There is no Moose on the menu for the Sun Valley Suns men's ice hockey team, which is training for the franchise's 35th winter season starting Friday, Dec. 11. There are 20 games planned, all at home.
Sun Valley's oldest rival, the Jackson Hole Moose from Wyoming, isn't on the 20-game winter schedule for the Suns.
Captain Chris Warrington said that's because of financial considerations. He said the Suns have made a concerted effort to restrict their schedule to home games and consolidate the 2009-10 season to nearly every weekend between mid-December and early March.
"We're sorry to lose the Moose but financially it made the most sense to avoid the home-and-home series like we've had with Jackson," he said. "We wanted to play nearly every weekend with no gaps so our fans will know when we're playing. And most of the teams coming in are repeat teams."
Sun Valley and Jackson Hole played four times last winter in the home-and-home series, and have met 50 times in the 12-year rivalry since 1997.
Remaining on the 2009-10 schedule are the McCall Mountaineers—Sun Valley's second-oldest rival with 30 games played over six seasons dating back to 2003. And there are two Christmas holiday exhibitions.
Warrington expects most of last year's Suns players to return this winter including goalies Ryan Thomson and Mat Gershater. Like last year, each Suns game will feature a community benefit, he said. General admission tickets will be priced the same, at $8, he said.
Each weekend from Dec. 11-March 6 features Suns games with the exception of Jan. 29-30, when the rink is closed, and Feb. 5-6, when the annual Boulder Mountain Ski Tour is held. Here is the Suns schedule at Sun Valley Skating Center, with games starting at 7 p.m.:
Dec. 11-12 vs. Park City. Dec. 18-19 vs. Utah All-Stars. Dec. 26 vs. Suns Alumni (exhibition). Dec. 30 vs. Suns Futures (exhibition).
Jan. 1-2 vs. McCall. Jan. 8-9 vs. Cache Valley Trappers. Jan. 15-16 vs. Vancouver (B.C., Canada). Jan. 22-23 vs. Boston (Bobby Farrelly's Gutter Snipes). Feb. 12-13 vs. Missoula (Mt.). Feb. 19-20 vs. University of Idaho. Feb. 26-27 vs. Bozeman (Mt.). March 5-6 vs. Seattle (Wash.).
The Suns have played 804 games over 34 seasons, with a 555-220-29 overall record.
You can buy a Suns discounted season pass for $100 through today, Wednesday, Nov. 25, then the prices go up to the full price of $150. Email sunshockey@gmail.com with your name, address and phone number and list of season passes you need.
