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AHL Releases Schedule; Barons Begin Season Oct 9

By Eric Rodgers
Photo By: <a href="http://okcbaronshockeyblog.blogspot.com/" target="new">Candace Riley</a> © All rights reserved.
Photo By: Candace Riley © All rights reserved.

After months of anxious waiting, the American Hockey League released their schedule for the 2011-2012 season today. The league begins it's season on October 7th, with a five game slate including the debut of the St. John's IceCaps. The All-Star Classic was announced for the weekend of January 29-30, with no location announced as of yet.

The Barons will begin their season on the road October 9th, playing in Austin, TX against the Texas Stars. They begin their home schedule on October 15th, again playing the Texas Stars. The Barons welcome the Charlotte Checkers, who moved to the Western Conference to make room for St. John's, on November 11th and 12th for a two-game series. The Rochester Americans will also visit OKC for the first time on December 27th and 28th.

More info on the Barons' return to Calgary, Craig MacTavish's Wolves, and the hopes of a snow-free Kid's Day game after the jump.

For the second consecutive year, the Barons will travel to Calgary to face the Abbotsford Heat in the Saddledome on February 9th. Both the Oilers and Flames will be in the middle of road trips at that time. The Barons went 3-1 against the Heat in their series last season. The Heat and Barons will meet three times in Abbotsford, November 3rd and 5th, and again February 11th. The only other trip north of the border for the Barons will be when they play in Toronto on January 6th, and in Hamilton on January 8th.

Presumably in an attempt to avoid a repeat of the Barons Blizzard game last season, the Barons will play their Kid's Day game on November 8th against the Toronto Marlies. The hard cold snap in OKC doesn't usually happen until early to mid-December. Last season's game was on February 9th, and ended up being the day after a snowstorm ended up forcing schools to cancel for the day.

Taking the reins of the Chicago Wolves, former Oilers coach Craig MacTavish will only see the Barons twice this season. The first game will be March 4th in Chicago, and the Wolves travel to OKC on April 7th during the final homestand of the season.

You can check out the rest of the Barons', and the AHL's, schedule here.