Oklahoma City Barons: Happy Clear Day

March 7th was the set deadline by the AHL for each team to submit it's 22 man playoff roster. From the AHL:

"Only those players listed on a team’s Clear Day roster are eligible to compete in the remainder of the AHL regular season and in the 2011 Calder Cup Playoffs, unless emergency conditions arise as a result of recall, injury or suspension.

Teams may also add signed junior players or players on amateur tryout contracts after Clear Day, but only once their respective junior or college seasons are complete."

Ryan Aber of the Oklahoman reported earlier today that Alexandre Giroux, Linus Omark, and Alex Plante would be included on the Clear Day roster, with Phillipe Cornet, Matt Marquardt, and Anthony Aiello being left off.

The Barons forwards are Giroux, Brad Moran, Colin McDonald, Omark, Ryan O'Marra, Teemu Hartikainen, Andrew Lord, Zack Stortini, Milan Kytnar, Greg Stewart, Ben Ondrus, Chris VandeVelde and Mark Arcobello.

The defensemen are Plante, Richard Petiot, Jake Taylor, Colten Teubert, Kevin Montgomery, Bryan Helmer, and Jeff Petry.

And the goalies are Martin Gerber and Jeff Deslauriers.

As the Junior seasons roll on and come to an end, I'm sure we'll be seeing some of those prospects as the playoffs come closer. The Barons currently sit in a tie for 6th with San Antonio, 1 point out of the 5th place crossover spot. The Barons and Rampage both have played 62 games, and have games in hand to all the teams in front of them. The Barons take on the Manitoba Moose on Tuesday night.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

Oklahoma City Barons at the Trade Deadline

Two trades were made by the Oilers today. The first, an AHL only deal, sent defenseman Shawn Belle to the Lake Erie Monsters in exchange for defenseman Kevin Montgomery. Belle has been scratched since February 3rd, following Zack Stortini being sent down. Stortini put the Barons over the AHL vet limit, and Belle had been playing through an injury.

22 year old Kevin Montgomery comes to OKC in his 2nd full season from the Monsters. The 6-2, 188 lb. defenseman played last year in 65 games, where he was a -18 with 1 goal and 6 assists. This season has been much kinder with 2 goals, 17 assists, and a -2. He was drafted #110 overall in 2006 by the Colorado Avalanche. He played his junior seasons for the London Knights and was on the 2007-2008 U20 Junior Championship team for the United States.

The 2nd trade today involved the Barons getting a player, but he packaged from a deal that sent Dustin Penner to the Los Angeles Kings. Colten Teubert, drafted #13 overall in the 2008 draft, joins the Barons in his first full professional season. He played for the Regina Pats, which he captained in the 2009-2010 season. The 6-4, 195 lb. defenseman has 2 goals and 8 assists in 39 games with the Manchester Monarchs, skating with a +7. The 20 year old played for Team Canada in the 2008-09 and 2009-10 U20 Junior Championships, scoring 1 assist in 12 games between the 2 tournaments.

With 9 defensemen currently on the Barons roster, I'm sure there'll be some demotions to Stockton. Right now, I have Johan Motin and Alex Plante on the bottom of my depth chart. Anthony Aiello is under a Professional Try-Out, but he has played very well in his time here.

Clear Day has been set for Monday, March 7th at 3 PM Eastern. All 30 AHL teams must submit a 22 man roster, with those players being the only players eligible to play for the remainder of the season and playoffs. The only exception would be in the case of recall, injury, or suspension. Junior and college players may be signed to Amateur Try-Outs, but only after their respective club's season has ended. With the inclusion of Teubert and Montgomery, the Barons currently have 25 players on the roster.

This week will be very interesting to see if Edmonton sends any of the rookies down for Clear Day, and who gets left off the roster.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

Oklahoma, Where the Snow Comes Sweeping Down the Plains

When I last posted...
The Oklahoma City Barons had lost a shootout against Chicago after coming off a road trip where they had won 6 of 7 games, and they were sitting 4th in the division with only 2 points separating them from the division lead. 25 days and 8 games later, the Barons went 5-3-0-0 while the rest of the division has caught up in the Games Played column to help figure out just where the Barons stood.

So just what happened?
Two nights after the loss to Chicago, the Stars came into town. This was a crucial game as the Stars are one team I think it's going to come down to in the end as to who gets the 5th spot in the division and who misses out. After a scoreless 1st period, the Stars' Aaron Gagnon scored on the end of a Colin McDonald roughing penalty to put them up 1-0. Teemu Hartikainen answered 2 minutes later to tie the game off assists from Jake Taylor and Philippe Cornet. Unfortunately the tie would be shortlived as Colton Sceviour would put the Stars up 2-1, which would remain the final.

The next night, the Wolves would be back for another game, the third meeting between the two in a week. Riding an Alexandre Giroux hat trick and his two helpers on goals by Brad Moran and Colin McDonald, the Barons would finally get a home win and beat the Wolves 5-2.

Now the title of the post gets explained
Snow's a bit of a rarity in Oklahoma, even more so when it sticks around for more than a couple days. The week of a two game set against Peoria, one of what would be two snowstorms would hit the state. Luckily, the roads would be cleared enough for some people to make the Friday game. In what has been a custom between these two teams, the visiting Rivermen took that game, winning 4-1. Brad Moran would have the lone goal in that game.

The next night, the 2nd game of the set, the Barons would finally break the visiting team streak, and win in the shootout. Peoria's T.J. Hensick would score at the 8:41 mark of the 1st on a Jake Taylor elbowing penalty. The Barons would answer in the 2nd, off an Alexandre Giroux PP goal at the 2:21 mark with assists from Bryan Helmer and Brad Moran. It would stay that way for the remainder of regulation and overtime, and the teams would head to a marathon shootout. After 9 rounds of stops by both Martin Gerber and Jake Allen, Gerber would make one more stop on Mark Cundari. Chris VandeVelde would step on to the ice next and would get it past Allen to give the Barons the first home win of the series by either team. Zack Stortini would make his first Barons appearance this game.

The next night would take them to Austin, Texas to take on the Stars once again, where they would be shutout for the second time this season, losing 3-0 with Richard Bachman in net for the Stars.

More snow!?
To add to the Oklahoma snow woes, after a week of below freezing temps kept the snow from the last week on the ground, another snow system comes in the night before the scheduled Kid's Day game against San Antonio. 6-12" may not sound bad to those in Edmonton, but when Oklahoma City only has about 1 plow equipped vehicle for every 40+ square miles in the city, it's not great. Luckily, what fell was a bit lower than what was projected, but the schools in the city had already announced they were going to be closed, and the team had already announced they were going to play the game as planned. I luckily only had a bit of a problem getting through one area, but I was able to traverse the mostly snow covered roads and make it to the game. After a very informal team introduction, and a recording of the national anthem, the game was played in front of about 200 fans. The Barons played what was probably their best game against San Antonio this season. Alexandre Giroux opened up the scoring at 10:10 of the 1st with assists from Colin McDonald and relative newcomer Anthony Aiello. Chris VandeVelde would cap off the 2-0 win with a goal at 13:25 of the 2nd with assists from Greg Stewart and Zack Stortini. The Barons were then generous enough to let the crowd onto the ice with the team to take a photo.

