promotional nights: Cleveland Cavaliers Night – January 4th; Cleveland Browns Night (presented by NAPA Auto Parts) – February 23rd; Pucks & Paws “bring your dog to the game” - March 3rd; Fan Appreciation Night (presented by Kaiser Permanente) - April 20th. Also new this year will be Cleveland Gladiators Night on April 19th.

The complete 2012-13 promotional schedule can be found here: http://lakeeriemonsters.com/schedule/promotions/

Single game tickets for the 2012-13 season will go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, August 28th at 10:00 a.m. A special presale will begin soon. Full season and partial season ticket plans, including the Monsters 10-game plan that includes 10 “can’t miss” games, are on sale now. Group ticket and birthday bash packages for 10 or more are also currently available. All tickets can be purchased by visiting LakeErieMonsters.com, calling (216) 420-0000, visiting The Q Box Office or any Northern Ohio Discount Drug Mart.

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 group also owns and operates the Cleveland Gladiators of the Arena Football League playing at Quicken Loans Arena and the Canton Charge of the NBA Development League playing in nearby Canton, Ohio at the Canton Civic Center.

-LakeErieMonsters.com-