Bandits Announce Season Schedule for Inaugural Campaign at LEC
LANGLEY, B.C., February 3, 2022 – The Fraser Valley Bandits announced Thursday the club’s 2022 regular season schedule, a 20-game campaign that will see last year’s semifinalists play at least one home and away game against each of the Canadian Elite Basketball League’s (CEBL) nine fellow teams.
The upcoming season will prove to be Fraser Valley’s most exciting to date. The Bandits relocated to
Langley Events Centre (LEC) in Sept. 2021, which has allowed the club to further deepen its community footprint in the nearby municipalities of Maple Ridge, Surrey, Township of Langley, City of Langley and the Tri-Cities.
Season tickets for the highly anticipated season are on sale now at
thebandits.ca/tickets. To announce the schedule, Fraser Valley debuted a promotional video on social media this morning. The video was filmed in collaboration with local businesses from across the Lower Mainland. Visit the Bandits’ social media pages to watch now (Instagram,
Twitter,
Facebook, and
LinkedIn).
Adding to the positive momentum triggered by the Bandits’ move to LEC, the CEBL welcomed the expansion of three new franchises in the second half of 2021. The Montréal Alliance, Newfoundland Growlers and Scarborough Shooting Stars are the latest member clubs of the Official First Division Professional League Partner of Canada Basketball. With the arrival of the three new teams, the CEBL stands as Canada’s largest professional sports league.
The Bandits and CEBL are no strangers to making history. In 2020, the CEBL led the NHL, NBA and later the CPL in returning to play in Canada after the coronavirus shut down the sports world in March 2020. A year later, the Bandits became the first professional sports team in BC to welcome fans back to its stands when Fraser Valley hosted the Guelph Nighthawks on July 14, 2021. The soldout affair paved the way for four consecutive sell-outs as the Bandits earned a trip to the CEBL semifinals and capped off the regular season with the league’s highest average attendance record.
“Since our move to LEC, our staff have enjoyed the opportunity to make new connections in what has already proven to be a rewarding market thanks to increased interest in season tickets, game packs and sponsorship. It is a privilege to make our debut at a world-class venue known for an electrifying game day experience. We can’t wait to introduce our audience to the spectacular infusion of basketball, music and lights that we are creating for fans,” said Bandits president Dylan Kular.
“The announcement of our 2022 schedule solidifies what will certainly be an exciting runway leading up to our inaugural season at LEC. I invite our fans to stay tuned to our website and social media channels because with the CEBL free agency period upon us, we have lots of exciting news in store, including our theme nights and the announcement of our next head coach.”
Fans are kindly asked to call (604) 866-0529 or email
tickets@thebandits.ca for any questions or ticket related inquiries. Fans can also
fill out this form to register their interest and be contacted directly by a team representative.
Fraser Valley opens its season on the road on Wednesday, May 25 at 4:30 p.m. PT against the Ottawa BlackJacks. Following a three-game road swing to open the year, the Bandits will make their debut at LEC against the Saskatchewan Rattlers on Saturday, June 4 at 2 p.m. PT.
A key highlight of Fraser Valley’s season will be its Tuesday, June 7 tilt against Hamilton at LEC. The Bandits welcome the Honey Badgers for an 11 a.m. tip-off as part of the club’s first-ever “School Day Game.” Schools from across the Lower Mainland are invited to attend. Local administrators, school principals and other interested parties or individuals are kindly asked to contact
community@thebandits.ca to learn more about the event.
Due to the ongoing and uncertain nature of the pandemic, the scheduling of the School Day Game is subject to the guidelines established by local health authorities and will adhere to the protocols of the provincial health order that is in effect this summer.
The Bandits’ longest home stand of the year features four games spanning June 24, 26, July 1 and 3, the final game of which will see Fraser Valley take on the Niagara River Lions in a matchup of last year’s semifinal. The Bandits came within one shot of a second straight trip to the CEBL finals but were unable to overcome a pull-up three-pointer that punched Niagara’s ticket to the championship game on the heels of an 84-82 victory.