Hockey withdrawal...
After the "Barons Blizzard" game, the team had a 9 day rest period before they headed to Canada to take on the Abbotsford Heat for a two game set. This was a bit of a nail-biting time, as the rest of the division got a chance to catch up in the GP column. Luckily, the North Division won when it needed to against the West Division foes, and the Barons ended up only being 1-2 points behind a playoff spot. As they headed to Calgary for game 1 as part of the Heritage Classic, the Barons were hoping to come out with at least 2 points. The Heat's goalie, Leland Irving, was coming off a 4 game win streak, which included two shutouts. Game 1 started out with both teams going back and forth until a giveaway in the defensive zone to Ryan Stone put the Barons down 1-0 after 20 minutes. At the 7:18 mark of the 2nd, Mark Arcobello would answer with his first career AHL goal with assists from Ryan O'Marra and Richard Petiot. It would stay tied at 1 until the 18:54 mark of the 3rd, when Alexandre Giroux would give the Barons the lead from assists by Brad Moran and Colin McDonald. Chris VandeVelde would put the game away with an empty netter 48 seconds later.

Game 2 would take the teams to Abbotsford, hometown of center Brad Moran. The Heat would take a quick 2-0 lead 12:49 into the 1st after goals by Greg Nemisz and Logan MacMillan. Brad Moran would cut into that lead 5:14 later from assists by Colin McDonald and the recently sent down Jeff Petry to send the teams to the locker rooms with the Heat leading 2-1 after 1. The 2nd period would go scoreless and Teemu Hartikainen came out swinging in the 3rd, tying up the game just 1:34 into the 3rd on a Power Play with assists from Alex Plante and Jeff Deslauriers. Tied at 2, the teams headed to OT, where Mark Arcobello scored his 2nd goal in as many games by backhand shoveling the puck past Leland Irving from a Hartikainen pass, giving the Barons 4 points on the weekend.

Next on the schedule...
The Barons are back home this week for 3 games of their 4 in 5. The Barons take on the division leading Admirals on Wednesday, the Rampage on Friday, the Aeros on Saturday, and then head to Austin for another matchup against the Stars. This will be a very crucial weekend for the team, as all 4 teams are ahead in standings by 1-4 points. 18 of the last 24 games for the Barons are against division teams.

Lost in standings watching...
Clear Day should be coming up in the next couple weeks. Last year's deadline for the rosters was March 10th, one month before the season ended on April 11th. This season will end on April 10th, so it would be my guess that it will be very near to the same date this year. For those who are unaware, Clear Day is the day all the teams have to submit a 22 man roster. Only those players listed on a team’s Clear Day roster are eligible to compete in the remainder of the AHL regular season and in the playoffs, unless something happens such as a recall, injury or suspension. Amateur players, such as junior players or college players, are eligible to sign tryout contracts within that time however, once their team's season is over.

Tough roads ahead for the Barons. The playoffs are really going to come down to the wire, and it won't get any easier with the majority of the remaining games against division teams. Stretch run, here we come.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

Sheldon Souray Clears Waivers... Again

Adding to the Oilers/Sheldon Souray debacle, the Oilers put Souray on re-entry waivers Friday in hopes that a team would pick up his contract at half price. Then comes Noon Monday(EST) and Souray gets passed on once again, the first time having been when he was originally loaned to the Hershey Bears. It seems like the scouting reports from the NY Rangers may have soured a few teams on him in my opinion. When you're reported as having trouble even keeping up in the AHL, I can't imagine anyone would pick want to pick you up at that kind of price tag. I just wonder if this will set up a buyout for next season, or if the Oilers will hang on to him for the last year of his contract to play in the AHL again.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

OKC Barons: Can We Switch To The Road Blues Please?

Last night, the Oklahoma City Barons suffered their fifth occurrence of letting the opposing team score to either tie or win the game in the last 2 minutes of the 3rd period. Last night's resulted in a shootout loss to the Chicago Wolves. With the top 7 teams in the Western Division all within 4 points of each other, every point is a premium right now, especially with the Barons being in the upper half of the division in games played. It's been awhile since I've posted so I'll just give a big update on all the big things that's happened lately.

No, seriously, can we play in the blue uniform?
In the AHL, the home teams regularly wear the white uniforms, while the road team will wear their colored uniforms. The Barons returned home from their 7 game road trip last night, losing to the Wolves in the shootout. This, after the team had gone 6-1-0-0 on the road trip. The Barons are 10-9-2-4 within the Cox Convention Center, whereas the team has gone 15-7-0-1 on the road this season. Within the division home records, that puts them 7th, ahead of only the Rockford IceHogs whose only impact on the playoffs this year is seeming to be who they're able to beat among the top 7. Head over to the road records, and the Barons are tied for 1st in the division with Peoria, who has the same exact road record. I don't know if Todd Nelson can pull any strings for this weekend, but it might be worth it to see how the team does in the road blues for the 2 games.

Can we finish a game please?
Like I mentioned earlier, last night was the 5th time that the Barons let the opposing team back in the game, or let them win the game, in the last 120 seconds of the 3rd period. The first instance came Oct 29th in Grand Rapids. Milan Kytnar had scored the leading goal at 4:03 in the 3rd, but the Barons let the Griffins tie it up at 18:53 on a goal by defenseman Brendan Smith. The Barons would later win the shootout.

The second, came against the Texas Stars on Dec 28th in OKC. The Barons had a 3-1 lead heading into the final period, but 1:49 in, Tomas Vincour would score to bring the Stars within 1, and Fabian Brunnstrom would tie the game at 19:11 to send the game into OT. This time the Barons weren't so lucky, losing in the shootout. The third time would come the very next night in San Antonio. Colin McDonald put a stop to the bleeding and tied the game at 3 after the Barons let the Rampage score 3 straight in the 2nd period. 18:09 in the 3rd, Matt Watkins would score to put the Rampage ahead, and he would score 80 seconds later into the empty net to seal the deal.

Fourth, was during the aforementioned road trip. The Barons headed into Milwaukee after just coming off a loss to Lake Erie. With the game tied at 1 heading into the 3rd period, the Admirals would score at 1:36, and Alexandre Giroux would answer at 3:24 on the PP. After 15 minutes of scoreless hockey, Milan Kytnar would put the Barons up at the 18:40 mark to almost put the Barons on the giving end of these situations. It unfortunately would not play out to be after an untimely tripping penalty by Greg Stewart and the Roman Josi of the Admirals would tie it 14 seconds later. The Barons would pull this one out in the shootout though, to salvage the win.

