Fri  7 Jan  at Philadelphia
Fri 14 Jan  PITTSBURGH
Sat 29 Jan  at New York
Sat  5 Feb  at Buffalo
Fri 11 Feb  SYRACUSE
Fri 18 Feb  PHILADELPHIA
Sat 26 Feb  at Rochester
Sat 11 Mar  TORONTO
Fri 17 Mar  NEW YORK
Fri 31 Mar  at Syracuse
Sat  8 Apr  at Toronto
Sat 15 Apr  BUFFALO

Missing out on:
ROCHESTER, at Pittsburgh

The NLL's newest team opens the season for the league, but in a potentially ominous way -- Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, two teams that reached the playoffs in 1999. Throw in a protracted road swing (four weeks between home appearances), and the season could start rough for the Attack. It could end just as rough, though, with a trip to Toronto in early April and a season finale with the always-dangerous Bandits. Only advantage is that in condensing the schedule, the Attack lost two games with playoff teams.

Whoever the Rochester Knighthawks (widely believed to have been given the worst schedule in 1999) angered this time last year, the Buffalo Bandits must really have irked him this year. The Bandits open with five home matches out of the first seven, and while that possibly would bode well for a team, it also ensures that when the Bandits need a game at home (the end of the season), they'll be on the road almost exclusively. Only a home date with hated rival Philadelphia separates the Bandits from closing with a month of road games. If Buffalo isn't cruising at midseason, they'll be sinking at the end.

Sat  8 Jan  TORONTO
Sat 29 Jan  SYRACUSE
Sat  5 Feb  ALBANY
Sat 12 Feb  at Pittsburgh
Fri 18 Feb  ROCHESTER
Sat 26 Feb  at Toronto
Sat 11 Mar  NEW YORK
Sat 18 Mar  at Rochester
Sat 25 Mar  at New York
Sat  1 Apr  PHILADELPHIA
Sat  8 Apr  at Philadelphia
Sat 15 Apr  at Albany

Missing out on:
PITTSBURGH, at Syracuse

Sat  8 Jan  PITTSBURGH
Sat 15 Jan  SYRACUSE
Fri 21 Jan  at Toronto
Sat 29 Jan  ALBANY
Sat  5 Feb  at Philadelphia
Fri 11 Feb  PHILADELPHIA
Sun 13 Feb  at Syracuse
Fri 25 Feb  at Pittsburgh
Sat 11 Mar  at Buffalo
Fri 17 Mar  at Albany
Sat 25 Mar  BUFFALO
Sat  8 Apr  ROCHESTER

Missing out on:
TORONTO, at Rochester

If the New York Saints are to make the long step forward from playoff contender to playoff qualifier, they have a starting pair (hosting Pittsburgh and Syracuse) and finishing pair (visits by Buffalo and Rochester) that is in their favor. What precedes the stretch run, however, may be the Saints' undoing. Four straight road games, over a six-week span, is brutal on any team. However, the team lucks out a little -- Syracuse and Albany likely won't be major challenges, and the Saints historically have held their own on trips to Buffalo.

After two years of road-heavy season openings, the Wings finally get a more balanced schedule. In fact, they get a slate of games a little slanted in their favor, with three of the first four games at the First Union Center. Expansion Albany, possibly a team still trying to find cohesion, means a favorable start for the Wings, who also see a home-and-home with the Saints during the first half of the campaign. Of the last six games, three are at home and three on the road, three against playoff teams and three against teams that missed the postseason, and lined up in perfect alternating order -- as even as a schedule can get.