The Bandits take on Montréal, Newfoundland and Scarborough for the first time in team history when Fraser Valley hosts each club at LEC on June 18, June 24 and June 26, respectively.
All CEBL regular season games will be livestreamed on the free
CBC Gem streaming service,
cbcsports.ca, the CBC Sports app for iOS and Android devices and
CEBL+.
Highlights of the 2022 Fraser Valley Bandits schedule include:
- The Bandits play one home and one away game against every CEBL opponent, with the exception of a three-game season series against both Ottawa and Scarborough
- Fraser Valley’s season opener against Ottawa on May 25th marks the first-time that the Bandits have opened a regular season campaign on the road (with the exception of the 2020 CEBL Summer Series, which was hosted as a single-site season in St. Catharines, Ont.)
- Fraser Valley’s longest road trip is three games. The first three game road swing spans May 25, 27 and June 1 against Ottawa, Hamilton and Saskatchewan, respectively, followed by a three-game trip out east on July 5, 8, and 11 against Newfoundland, Ottawa and Montréal, respectively
Fraser Valley Bandits 2022 CEBL season schedule:
*Note: All times PT | Home dates are in bold
- Wednesday, May 25, 2022 at Ottawa | 4:30 p.m. at TD Place
- Friday, May 27, 2022 at Hamilton | 4:00 p.m. at FirstOntario Centre
- Wednesday, June 1, 2022 at Saskatchewan | 6:30 p.m. at SaskTel Centre
- Saturday, June 4, 2022 vs. Saskatchewan | 2:00 p.m. at Langley Events Centre
- Tuesday, June 7, 2022 vs. Hamilton | 11:00 a.m. at Langley Events Centre
- Wednesday, June 15, 2022 at Edmonton | 6:00 p.m. at Edmonton EXPO Centre
- Saturday, June 18, 2022 vs. Scarborough | 5:00 p.m. at Langley Events Centre
- Tuesday, June 21, 2022 at Guelph | 4:00 p.m. at Sleeman Centre
- Friday, June 24, 2022 vs. Montréal | 7:00 p.m. at Langley Events Centre
- Sunday, June 26, 2022 vs. Newfoundland | 3:00 p.m. at Langley Events Centre
- Friday, July 1, 2022 vs. Scarborough | 7:30 p.m. at Langley Events Centre
- Sunday, July 3, 2022 vs. Niagara | 1:00 p.m. at Langley Events Centre
- Tuesday, July 5, 2022 at Newfoundland | 3 p.m. at The Works - Field House
- Friday, July 8, 2022 at Ottawa | 4:30 p.m. at TD Place
- Monday, July 11, 2022 at Montréal | 4:30 p.m. at Verdun Auditorium
- Friday, July 15, 2022 vs. Guelph | 7:00 p.m. at Langley Events Centre
- Sunday, July 17, 2022 vs. Ottawa | 1:00 p.m. at Langley Events Centre
- Monday, July 25, 2022 at Niagara | 4:00 p.m. at Meridian Centre
- Thursday, July 28, 2022 at Scarborough | 4:30 p.m. at Goldring Centre at University of Toronto
- Saturday, July 30, 2022 vs. Edmonton | 1:00 p.m. at Langley Events Centre
Head to
thebandits.ca for more information or follow us on
Instagram,
Twitter,
TikTok,
LinkedIn,
Facebook and
YouTube.
###
For Fraser Valley Bandits media inquiries, please contact:
Andrew Savory, Vice President, (604) 217-6213, asavory@thebandits.ca
About the Fraser Valley Bandits:
The Fraser Valley Bandits are British Columbia’s professional basketball team. As the westernmost club in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), the Bandits offer an entertainment experience that combines a fast-paced game day atmosphere with a presentation of some of Canada’s top professional athletes within a world-class venue at Langley Events Centre (LEC). A league created by Canadians for Canadians, the CEBL has the highest percentage of Canadian players of any professional league in the country, with 75 percent of its current rosters being Canadians. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. The only First Division Professional League Partner of Canada Basketball, the CEBL season runs from May through August.
LATEST NEWS
LATEST VIDEO