Last night's recap
The Wolves came into town to take on the Barons for the 2nd time of 3 meetings in a week. Successive penalties by Colin McDonald and Shawn Belle would give the Wolves a 5 on 3 just 6 minutes into the 1st. The Wolves would take advantage and score with 5 seconds remaining on McDonald's penalty, and with 1 second remaining on Belle's penalty. Teemu Hartikainen, who played like a beast all night, would get one back after Milan Kytnar broke up a set play by the Wolves and Harski picked up the deflected pass and put it past goalie Drew MacIntyre.

Rolling into the 2nd, the Barons put a complete 180 on the game. After the Wolves pretty well dominated the Barons in the 1st, the Barons took it to the Wolves in the 2nd. Greg Stewart would put in a point shot from Alex Plante at 3:28 and 28 seconds later Brad Moran would put in a goal to put the Barons up 3-2. It wouldn't be very long-lived though as Fredrik Pettersson would score at the 16:33 mark to tie the game back up.

The 3rd period would end up being pretty choppy. Neither team could really find a handle on the puck. 7:52 in though, Matt Marquardt would get a great pass from Andrew Lord and just blast it by MacIntyre to put the Barons up 4-3. I'd venture to say that was a good pay off for breaking two sticks in practice earlier that day and another during the game. The Barons would hold off the Wolves attacks for most of the rest of the period, but Ryan Garbutt was able to get one past Martin Gerber to tie the game up at 19:26 with the extra attacker. The OT period would go by with a few chances, but no goals. Finally in the shootout, Colin McDonald would even up the shootout score at 1 in the 4th round and six rounds later, the Wolves Pettersson would strike again to put it all on Ryan O'Marra who wasn't able to score.

So about the finishing...
The Barons aren't actually the worst club when it comes to that. The Lake Erie Monsters have had it happen to them 5 times as well, but they've lost every instance. 3 times, they've given up the GW goal in regulation, and lost 1 in OT and another in a shootout. But this isn't to say the Barons haven't been on the giving end of one either. Twice, the Barons came back.

First, was the Barons first franchise win. The Monsters were in OKC and leading 3-0 until Brad Moran scored at 11:25 of the 2nd to begin the works of his natural hat trick. Then finally, at 18:37 of the 3rd, Linus Omark would put the game away. The second time again involved Linus Omark. You might have heard about his 5 goal game against the Toronto Marlies. After single-handedly keeping the Barons in the game, he would score at 19:13 of the 3rd on the extra attacker Power Play to tie the game and send it into OT. Omark would score his 6th goal in the shootout and Milan Kytnar would score the winner to end the game.

And to add to the nail biting...
The top 7 teams in the Western Division are separated by only 4 points. I can't say that enough. The top 4 teams have more points than all but Hamilton in the Northern Division. The only thing that puts the Barons(4th, 57 points) on the bad end of this predicament is they've played 48 games while only Houston(3rd, 58 points) and Chicago(7th, 55 points) have played more at 50. San Antonio(2nd, 58 points) has played the same as the Barons with 48. Peoria(1st, 59 points) has played 46 while Milwaukee(5th, 56 points) and Texas(6th, 55 points) have only played 45 games. While the Rampage and Aeros are easy enough to catch, the Admirals and Stars are going to be hard to fend off. And to make it better, 10 out of the next 12 are against division rivals. It's definitely going to be a tough stretch.

Big Milestones attached to a new team
The Barons have had the good fortune of having two players on the team that have reached significant milestones. Alexandre Giroux scored his 600th point on December 18th in a SO loss to San Antonio. Bryan Helmer, who was signed after the Oilers called up both Jeff Petry and Taylor Chorney, broke the AHL record for most career points scored by a defenseman with his 520th point on January 13th in a 7-2 blowout of Peoria. The next milestone? Bryan Helmer is on pace to play in his 1000th game when the the Barons take on the Abbotsford Heat in the AHL Battle of Alberta in Calgary's Saddledome(which I really hope ends up on TV).

On Tap
As I mentioned, it's a tough stretch against division foes coming up. Tomorrow night, the Barons take on the Texas Stars who are on a 2 game win streak. Saturday night, the Barons take on the Chicago Wolves for the 3rd time this week. Next week, after the All Star break, is the matchup everybody's been waiting for. The Peoria Rivermen come into town for a two game set on Feb 3rd and 4th. The last time they were in town, they got two wins and left a bad taste in the mouths of Barons fans. Ryan Reaves pummeled on Jake Taylor on the ice and the referee nor any of the other Barons did anything to jump in. Reaves had a stay with the Blues, but is back in Peoria. Hopefully he's around next week when they come in.

And finally,
I want to apologize for the lack of posts. I started a new job that has broke my original schedule so I'm still adjusting to it. Something this long though has gotten me back into the swing. Hopefully I'm able to keep it up. I'm hoping for a good run to the playoffs and beyond, it's been a great season so far.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

Barons In Trouble Offensively; Oilers Call Up Top Point Scorers

Within the last few days, the Oilers have made a couple roster moves involving call ups and call downs. Ryan O'Marra and Shawn Belle were sent down on Sunday and Liam Reddox and Linus Omark were called up to replace them on the Oilers active roster. It's no big secret that Reddox and Omark are the big guns in the Barons offense, but just how much?

Reddox is going to be on his first stint with the Oilers this season. The Barons are 18-14-1-4 so far this season. When Omark was on the team from the start of the season and the two games this last weekend, the Barons are 15-9-1-3. In the 9 games while he was in Edmonton, the Barons were 3-5-0-1. Reddox registered 8 points(3G, 5A) in those games, but they only came in 4 of the games. With Reddox and Omark being the 2nd and 3rd Barons leading goal scorers respectively, their call up takes a huge chunk out of the Barons offense. The Barons have scored 120 goals this season, Omark and Reddox account for 32, or 26.2%, of them. And of the 313 points the Barons players have registered, Omark and Reddox account for 64, or 20.4%, of those. Then, the Barons Power Play, which has had it's struggles at certain times of the season but has come back recently. They're currently 11th in the league. Omark and Reddox have 7 of the 38 PP goals scored by the Barons, 18.4%.

It doesn't end there either. Jeff Petry was called up to the Oilers on Dec 27th. When you add Petry's stats to Reddox's and Omark's numbers, it becomes an even bigger blow to the Barons. Petry's 7 goals bring the percentage up to 32.5%, his 19 points bring that up to 27.1%, and his 2 PP goals take that up to 23.6%.