Fri  7 Jan  ALBANY
Sat 22 Jan  at Pittsburgh
Sat 29 Jan  ROCHESTER
Sat  5 Feb  NEW YORK
Fri 11 Feb  at New York
Fri 18 Feb  at Albany
Sat 26 Feb  PITTSBURGH
Sat 18 Mar  at Syracuse
Sat 25 Mar  TORONTO
Sat  1 Apr  at Buffalo
Sat  8 Apr  BUFFALO
Sat 15 Apr  at Rochester

Missing out on:
SYRACUSE, at Toronto

Sat  8 Jan  at New York
Fri 14 Jan  at Albany
Sat 15 Jan  at Rochester
Sat 22 Jan  PHILADELPHIA
Fri 28 Jan  TORONTO
Sat 12 Feb  BUFFALO
Fri 25 Feb  NEW YORK
Sat 26 Feb  at Philadelphia
Fri 10 Mar  ROCHESTER
Sat 25 Mar  SYRACUSE
Fri 31 Mar  at Toronto
Sat  8 Apr  at Syracuse

Missing out on:
ALBANY, at Buffalo

The schedule makers certainly found a hapless victim in Pittsburgh. The CrosseFire opens with three straight on the road, follows with four in a row at Civic Arena, and closes with a pair of road games. Throw in a pair of back-to-back games and five open weekends, and Pittsburgh ends up with one of the worst schedules in recent memory. It might be of no consequence to the players, though, as the team is expected to practice in Baltimore and fly into the Steel City for home games. Watch for Pittsburgh to start strong, though, with trips to playoff non-qualifier New York and expansion Albany. They'll need that momentum to push them through three straight games against playoff teams.

With a heavy slant towards Saturday nights and no back-to-back games in one weekend, Rochester emerged with a much fairer schedule than what it endured last year. Although the start is something of a bum rush (four of the first six are road games), the conclusion is a home-heavy slate (with three of the last four against teams that missed the 1999 postseason). Still, K'Hawks fans might complain -- the unbalanced schedule leaves off games versus Albany and New York, possibly weaker competition.

Sat  8 Jan  at Syracuse
Sat 15 Jan  PITTSBURGH
Sat 29 Jan  at Philadelphia
Sat  5 Feb  TORONTO
Fri 11 Feb  at Toronto
Fri 18 Feb  at Buffalo
Sat 26 Feb  ALBANY
Fri 10 Mar  at Pittsburgh
Sat 18 Mar  BUFFALO
Sat  1 Apr  SYRACUSE
Sat  8 Apr  at New York
Sat 15 Apr  PHILADELPHIA

Missing out on:
NEW YORK, at Albany

Sat  8 Jan  ROCHESTER
Sat 15 Jan  at New York
Sat 29 Jan  at Buffalo
Fri 11 Feb  at Albany
Sun 13 Feb  NEW YORK
Fri  3 Mar  at Toronto
Sat 18 Mar  PHILADELPHIA
Sat 25 Mar  at Pittsburgh
Fri 31 Mar  ALBANY
Sat  1 Apr  at Rochester
Sat  8 Apr  PITTSBURGH
Sat 15 Apr  TORONTO

Missing out on:
BUFFALO, at Philadelphia

If the Syracuse Smash can survive an early three-game road swing, they might end up contending for a playoff spot for the first time in their brief existence. However, the stretch run includes three 1999 playoff teams, and that may be enough to shut the Smash out of the race. While the Smash benefit from not having to trek to Philadelphia (site of a 15-6 drubbing last year) or host the Bandits, they face two multi-game weekends and a portion of the schedule where they play once in five weeks -- almost certain to destroy any momentum the Smash might have.

If the Toronto Rock are to repeat as NLL champions, they will need a strong start to the season. Trips to Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Rochester are on the agenda before the season is a month old. After this, however, the schedule turns in Toronto's favor, with three straight home games. A late-season meeting with Albany is unpredictable (as would have been a now-non-existent visit by Philadelphia), but concluding the season with Syracuse is a definite plus.

Sat  8 Jan  at Buffalo
Fri 21 Jan  NEW YORK
Fri 28 Jan  at Pittsburgh
Sat  5 Feb  at Rochester
Fri 11 Feb  ROCHESTER
Sat 26 Feb  BUFFALO
Fri  3 Mar  SYRACUSE
Sat 11 Mar  at Albany
Sat 25 Mar  at Philadelphia
Fri 31 Mar  PITTSBURGH
Sat  8 Apr  ALBANY
Sat 15 Apr  at Syracuse

Missing out on:
PHILADELPHIA, at New York