The National Lacrosse League today released its 2001 schedule, a 63-game slate which formalizes the entrance of Columbus, Ottawa, and Washington as NLL cities.

The schedule expands from twelve to fourteen games this season, a natural progression towards a complete home-and-home series against every other team, which, with the nine teams currently in the league, would require a sixteen-game schedule.

The defending champion Toronto Rock open the 2001 season in a 21 December showdown by christening their new intranational rivalry with Ottawa. Prior to the ringing in of the new year, all nine teams will have played at least once, with Washington and the Canadian teams having played twice.

Columbus is the first of the new cities to host a game, with the Landsharks hosting New York on 30 December. One day later, Washington's return to professional lacrosse (after an eleven-season absence) is marked with a game against Toronto. The following weekend, Ottawa contests its home opener, against the same Rock team that it played two weeks earlier.

Newly-appointed commissioner Jim Jennings said, "We are pleased that our three new cities, Columbus, Ottawa and Washington, will be playing in state of the art facilities such as the Nationwide Arena, Corel Centre and the MCI Center. Along with facilities like Buffalo's HSBC Arena, Philadelphia's First Union Center and Toronto's Air Canada Centre, the NLL has established itself a major professional sports league."

The following is the 2001 NLL schedule:

Week Day/Date              Game                    
---- --------------------- ----------------------------
  1  Thurs, 21 December    Ottawa at Toronto

  2  Fri, 29 December      Ottawa at Albany
     Sat, 30 December      Buffalo at Washington
                           New York at Columbus
                           Philadelphia at Rochester
     Sun, 31 December      Toronto at Washington

  3  Fri, 5 January        New York at Albany
                           Toronto at Ottawa
     Sat, 6 January        Columbus at Buffalo
     Sun, 7 January        Rochester at Washington

  4  Thurs, 11 January     Albany at Toronto
     Fri, 12 January       Rochester at New York
                           Ottawa at Philadelphia
     Sat, 13 January       Washington at Columbus
     Sun, 14 January       Ottawa at Washington

  5  Fri, 19 January       New York at Ottawa
     Sat, 20 January       Rochester at Albany
                           Philadelphia at Buffalo
     Sun, 21 January       Columbus at Washington

  6  Fri, 26 January       Ottawa at Columbus
                           Washington at Toronto
     Sat, 27 January       Albany at Philadelphia
                           New York at Rochester
                           Toronto at Buffalo

  7  Sat, 3 February       Ottawa at Buffalo
                           Toronto at New York
                           Rochester at Philadelphia

  8  Fri, 9 February       Albany at Ottawa
                           Philadelphia at Toronto
     Sat, 10 February      Washington at Buffalo
                           Philadelphia at New York

  9  Fri, 16 February      Albany at Columbus
                           Buffalo at Ottawa
     Sat, 17 February      Toronto at Rochester
     Sun, 18 February      Washington at Albany

 10  Sat, 24 February      Albany at New York 
                           Buffalo at Philadelphia
                           Columbus at Rochester
     Sun, 25 February      New York at Toronto

 11  Fri, 2 March          Rochester at Ottawa
                           Buffalo at Columbus
     Sat, 3 March          New York at Washington

 12  Fri, 9 March          Columbus at Albany
     Sat, 10 March         Columbus at New York
                           Toronto at Philadelphia

 13  Fri, 16 March         Toronto at Columbus
     Sat, 17 March         Albany at Buffalo
                           New York at Philadelphia
                           Washington at Rochester
     Sun, 18 March         Washington at Ottawa

 14  Fri, 23 March         Rochester at Buffalo

 15  Fri, 30 March         Buffalo at Albany
                           Ottawa at New York
     Sat, 31 March         Columbus at Toronto
                           Washington at Philadelphia
                           Buffalo at Rochester
     Sun, 1 April          Philadelphia at Washington

 16  Thurs, 5 April        Rochester at Toronto
     Fri, 6 April          Columbus at Ottawa
     Sat, 7 April          Philadelphia at Columbus
                           Buffalo at New York
                           Albany at Rochester

 17  Sat, 14 April         Philadelphia at Albany

Game times currently not available.