With the Oilers having a quarter of the Barons offensive production on their active roster right now, it'll be interesting to see how the lines will look and if there are any signings in the future of the Barons. The first line of Giroux-Moran-McDonald will really have to step up to cover any of the loss. Hartikainen is coming along nicely but he's had trouble scoring when Reddox and Omark aren't on the ice too. This weekend will be a huge test for them as they have 3 games in 3 nights. Peoria comes in on Friday and Saturday, and they take on Lake Erie on Sunday.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

Barons Game 31 Preview: Hopes for a Happy Holiday

Away: Texas Stars (17-11-3); Last game: 3-2 OT Loss vs. Hamilton
Home: Oklahoma City Barons (16-11-4); Last game: 4-2 Loss vs. San Antonio

The Barons and Stars play in the lone AHL game tonight. The Barons come into tonight facing their first real down swing of the season, losing their last three games in regulation. This last weekend gave them their first shutout in franchise history, losing 3-0 to Hamilton. The Barons have been outscored 9-3 during their streak, 2 of those coming on the Power Play Saturday night. Saturday showed a bunch of changes to the lineup after the shutout. Dave Bonk and Alex Plante were sat out to make a point to the players that Todd Nelson isn't afraid to sit anybody. On one of the few high points, Alexandre Giroux reached his 600th AHL point, assisting Colin McDonald's goal on Saturday. Jeff Petry was probably the best player on the whole team throughout the weekend. He made a few big plays on defense to prevent chances and had a scoring chance or two. Tonight will be a huge game for the Barons, looking to get back on the winning track before the Christmas break. It will be interesting to see if there are any more line changes to try and find a hot line after Omark and O'Marra's call up.

PP: OKC: 29 of 175 (16.6%) 19th in the league; TEX: 22 of 142 (15.5%) 24th in the league
PK: OKC: 140 of 159 (88.1%) 2nd in the league; TEX: 83 of 105 (79.0%) 26th in the league

OKC Last 10: 3-5-0-2
TEX Last 10: 4-3-2-1

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

Barons Week in Review

Last Tuesday, the Barons returned home to take on the Houston Aeros. After giving up a 3-1 lead, the Aeros were able to win in the shootout, stealing an important point from the Barons. Friday began the Barons 3-in-3 weekend. At home against the Manitoba Moose, the Barons were able to pull out a win, scoring 3 straight goals, Giroux's being 2 of them, to win 4-2. Saturday, the Barons headed to Chicago where they would be centralized for the rest of the weekend. Taking on Rockford on Saturday night, the Barons were able to hold off the IceHogs who scored 3 straight to take the game into overtime. Teemu Hartikainen got the game-winner 2 minutes in to walk out of Rockford with the 2 points. Sunday afternoon, the Barons headed north to Milwaukee to take on the Admirals, who were also on the end of a 3-in-3 of their own. After beating them twice before at home, the Barons couldn't get any momentum built after Liam Reddox's goal in the 1st and took the loss 2-1.

Winning 5 of a possible 8 points, the Barons find themselves in 3rd place in the division, tied with Milwaukee. They trail San Antonio by 5 points, the Rampage have 1 game in hand, and Peoria by 1 point, with the Rivermen having 2 games in hand. Liam Reddox had his 6th first goal of a game. The Barons are 3-2-0-1 when Reddox scores first. Here's the stats from the 4 games.

O'Marra and Omark were called up to the Oilers after the game in Houston. Dave Bonk was signed to a PTO from Allen of the CHL, and Jesse Gimblett was called up from Stockton. Jeff Petry had a 3 game goal streak that ended after Sunday night. Hartikainen got his first 2-goal game of the season against Rockford.

JDD was in net for both games that the opposing team made a late comeback. The Barons were able to sneak out of Rockford with a win. Gerber continues to perform well for the Barons. The difference in the shot count between the two goalies just shows how much different the defense plays in front of them.

The Barons were 2/18(11.1%) on the PP during the 4 games. The PK continued to excel, going 19/21(90.4%).

The Barons have only 2 games this week, both at home. They take on Hamilton on Friday at 6:05 CST. The Barons will be giving away Snuggie-style blankets to the first 2000 through the door. Some players will also be made available for autographs after the game. The NBA Thunder will be playing next door, so it will be interesting to see the attendance. Saturday, the Barons take on San Antonio at 7:05 CST. A very important game as far as the standings go. Saturday will be the Teddy Bear Toss. Fans will also get a chance to shoot for a Christmas ham following the game.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

*THIS* Is Why We're Here - A Guest Post

I'm sure everyone has seen Linus Omark's shootout goal from last night (If you haven't, you can leave your Oilers card at the door). Having gotten to see him play live those 16 times, it felt pretty cool to see someone go and have success at the NHL level. Late last night, another OKC blogger, and someone who's gotten to be a pretty friend that just happened to have season tickets two rows behind mine, put up a pretty awesome post that pretty much sums up my feelings. She also reminded me of why I stick mostly with stats because of how my writing ability still lacks pretty bad. Candace Riley writes A New Ice Age. If you haven't seen it yet, she gives a pretty great recap and adds in pictures that she takes throughout the game. Go and check it out. So without further adieu, here's Candace's post.

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Not long after Tuesday night's game against Houston, the rumours started running hard and fast about the Oilers calling up a couple Barons players. The likely duo was named as Ryan O'Marra and Linus Omark. The rumour became truth early Wednesday afternoon. They were pulled off the ice during the Barons' outdoor practice and shuttled to Edmonton that afternoon/evening.

They both played in their first game of the season with the Oilers Friday night. Ryan had seen time with the club last season, but this was Linus' first taste of the regular season big show. As it would turn out, one taste wasn't enough, apparently.

Each one registered an assist during the 2nd period of a close game against Tampa Bay. Tampa led on a couple of occasions, but Edmonton fought back to take a 3-2 lead to the 3rd. Steven Stamkos would tie the game for the Lightning early in the 3rd. We arrived home from the Barons win over Manitoba, and we'd see it go to overtime, then finally a shootout.

The Edmonton announcers on Rogers Sportsnet were pretty excited with speculation as to whether or not Oilers coach Tom Renney would put Linus in the shootout. I almost couldn't believe it when they said that, yes, he had made the list of 3. He would shoot third, behind Jordan Eberle and Taylor Hall.

Eberle scored on his attempt, and Oilers goalie Nikolai Khabibulin stopped Marc Pouliot on his. Taylor Hall would be stopped by Dan Ellis, and the same for Steven Stamkos.

Then, it was Linus' turn. He took a very quick run to the puck, but was stopped by the referee at center ice. Apparently in his excitement, or that of the entire crowd at Rexall Place, he hadn't waited for the whistle to go. On his second go.................................magic.

Already hoarse from the Barons game, Aaron & I both screamed loud enough to doom what was left of our voices, pretty much. JF Jacques was the first player off the bench to grab Linus, and the entire building was so loud I think it was shaking. I know *I* was.......

