PORTLAND – The Portland Pirates will open their 11th training camp in franchise history on Tuesday, Sept. 23 at the Portland Ice Arena. Practice will begin at 9:45 a.m. Head coach Tim Army begins his second season at the helm while assistant coach Mark Kumpel is in his sixth year with the team.

The Pirates will have 10 players for the start of camp with another 10 expected to join the team for the on-ice session Friday. All Pirates practices are open to the public.

Last season, Army and Kumpel led the Pirates to a record of 33-28-13-6, eighth place in the American Hockey League’s Eastern Conference. The Pirates returned to the Calder Cup playoffs after a one-year hiatus, losing to the Manitoba Moose 2-1 in a best-of-three qualifying series.

The Pirates will play four preseason games beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 30 when they visit the Lowell Lock Monsters in Nashua, N.H. They’ll return to Maine the next day to host the Manchester Monarchs at Biddeford Ice Arena Oct. 1 at 7 p.m.

The Pirates will be back on the ice on Saturday when they host the Lowell Lock Monsters on Saturday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. at the Cumberland County Civic Center. They will finish the preseason schedule on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 5, when they play the Monarchs in Salem, N.H. at 2 p.m.

Tickets for both preseason home games are on sale now. Tickets for the game in Biddeford may be purchased at the Biddeford Ice Arena and the Pirates’ offices from Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Biddeford and from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Pirates’ offices.

General admission tickets for the game on October 1st will cost $6 for adults and $4 for children and seniors. Tickets may also be purchased by phone by calling the Pirates at (207) 828-4665.

The Pirates open the home half of their schedule on Friday, Oct. 17 when they host the Hartford Wolf Pack at the Civic Center at 7:05 p.m.