Springfield, MA (Best E Casino) - The American Hockey League began its 73rd season on Wednesday as the Providence Bruins earned a 4-3 shootout win over the visiting Lowell Devils and the defending Eastern Conference champion Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins fell to the Hershey Bears, 8-4, at home.

There will be 26 more games through the weekend as the league's 29 teams start down the road to the 2009 Calder Cup championship. The 2008 Calder Cup champion Chicago Wolves kick off their title defense on Saturday when they visit the Houston Aeros while the Iowa Chops make their AHL debut as the top affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks when Peoria visits the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines on Friday.

The regular season features a total of 1,160 games leading up to the start of the 2009 Calder Cup Playoffs in April. In January the 2009 AHL All-Star Classic will be held at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass.

There will be a number of rule changes for the 2008-09 season, with the most notable being one-minutes penalties in overtime. That change was made at the request of National Hockey League general managers as a test for North America's top-flight ice hockey league. Carry-over time on minor penalties from the third period will be halved.

Other new rules include a roster increase to a maximum of 18 skaters and two goaltenders; calls for a double-minor penalty - rather than a major - in the event of a high-sticking infraction that causes injury; and an automatic minor penalty when any player or goalkeeper, while in his defending zone, shoots the puck directly out of the playing surface, except where there is no glass, among others.