It finally hit me a little while later................*THIS* is why we're here. The Barons. The fans. To support these guys on whatever journey their career might take them. Sure, I knew it and understood it before. But to be caught in that actual *moment* that takes your breath away.............seeing a guy's dream come true, is just almost too much joy for a heart to bear.

I know Linus didn't want to be here. I know some things were said in interviews early on that may have been.....questionable. Some so-called fans tried to turn it against him.

I. Don't. Care. I understood WHY. And now, tonight, we as fans were able to understand it and live it with him.

Whether they play one game here, or an entire season, they'll always be "ours"....if only for fleeting moments. From then on, all joy and heartbreak will be shared by us all. It's positively heartwrenching to see them go, yet that's all you want for them....is to have their dreams come true.

They may play one game up there, or we may never see them down here again.........NHL superstars and fixtures from then on. Linus may never do another thing in the NHL ever again, and it wouldn't matter. He still can say that he *owned* the night of December 10, 2010.....when he set all hockey related electronic media on fire and kicked it off stage. TOP THAT, he seemed to say.

I watched a player named Rene Corbet score 2 goals in a Stanley Cup final game in early June, 1996 for the Colorado Avalanche. Who, you might ask? It doesn't matter......he was my favorite player, it happened, and I remember it.. And just like tonight..................it was magic.

Linus, should lightning strike and you ever read this......I understand why you didn't want to be here. I accept that with all my heart. And after tonight, I hope I never see you back again. The hockey world belongs to you tonight, if only for this short, fleeting moment. I can only hope you grab it, hold on, and DON'T LET IT GO.

Gratis, Linus...one more time.

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Be sure to check out Candace's Twitter, @SoonerPenguin. She's a Pens fan, but don't hold it against her. Thanks to Candace for letting me repost this.

Be sure to check out the Barons game starting in about an hour. You can listen on 1000 KTOK or follow along on Twitter, @AHLBarons. Barons will play again tomorrow in Milwaukee at 7 CST/ 6 MST.

Linus Omark Interview, Cleaner Translation

Many thanks to Martin Lundén (@dohfOs) for the translation.

Edmonton Oilers prospect Linus Omark recently had a chat with Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet to talk about his time in Oklahoma City Barons and what the future might hold for him.

Something that needs to be taken into account when reading this is that Aftonbladet is the largest tabloid in Sweden. It also writes by far the most crap and I doubt there is any paper that’s taken the expression “there’s no news like bad news” in as much as they have. They are rather known for their focus on the bad parts and trying to make something out of nothing. An example would be one of their latest articles, stating Calgary Flames GM Darryl Sutter had enough of his own alcoholic son, Brett Sutter, and got rid of him in a trade with Carolina Hurricanes. Well, that’s not exactly what happened now was it?

Article with Linus Omark below, read between the lines and you’ll soon figure out Omark is actually quite positive about his future, not being full of himself. He’s not at all sour – that’s just papers talking for him (and him not being able to express himself good enough when speaking English during interviews).

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“We would get beaten by some Swedish teams”
Omark on the boring life in the AHL: “Obviously it’s not here you want to be”.
The dream was to play vs. NHL-stars such as Alexander Ovechkin and get to play in Edmonton.
Instead Linus Omark ended up in Oklahoma City Barons where the audience are lured coming using free turkey, fights but not to watch nice plays.
Welcome to the AHL – the league noone wants to play in, that goes for Omark as well.
Ticket sales have been so and so. Even though it’s newly renovated barely 3000 made it to the arena that houses 14000 and something had to be done. For the next game Oklahoma made up their mind: 1 dollar a beer.
Adding to that, all supporters were given a shot to win a 8.8 lbs turkey. All they had to do was to score on an empty net.
- Well yes, people tend to like beer around here, Omark smiles.
How the people feel about turkey remains unsaid but it’s clear the difference between the NHL and the AHL is more then just a letter.
He wanted to play in the NHL and he hoped to be playing for Edmonton.
He ended up playing in the AHL and for Oklahoma. Instead of battling it out with Toronto and Montreal he’s playing the San Antonio Rampage and Rockford Ice Hogs.

Didn’t know anything
- I hardly knew anything about Oklahoma except that it was the location of the Edmonton AHL affiliate. I googled some information before I left.
A couple of weeks later he knows this:
The hockey as easy as possible:
- The game (over here) is a lot stricter then at home or in Russia. They want you to dump the puck into the zone at all times. Here you can play a really simple game and be successful just doing that. I guess you could say we would get beaten by a Swedish team on a big rink.

The game schedule can sometimes be a nightmare:
- We’ve played ten games in fifteen days, once we played three different games in the same amount of days and there are is lot of travelling.
Everyone has the same target: leaving the AHL as quickly as possible.
- Obviously, this is not where I wanted to be. I’m not satisfied being here but you have to accept it and not be depressed about it.
While waiting on the call from Edmonton the only thing he can do is doing his best. So far with great success, recently with five goals in a game and a AHL player of the week award.

Well defined roles
I just continue playing the way I do. Obviously I want to play in the NHL and the positive is that I’m getting used to how things work by playing down here. There are very clear, well defined roles in who’s doing what around here (referring to how it’s different from Sweden and the KHL), some are supposed to fight and others play box play. Mine is to score points.

You’re seen as the player who makes nice plays. How often do you get challenged to fight during games?
- Well, it happens. But I’m not a fighter and I don’t fight. But sometimes there can be up to five fights a game.
How much do you follow Edmonton playing?
- Sure I check if they’ve won and if they would call I’d be really, really happy. But my focus for now has to remain here (and on Oklahoma). What I’m missing the most right now is interest in the team and playing in front of a big crowd.
Have you set yourself a deadline?
- I can see myself staying here for a whole season. I got no plans going home, I want to give this an honest shot.

Next week he’s playing two games on the road on the same amount of days vs. Lake Erie Monsters, 1700 kilometres (1 056.33103 miles) away from Oklahoma.
And yes, hoe about the ticket sales and the turkeys?
Well, there where just 3600 people there, but at least they got to see a Oklahoma win vs. Chicago.

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Pretty amazing how some things get lost in translation. Thanks again to Martin Lundén. One thing is true though, it's bad that the majority of OKC fans don't come for the hockey. We've got some great players out there that have more than just fighting and skating skills. I was wondering just the other day, of the opening day crowd of 9000, how many people really knew who Linus Omark was? Hopefully we can get some people to convert one of these days.

-Written by -Eric Rodgers-

JF Jacques Headed Back to Edmonton; Any Barons?

