The Norman Northstars will play their first-ever Manitoba Midget Hockey League regular season game in the new C.A. Nesbitt Arena Oct. 9 against the Southwest Cougars, who come to town for a two-game set on the second weekend of the 2009-2010 midget AAA season.
The Northstars open their season Oct. 2 on the road, playing the Central Plains Capitals before taking on the Pembina Valley Hawks the following day and the Interlake Lightning in Gimli on Oct. 4.
All of the Northstars' 2009 homestands (Oct. 16-17 against the Kenora Thistles, Oct. 30-31 against the Brandon Wheat Kings, Nov. 6-7 versus the Yellowhead Chiefs, Nov. 20-21 against the Parkland Rangers and Dec. 4-5 versus the Interlake Lightning) feature Friday and Saturday night games, rather than the Saturday night and Sunday afternoon match-ups that made up most of their home games last season.
In 2010, the Saturday-Sunday schedule returns, with Pembina Valley the first team up after the Northstars' long Christmas break from Dec. 20 to Jan. 2. The following weekend sees the Capitals make the trip to Thompson, while the Winnipeg Wild pay a visit Jan. 23-24. Their final homestands are Feb. 6-7 against the Eastman Selects and Feb. 13-14 versus the Winnipeg Thrashers.
The squad's longest road trip comes Oct. 22-25, when they face the Wild, Selects, Hawks and Thrashers. They have only a single road trip between New Year's Day and the end of the season.
