The National Lacrosse League today announced the schedule for its upcoming 2003 season, with games beginning the final weekend of December.

On Friday, 27 December, the seventeenth season of professional indoor lacrosse kicks off with a rematch of last season's Champions Cup Final, pitting the Toronto Rock against the Albany Attack, again at Pepsi Arena.

Other games in Week One include New York at Columbus the same night as Toronto/Albany, and New Jersey at Rochester and Calgary at Ottawa a night later.

One week later, the NLL debuts in Denver, when the yet-to-be-named Colorado franchise (formerly the Washington Power) hosts Toronto on Friday, 3 January.

Because of the Montreal Express' suspension of operations, the schedule size shrinks from 104 games last season to 96. This is the first reduction since 1997, when the departure of the Charlotte Cobras pushed the number of games down to thirty, from thirty-five.

Montreal's suspension of operations also delayed the release of the 2003 schedule.

However, with the slightly contracted slate of games comes a vastly contracted time span to contest them. The NLL has abandoned the scheduling template of a year ago, in which games began in mid-November and stretched to late March.

The 2003 schedule, by comparison, begins six weeks later than a year ago and ends just three weeks later than in 2002. As a result, the season will run just sixteen weeks, increasing the number of two-game weekends.

The complete 2003 NLL schedule is as follows (all times local):

Fri 27 Dec               Toronto @ Albany           7:30
Fri 27 Dec              New York @ Columbus         7:30
Sat 28 Dec            New Jersey @ Rochester        7:35
Sat 28 Dec               Calgary @ Ottawa           3:30

Fri  3 Jan                Ottawa @ Columbus         7:30
Fri  3 Jan               Toronto @ Colorado         7:00
Fri  3 Jan          Philadelphia @ Vancouver        7:00
Sat  4 Jan                Albany @ Buffalo          7:00
Sat  4 Jan                Ottawa @ New York         7:30
Sat  4 Jan              Columbus @ New Jersey       7:30

Fri 10 Jan              New York @ New Jersey       7:30
Sat 11 Jan              Columbus @ Buffalo          7:00
Sat 11 Jan              Colorado @ Ottawa           7:00
Sat 11 Jan              New York @ Philadelphia     8:00
Sat 11 Jan                Albany @ Toronto          3:30
Sun 12 Jan            New Jersey @ Calgary          1:30
Sun 12 Jan             Rochester @ Vancouver        2:00

Fri 17 Jan              Columbus @ Albany           7:30
Fri 17 Jan               Toronto @ Calgary          7:30
Sat 18 Jan             Vancouver @ Rochester        7:35
Sat 18 Jan          Philadelphia @ Colorado         7:00
Sun 19 Jan               Buffalo @ New Jersey       1:00

Thu 23 Jan               Toronto @ Ottawa           7:30
Fri 24 Jan               Calgary @ Columbus         7:30
Fri 24 Jan               Buffalo @ Toronto          7:30
Sat 25 Jan               Calgary @ Buffalo          7:00
Sat 25 Jan             Rochester @ New York         7:30
Sat 25 Jan              Colorado @ Philadelphia     8:00

Fri 31 Jan             Vancouver @ Calgary          7:30
Sat  1 Feb            New Jersey @ Ottawa           7:00
Sat  1 Feb                Albany @ Rochester        7:35
Sat  1 Feb               Buffalo @ Columbus         7:30
Sat  1 Feb               Toronto @ Philadelphia     8:00
Sun  2 Feb             Rochester @ Albany           4:00
Sun  2 Feb              New York @ Colorado         1:00
Sun  2 Feb               Calgary @ Vancouver        2:00

Thu  6 Feb          Philadelphia @ New Jersey       7:30
Fri  7 Feb              Columbus @ Calgary          7:30
Fri  7 Feb                Ottawa @ Toronto          7:30
Sat  8 Feb             Rochester @ Philadelphia     8:00
Sat  8 Feb               Toronto @ Buffalo          7:00
Sat  8 Feb            New Jersey @ Colorado         7:00
Sun  9 Feb                Albany @ New York         3:00

Fri 14 Feb            New Jersey @ Columbus         7:30
Fri 14 Feb               Toronto @ Vancouver        7:00
Fri 14 Feb               Calgary @ Colorado         7:00
Sat 15 Feb               Buffalo @ Albany           8:00
Sat 15 Feb          Philadelphia @ Ottawa           3:30
Sat 15 Feb              Columbus @ Rochester        7:35
Sun 16 Feb              New York @ Buffalo          4:00

Fri 21 Feb              Colorado @ Albany           7:30
Sat 22 Feb              Colorado @ New York         7:30
Sat 22 Feb             Rochester @ Toronto          3:30
Sat 22 Feb            New Jersey @ Philadelphia     1:00

Fri 28 Feb                Albany @ New Jersey       7:30
Fri 28 Feb                Ottawa @ Rochester        7:35
Fri 28 Feb               Calgary @ Toronto          7:30
Fri 28 Feb              New York @ Vancouver        7:00
Sat  1 Mar              Columbus @ Philadelphia     8:00
Sat  1 Mar             Vancouver @ Colorado         8:00
Sun  2 Mar              New York @ Calgary          1:30

Fri  7 Mar                Albany @ Columbus         7:30
Fri  7 Mar             Vancouver @ Toronto          7:30
Fri  7 Mar             Rochester @ Buffalo          7:00
Sat  8 Mar             Vancouver @ Ottawa           7:00
Sun  9 Mar              Columbus @ New York         3:00

Fri 14 Mar               Toronto @ Rochester        7:35
Sat 15 Mar              New York @ Albany           8:00
Sat 15 Mar                Ottawa @ New Jersey       8:00
Sat 15 Mar               Buffalo @ Philadelphia     8:00
Sun 16 Mar              Colorado @ Vancouver        2:00

Fri 21 Mar                Ottawa @ Buffalo          7:00
Fri 21 Mar          Philadelphia @ Toronto          7:30
Fri 21 Mar             Rochester @ Colorado         7:00
Fri 21 Mar                Albany @ Vancouver        7:00
Sat 22 Mar               Buffalo @ Ottawa           7:00
Sat 22 Mar               Calgary @ Philadelphia     8:00
Sun 23 Mar               Calgary @ New York         3:00
Sun 23 Mar              Colorado @ New Jersey       1:00
Sun 23 Mar             Rochester @ Columbus         3:00

Fri 28 Mar                Albany @ Colorado         7:00
Fri 28 Mar                Ottawa @ Vancouver        7:00
Sat 29 Mar          Philadelphia @ New York         7:30
Sat 29 Mar               Buffalo @ Rochester        7:35
Sun 30 Mar                Ottawa @ Calgary          1:30

Fri  4 Apr          Philadelphia @ Albany           7:30
Sat  5 Apr            New Jersey @ Buffalo          7:00
Sat  5 Apr             Vancouver @ Columbus         7:30
Sat  5 Apr              Colorado @ Calgary          7:30

Fri 11 Apr               Buffalo @ Calgary          7:30
Sat 12 Apr             Vancouver @ Albany           7:30
Sat 12 Apr              Columbus @ Ottawa           7:00
Sat 12 Apr            New Jersey @ New York         7:30
Sat 12 Apr          Philadelphia @ Rochester        7:35
Sun 13 Apr             Vancouver @ New Jersey       1:00
Sun 13 Apr              Colorado @ Toronto          3:30