Jason Gregor today, posted on Twitter that JFJ would be recalled to Edmonton on Tuesday. With the reports today that Smid is out with a concussion and that Peckham has a wrist injury from last night's game, it'll be interesting to see if any of the Barons D-men are on the flight with him. Richard Petiot is out right now with a lower body injury. He returned to practice today, but didn't take part in any drills, he just skated around. So that leaves the three big choices right now as Shawn Belle, Jeff Petry, and Alex Plante.

The number one choice is Belle. He'll be the first D-man called up hands down. His 15 points and his physical presence have been huge so far for the Barons. Petry has been alright, but he's been making quite a few little mistakes that have led to scoring chances, hence his -11 rating. He's also not a "physical force" weighing in at 200 lbs. compared to Belle's 232 and Plante's 225. Petry and Belle have been playing as the 1st D-pair as well, for anyone that didn't know. Plante has been really stepping it up lately. In Friday's game against Chicago, he had one big play where he guarded the right post for Gerber. He withstood a couple of Chicago forwards by blocking shots and hitting sticks to allow Gerber to get his glove on the puck.

In my eyes, Petry and Belle are somewhat along the same lines of defensemen. They both can defend well, but they like to cheat up more on the offense; Petry more than Belle. Plante is just a defenseman, and a good one at that. If the Oilers make any calls tonight, I'd say that Belle goes up, and if the Oilers want a second D-man, Plante gets the call. If the Oilers to call up Belle and Plante to fly up with JFJ, it'll definitely give the Oilers the physical players they need.

So that brings up the question of who the Barons will bring in to fill those spots. With Petiot injured, they're playing with 6 d-men right now. Bendfeld is probably the obvious choice, having been with the team on two occasions but not playing in a game with the Barons this season. In 5 games with the Thunder, he has no points, but has a +4 rating. He served a 2 game suspension earlier this month for an illegal hit to the head during their Nov 7th game. For the other defender, they have a couple options. Justin DaCosta, who was in training camp with the Barons, has been doing well with the Allen Americans this season. He's scored 3 goals and has 8 assists so far with a +3, putting him tied for 4th in the Central Hockey League in points among defensemen. Another choice is Anthony Aiello, who was also with the team in training camp. He was sent down to the Stockton Thunder at the beginning of the season where he has 1 goal and 7 assists so far this season with a +5 rating. (You can read Scott's article on this here)

We'll have to see how it all shakes out. The Oilers play Wednesday night against the Blackhawks, and the Barons next game is Friday against the Texas Stars.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

Excuse Me, Oilers? The Barons Are Calling

Painfully evident, is the Oilers losing streak. One has to wonder why the team hasn't raided the Barons yet, considering the success that they have had so far this season. In a radio interview, Kevin Lowe mentioned that they're pleased with the Barons success and would like to let it continue by letting the guys play together and gel. While I'm very happy with that, I don't quite understand. The Oilers are 14 games into their season with a 4-8-2 record. One thing that has been brought up is that the Oilers are "tanking" this season to better their odds at the number one pick for the 2011 draft. While it is a viable opinion, you have to wonder if they should be subjecting players like Eberle and Paajarvi to that. I agree that they need to learn to play in the NHL, but do you want them to suffer through that?

Edmonton fans have been calling for some call-ups, but who do you send down? Paajarvi and Hall are struggling to begin the season with 6 points in their 14 games. Hall, they're unable to send down due to the CHL/NHL agreement, but it may be a good thing to send Paajarvi down to gain some confidence. With the Barons winning as they are, it would be very easy for that to happen. Eberle has been doing quite well for himself with 9 points in his 14 games. I'd say Paajarvi is the one that gets sent down out of everybody.

Now, who do you call up? The Barons are 9-6-1, with the AHL's 2nd-best PK. The Oilers are dead last in the NHL on the PK. Someone like Belle would be good to help bolster the PK crew and would also help the NHL's worst defense that is giving up 3.7 goal per game. Maybe the Oilers want some scoring? The battle there is between Reddox and Omark. In my eyes, Reddox has the slight edge. While Omark is winning in the points battle, Reddox has been more consistent. And when you bring up that the Oilers have the worst defense, Reddox is one that can help out on that. Omark is very weak in the defensive side of the game and wouldn't be filling too much of a role that the Oilers need right now.

While I'm glad to have had the Barons team together for so long, I know it's not going to last. I just hope that when the Oilers decide to make some changes, I don't look at the transaction wire and see Edmonton and Oklahoma City listed every 3 entries. If they want to keep the Barons right while helping out the big club, they need to be smart about their decision and not call up someone every other day to try and see if they work. That can lead to way too much uncertainty and lose valuable playing time that the players could have had with either team.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

Barons Game 17 Preview; Wolves III

Away: Chicago Wolves (6-7-1); Last game: 3-2 Loss vs. Texas
Home: Oklahoma City Barons (9-6-1); Last game: 6-3 Loss vs. San Antonio

Quick News and Notes
-This is the third of 8 meetings between the two teams.
-The series is tied at 1-1-0 for both teams.
-The Barons won the last game 4-1 in Chicago.
-Giroux has 2 goals and 1 assist against Chicago this season.
-Gerber has a 1.51 GAA and a .954 Save % against Chicago this season.
-Omark is tied for 4th in the league in points with 18. Michal Repik of Rochester leads the league with 21.
-Belle leads all defensemen in the league with 14 points.
-Darren Haydar(20) leads the Wolves with 14 points. Jason Krog(10) is next with 12.
-Barons PP: 18th in the league - 16/97 (16.5%); Barons PK: 2nd in the league - 76/84 (90.5%)
-Wolves PP: 4th in the league - 14/60 (23.3%); Wolves PK: 28th in the league - 41/69 (73.9%)

After Tuesday's horribly refereed game, the Barons look to rebound and get back on the winning track. After giving up 6 goals in each of the last two games, the goalies and the defense are really going to need to step it up and prevent that from happening again. Omark should be receiving his AHL/Reebok Player of the Week award tonight. The team has a whole week off after tonight, going into it with a win would be a great way to start it off. The puck drop is at 6:05 CDT/5:05 MDT. The game will be broadcast on 96.1 KXY. As always, you can follow myself(@AHLBarons) and Scott(@OilFieldHockey) as we tweet from the game.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

Barons Game 16 Preview; Take The Bull by The Horns

Away: San Antonio Rampage (8-4-1); Last game: 4-1 Loss vs. Abbotsford
Home: Oklahoma City Barons (9-5-1); Last game: 7-6 SO Win vs. Toronto

Quick News and Notes

-This is the Barons fourth game in 5 nights.

-This is the second of 10 meetings between the two teams.

-San Antonio won the last meeting 4-1.

-Liam Reddox was the lone Barons goal scorer in that game.

-I'm sure everyone is aware of this now; Linus Omark leads the team with 17 points. Giroux is second with 15. Moran, Reddox, and Belle are next with 13 apiece.

