The Grand Rapids Griffins on Thursday released their schedule for the 2009-10 season, their 14th overall and ninth as members of the American Hockey League.

The primary affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings will begin its 80-game slate on Saturday, Oct. 3 in Peoria, marking the Griffins’ earliest season opener since their 1999-2000 IHL campaign (Oct. 1). After starting with five consecutive road contests, the Griffins will kick off a season-high six-game stand at Van Andel Arena by hosting a three-game weekend against the Abbotsford Heat on Friday, Oct. 23 and Sunday, Oct. 25, sandwiched around a visit by the Toronto Marlies on Saturday, Oct. 24.

Griffins Home Opening Weekend marks the first of three times during the 2009-10 season that Grand Rapids will play three home games in as many nights, a scheduling anomaly that occurred twice last season and only three times total over the franchise’s first 13 seasons. 

Highlights of the 2009-10 schedule include:

• Twenty-seven prime home dates (16 Fridays and 11 Saturdays), including a run of eight consecutive Fridays at home from Oct. 23 to Dec. 11. All Friday games this season will once again feature the popular Dollar Dogs, Dollar Beers promotion;

• The first-ever visits to Van Andel Arena by Abbotsford (Oct. 23) and the Texas Stars (Nov. 20);

• Grand Rapids’ ninth annual Matinee Game presented by Lake Michigan Credit Union on Nov. 11 at noon versus the Lake Erie Monsters;

• Numerous holiday home games, including the Friday after Thanksgiving (Nov. 27), the Saturday and Sunday after Christmas (Dec. 26-27), and the Griffins’ 13th annual New Year’s Eve celebration;

• A run of 10 of 11 games at Van Andel Arena from Oct. 23 to Nov. 20, balanced by a late-season stretch (Feb. 26-March 25) in which 10 of 12 contests will be staged on the road;

• An April 2 visit to Abbotsford, B.C., which will mark the Griffins’ first game in the Pacific Time Zone since Nov. 24, 2004, when they earned a 4-3 shootout win over the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks at Anaheim’s Arrowhead Pond.

Most Griffins home games will begin at 7 p.m., with eight exceptions. In addition to the noon start on Nov. 11 and 4 p.m. faceoffs for four Sunday games, the Sunday, Oct. 25 contest will begin at 5 p.m., and the Friday, Dec. 11 (6:30 p.m.) and Saturday, Dec. 12 (8 p.m.) games will feature different start times to  accommodate other arena events.