Barons to compete in re-aligned North Division
June 28, 2005 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Cleveland Barons News Release
CLEVELAND, OH - The Cleveland Barons, in conjunction with the American Hockey League, announced the schedule format for the 2005-06 regular season and the 2006 Calder Cup Playoff format. The schedule was approved by the AHL's Board of Governors at the annual league meetings held in Amelia Island, Fla. Michael T. Lehr, President of the Cleveland Barons, made the announcement.
The Barons will play in the newly aligned North Division. New to the division are the Grand Rapids Griffins and the Toronto Marlies. It marks the second time the Barons and Griffins are division rivals as they both competed in the Central Division during the 2002-03 season. The two teams will meet a total of ten times during the 2005-06 season, the most the Barons will play against any team in the league.
The Marlies are entering their first season in the AHL. Formerly the St. John's Maple Leafs, the Toronto Maple Leafs relocated their top development affiliate to Toronto during the off-season. The Barons have a .625 winning percentage against the Maple Leafs top development affiliate and will play the Marlies a total of eight times over the course of the 2005-06 campaign.
Holdovers in the North Division are Hamilton, Manitoba, Rochester, and Syracuse. Out of those four teams, only Syracuse, who the Barons will play six times this season, failed to make the Calder Cup Playoffs in 2005. The Barons will play Hamilton, Manitoba, and Rochester a total of eight times each.
The Barons will play 30 games against West Division teams next season. The Barons have been quite successful against teams from the West over the past two seasons, compiling a .617 winning percentage in 60 games. The West Division will be dramatically altered from last season. While Chicago (2 home, 2 road), Houston (2 home, 2 road), Milwaukee (4 home, 4 road), and San Antonio (2 home, 2 road) return, new to the league are the Iowa Stars (2 home, 2 road), Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights (1 home, 1 road), and Peoria Rivermen (2 home, 2 road).
The 27-team league features a non-balanced schedule format. The Barons only action outside of the Western Conference consists of a home-and-home series with the Hershey Bears.
The entire 2005-06 schedule is expected to be announced in early August and the format is subject to change.
At the conclusion of the 2005-06 regular season, the 2006 Calder Cup Playoffs will feature the top four teams in each of the four divisions, with one possible exception: if the fifth-place team in the Atlantic Division finishes with more points than the fourth-place team in the East Division, it would cross over and compete in the East Division playoffs. The postseason format will again feature a divisional playoff, leading to conference finals and ultimately the Calder Cup Finals. All rounds will comprise best-of-seven series.
"With the re-shaped league, our fans will get the opportunity to see every new franchise in the AHL this season," stated Lehr. "We look forward to welcoming Toronto, Iowa, Omaha, and Peoria to the National City Rink located in Gund Arena. While we will have a fresh beginning with those teams, the rivalries that we have built over the past four seasons will remain intact."
North American Hockey League Stories from June 28, 2005
- Barons to compete in re-aligned North Division - Cleveland Barons
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