-Omark is tied for 5th in the league in points. Michal Repik of Rochester leads with 19.

-Belle continues to lead the team in assists with 12.

-The Barons are 7-3-0 in their last 10 games. The Rampage are 7-2-1.

-Barons PP: 20th in the league - 15/93 (16.1%); Rampage PP: 7th in the league - 13/62 (21.0%)

-Barons PK: 1st in the league - 70/76 (92.1%); Rampage PK: 25th in the league - 46/59 (78.0%)

Players to watch

OKC: Omark-O'Marra-Reddox. Need I say more?

SA: Tim Stapleton(23) scored twice in their last game against the Barons. Mathieu Beaudoin(26) leads the Rampage with 14 points.

The Barons game on Sunday against the Marlies just about gave me a heart attack. That will be one of the best hockey moments I remember seeing in my lifetime. It's awesome that I was able to be there in person. We'll see if Omark is able to continue his scoring ways tonight. I'm not expecting another 5 goal game at all, but I definitely would not complain one bit if he decided to have another one. Hopefully the other lines decide to start scoring tonight too. JF Jacques will be playing tonight. No word on who will be in net tonight. The puck drop is at 7:05 CDT/6:05 MDT. The game will be broadcast on 96.1 KXY. As always, you can follow myself(@AHLBarons) and Scott(@OilFieldHockey) as we tweet from the game.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

Barons Game 15 Preview; Marlies Series Finale

Away: Toronto Marlies (4-6-1(SO)); Last game: 3-0 Win vs. Texas
Home: Oklahoma City Barons (8-5-1); Last game: 4-2 Loss vs. Houston

Quick News and Notes
-This is the second and final meeting between the teams this season.
-The Marlies won the last game 5-2.
-The Barons loss last night ended their 5 game win streak.
-This is the Marlies third game of a 10-game road trip.
-Bryan Pitton was in goal for the Barons in the last game between the two; James Reimer for the Marlies.
-Reddox and Omark are the two Barons players that scored in the last game between the two.
-Giroux is leading the team with 14 points. Moran, Omark, and Belle are all next with 12.
-The Barons are 4-2-0 when scoring first.
-The Barons are 2-3-1 when outshooting their opponent, and 6-1-0 when being outshot.
-Barons PP: T-18th in the league - 13/86 (15.1%); Marlies PP: 27th in the league - 5/51 (9.8%)
-Barons PK: 1st in the league - 64/69 (92.8%); Marlies PK: 8th in the league - 40/46 (87.0%)

Players to watch
OKC: I'd expect Gerber to be in net tonight, but they want to get JDD playing, so it could very well be him. Jacques will be back in the lineup tonight.
TOR: Nazem Kadri(13) leads the Marlies with 9 points, 4 of which were in the game against the Barons. Four players behind him are tied at 6 points apiece.

After a pretty disappointing loss last night, the team will be looking to rebound. There's not a whole lot you can fault JDD for last night, the defense didn't show up like they should have. The Barons had no real forecheck whereas the Aeros were forechecking the whole night. Hopefully the Barons make the right adjustments and are able to leave tonight's game with an even season series against the Marlies. The puck drop is at 5:05 CDT/4:05 MDT. The game will be broadcast on 96.1 KXY. As always, you can follow myself(@AHLBarons) and Scott(@OilFieldHockey) as we tweet from the game.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

Barons Game 14 Preview; Houston Who?

Away: Houston Aeros (5-5-1); Last game: 3-2 SO Win vs. Toronto
Home: Oklahoma City Barons (8-4-1); Last game: 6-1 Win vs. Texas

Quick news and notes
-This is the fourth of 10 meetings between the teams.
-The Aeros lead the series 2-1-0 while the Barons are 1-1-1.
-In the last game between the teams, the Barons won 8-2.
-The Aeros are on a 3 game win streak. The Barons are on a 5 game win streak.
-Now that the opening weekend games are out of the range, the Barons are 8-2-0 in their last 10.
-The Aeros are 4-5-1 in their last 10.
-The Barons are 3rd in the league in Goals For with 42.
-Jacques probably will not be playing tonight as he works his way back in. After last night's game though, I think that it'll be a tough decision not to play him.
-VandeVelde had two goals last night(almost three), Omark, Motin, McDonald, and Moran all added one.
-Deslauriers will be getting the start tonight in goal.
-Omark is on a 4 game point streak, scoring 2 goals and adding 3 assists in that time.
-Giroux continues to lead the team in points with 13. Omark and Belle are next with 12, and Moran behind them with 11.
-Reddox and Omark both lead the team with 5 even strength goals apiece.
-Barons PP: 17th in the league - 13/81 (16%); Aeros PP: 30th in the league - 4/57 (7%)
-Barons PK: 1st in the league - 59/63 (93.7%); Aeros PK: 6th in the league - 55/62 (88.7%)

Players to watch
OKC: JDD starting in net tonight. This will be his first game this season. We'll have to see if JFJ gets a start tonight or not after how much of a presence he had last night.
HOU: LW Robbie Earl(17) and D Marco Scandella(6) lead the team with 6 points apiece. After getting completely lit up in the last game against the Barons, it'll be interesting to see if Hackett gets the start again.

In front of a crowd of 5490 last night, the Barons put on an awesome show, destroying the Stars 6-1. Omark was Omark and had an awesome goal where he faked out a defender and the goalie. The team has already established a rivalry with the Aeros, so it should be a physical game. This is also the first time they have seen each other after Omark went and skated by the Aeros bench smiling after scoring in the last game. With JDD getting his first start this season, the defense will really have to step up to help JDD get back into the swing of things. The puck drop is at 7:05 CDT/6:05 MDT. The game will be broadcast on 96.1 KXY. As always, you can follow myself(@AHLBarons) and Scott(@OilFieldHockey) as we tweet from the game.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

Barons Game 13 Preview; When I Look At The Stars

Away: Texas Stars (6-4-0); Last game: 4-2 Loss vs. Houston
Home: Oklahoma City Barons (7-4-1); Last game: 3-1 Win vs. Peoria

Quick News and Notes
-This is the first of 10 meetings between the two teams.
-This is the first game back at home for the Barons after their 5 game road trip.
-This is the first of an 8-game homestand.
-The Barons went 4-1 on that road trip and are riding a 4 game win streak.
-Jean-Francois Jacques will be making his debut. He is on a conditioning loan from the Oilers.
-Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers will be suiting up for the first time with the Barons. Unknown whether he'll get the start in net tonight or not.
-Jacques' number will be 27, while Deslauriers' will be 38.
-Marquardt got his first pro goal, Omark got his 4th goal of the season, and Moran his 5th in the Barons game against the Rivermen.
-Giroux continues to lead the team in points, with 12. Omark is next with 11, and Moran and Belle have 10.
-Barons PP: 16th in the league - 12 for 76 (15.8%); Stars PP: 23rd in the league - 6 for 47 (12.8%)
-Barons PK: T-2nd(with Syracuse) in the league - 52 for 56 (92.9%); Stars PK: 20th in the league - 30 for 37 (81.1%)

Players to watch
OKC: JFJ making his debut tonight. He's a 6-4, 217 pound Left Winger. He'll be playing on the 3rd line with Kytnar and Hartikainen. We'll have to see how things go if JDD gets the start in net tonight. Since yesterday was his first day to practice though, I imagine they'll wait a game or two.
TEX: C Travis Morin(23) leads the team in scoring with 8 points in 10 games. Behind him are LW Scott McColluch(12), with 5 points in 4 games, and C Mathieu Tousignant(40), with 5 points in 10 games.

Coming back home, hopefully the Barons are able to keep up the momentum from the road trip winning streak. First game against the Stars, and the Red River Rivalry, AHL style. The Stars play in Cedar Park, which is a suburb of Austin. The Barons won their preseason game against the Stars, but neither of the teams resemble much of what they were then. Tonight should be a good game. If you want to watch any of the videos that I took at practice yesterday, head here. The puck drop is at 7:05 CDT/6:05 MDT. The game will be broadcast on 96.1 KXY. As always, you can follow myself(@AHLBarons) and Scott(@OilFieldHockey) as we tweet during the game. TEXAS SUCKS!

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

Jeff Deslauriers Put On Waivers

The Edmonton Oilers have put Jeff Deslauriers on waivers today. Should he clear waivers by not being claimed by 11AM CDT tomorrow, he will be assigned to the Barons. If/When that happens, Brian Pitton will most likely be sent down to the Stockton Thunder(I say "most likely" only because I'm not in the know. You can pretty much expect it). Before this season, Deslauriers signed a 1 year contract worth 1.05 million, which is what he will continue to be paid in the AHL.

Deslauriers hasn't played any games for the Oilers this season. Last season, he played 48 games for the Oilers turning in a record of 16-28-7(3 SO losses) with a .901 Save % and a 3.26 GAA, and played 5 games for the Springfield Falcons turning in a 1-4-0 record with a .910 Save % and 2.73 GAA. In his 137 game AHL career, he has a 59-59-10 record and 4 shutouts(all in the 2006-07 season), and 2.84 GAA. He also played 10 games for the Oilers in the 2008-09 season with a 4-3-0 record, .901 Save % and 3.33 GAA.

This answers the question of the Oilers' backup goalie situation. It was debated whether Deslauriers or Devan Dubnyk would get the job, and Dubnyk has obviously won that. This brings up two new questions however. Colorado Avalanche goalie Craig Anderson on IR, and they could possibly put in a claim for Deslauriers. And if Deslauriers does clear waivers, who will be in net this Friday for the Barons? Interesting times lay ahead.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

Barons Game 12 Preview; Rolling Down the River

Away: Oklahoma City Barons (6-4-1); Last game: 5-4 SO Win vs. Grand Rapids
Home: Peoria Rivermen (7-3-0); Last game: 3-0 Loss vs. Texas

Quick News and Notes
-This is the first of eight meetings between the two teams this season.
-This is the final game of the Barons 5-game road trip. The Barons are 3-1 on the road trip.
-Moran, Reddox, Hartikainen, and Kytnar had the goals in yesterday's game.
-Yesterday's goal was Kytnar's first professional goal.
-Belle and Petry were both a -3 yesterday.
-Reddox has joined Moran on the positive side of +/-, Reddox with a +1 and Moran with a +3. Petry and Vande Velde both dropped to a -9.
-Giroux continues to lead the team in points with 12. Belle continues to be tied at 1st in point among defensemen with 10.
-The Barons are 12 for 71 on the PP(16.9%), and 49 for 52 on the PK(94.2%).
-The Rivermen are 9 for 41 on the PP(20.5%), and 50 for 59 on the PK(84.7%)

Players to watch
OKC: Reddox and Omark continue their scoring ways. If Coach Nelson puts Hartikainen back on the line, it's worth it to pay attention.
PEO: Graham Mink(21) leads the Rivermen in scoring with 12(4G,8A). Mink is who beat out Moran for AHL Player of the Week in the week that Moran scored the come from behind hat trick. Nicholas Drazenovic(10) and T.J. Hensick(4) are next with 9 points a piece.

The Rivermen are in a bit of a slide. after winning 7 straight, they've dropped their last two. The Rivermen haven't played since Tuesday, while the Barons played twice in that span, so they're going to have the fresher legs. Hopefully with Kytnar scoring last night, it will help open up the scoring among the bottom 6 forwards. The puck drop is at 7:05 CDT/6:05 MDT. The game will be broadcast on 96.1 KXY. As always, you can follow myself(@AHLBarons) and Scott(@OilFieldHockey) as we tweet during the game.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

Barons Game 11 Preview; Winging It

Away: Oklahoma City Barons (5-4-1); Last game: 4-1 Win vs. Chicago
Home: Grand Rapids Griffins (4-2-1); Last game: 6-3 Win vs. Toronto

Quick News and Notes
(Real quick, I mentioned on my Twitter after the last game that I thought Giroux had 14 points and led the league. I didn't realize that the AHL site updated points stats live, so I apologize for that)
-This is the first of four meetings between the two teams.
-This is the fourth game of a five game road trip for the Barons.-The Barons are 2-1 on the road trip so far.-Giroux had two goals last game, McDonald had a goal off of a rebound from an Omark shot, and Reddox had an empty netter at the end of the game.
-Moran continues to be the only player on the positive side of +/- with a +3. Vande Velde has team low of -8.
-Reddox is 1st in the league in shots with 51. Giroux is 5th with 40.
-The Barons are 10 for 63 on the PP(15.9%), and lead the league on the PK with 47 for 50(94.0%)
-The Griffins are tied for 1st in the league on the PP with 9 for 31(29.0%), and are 38 for 41 on the PK(92.7%).

Players to watch
OKC: Giroux is starting to get into his scoring stride. He pulled out some great moves in the last game. Omark and Reddox are always a pair to watch.
GRG: Jan Mursak(13) and Ilari Flippula(15) each lead the team with 7 points.

After what was probably the Barons best game so far this season on Wednesday, they look to continue that against the Griffins tonight. The league's best PP vs. the league's best PK. Should be a good game if the Barons decide to play like they did on Wednesday again. There never was any word on Petiot's condition after he left the ice during Wednesday's game. Hopefully we can find out something about that today. The puck drop is at 6 CDT/5 MDT. The game will be broadcast on 96.1 KXY. As always, you can follow myself(@AHLBarons) and Scott(@OilFieldHockey) as we tweet during the game.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-