2013–14 Oklahoma City Barons season

2013–14 Oklahoma City Barons
Division	3rd West Division
Conference	8th Western Conference
2013–14 record	36–29–2–9 (83 pts)
Home record	23–12–1–2
Road record	13–17–1–7
Goals for	239
Goals against	256
Team information
General Manager	Bill Scott
Coach	Todd Nelson
Assistant Coach	Gerry Fleming Rocky Thompson
Arena	Cox Convention Center
Team leaders
Goals	Matthew Ford (25)
Assists	Brad Hunt (39)
Points	Roman Horak (55)
Penalties in minutes	Steve Pinizzotto (183)
Plus/minus	(+) Mark Arcobello (+11) (–) C.J. Stretch (–17)
Wins	Richard Bachman (26)
Goals against average	Frans Tuohimaa (1.85)
< 2012–13 2014–15 >

The 2013–14 Oklahoma City Barons season is the franchise's fourth season in the American Hockey League, which began on October 4, 2013.

Off-season

Oklahoma City remained in the same division after an American Hockey League realignment in the summer of 2013, but it was renamed from the South Division to the West Division. Todd Nelson started his fourth year as Barons head coach in the 2013–14 season, despite rumors that he may depart following his disappointment with being passed over as the Edmonton Oilers coach after Ralph Krueger's departure. Nelson has two years remaining on his contract and said, but said he may explore job opportunities at other organizations in the future. The Barons saw several departures in the off-season, such as forwards Philippe Cornet, Darcy Hordichuk, Kristiāns Pelšs, and Chris VandeVelde; defensemen Randy Jones and Jordan Henry; and veteran goaltender Yann Danis. Center Mark Arcobello, an AHL-All Star and the team's all-time leading scorer, made the Edmonton roster. Winger Curtis Hamilton remained on the team, but injured his knee in a practice after the first game of the season and would not start right away. Newcomers to the team included forwards Travis Ewanyk, Matthew Ford, Austin Fyten, Ryan Hamilton, Ryan Jones, Kale Kessy, Philip Larsen, Andrew Miller, Nicholas Tremblay, and Derek Nesbitt; defensemen Martin Gernat, Brad Hunt, Oscar Klefbom and David Musil; and goaltender Richard Bachman, who was backup goal for NHL's Dallas Stars for the last two seasons. Winger Linus Omark, who had previously played for the Barons and Oilers but spent last season with the Swiss team EV Zug, returned to a one-year agreement with Oklahoma City. The new Oklahoma City roster included a mix of young and veteran forwards, as well as a young core of defensemen, with six of the starting eight between ages 20 and 22, as well as Hunt and Taylor Fedun, both of whom were 25.

After starting their training camp on September 23, the Barons lost both of their two preseason games in overtime, starting with a 3–2 loss to the Texas Stars on September 27. Gernat and Joel Broda scored for Oklahoma City, but forward Mike Heddenn got the game-winner 58 seconds into the extra period. The Barons lost a preseason game against the San Antonio Rampage on September 28, falling 2–1 after San Antonio center Jared Gomes tied the game with 12.9 seconds left in regulation, then scored the game's lone shootout goal against Oklahoma City goalie Ty Rimmer.

2013–14 Preseason Game Log: 0–0–1–1
# Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Record 2 September 27 Oklahoma City 3–2 Texas OT Bunz 0–0–1–0 3 September 28 San Antonio 2–1 Oklahoma City SO Rimmer 0–0–1–1

Regular season

October

The Barons started the season with three straight losses, including back-to-back defeats against the Charlotte Checkers, and a 1–0 shutout loss to Iowa Wild. Oklahoma City has lost all four home openers since the franchise began. The Barons were forced to make last-minute line changes when Ryan Hamilton was recalled to Edmonton just hours before the first game. Despite the losses, Bachman recorded a 2.36 goals against average and .920 game percentage over the first three games. Oklahoma City notched their first win of the season on October 13 with a 4–2 game against Iowa. Nesbitt had two goals, and the Barons scored two power play goals within 46 seconds in the third period. Iowa forward Jason Zucker received a 10-minute match penalty and two-game suspension for an illegal check to the head of Omark. Oklahoma defeated the Texas Stars on October 15 in their first home victory of the season. Omark, who had yet to score in the season thus far, scored the game-winner in overtime. The game brought the team's penalty kill percentage to 93.8, the second-best in the league at that point.

Over the next two weeks, the Oklahoma City roster underwent multiple changes due to repeated Edmonton Oilers injuries. Bachman, Ryan Jones, team captain Anton Lander and wingers Ben Eager, Tyler Pitlick were all recalled in that time, as were defensemen Fedun, Denis Grebeshkov and Corey Potter, who were returned to the Barons before the month was out. Center Ryan Martindale was also sidelined until mid-November due to arthroscopic knee surgery. Omark scored two goals and two assists in a 4–3 victory over the Abbotsford Heat on October 18, with Bachman making 41 saves, including 20 during a three-goal Heat rally in the final period. Two power play goals in that game brought the Barons' man advantage percentage to 28 percent, the third-best team in the league.

Abbotsford defeated Oklahoma City 2–1 the next day, forcing overtime after scoring with 38 seconds left in regulation. Miller failed to score on a penalty shot against goalie Reto Berra. Bachman, in his first shootout in two years, allowed two of four goals, while only Nesbitt scored for the Barons. Bachman nevertheless retained a 1.99 GAA and .934 save percentage. After five home games, the team's average attendance of about 2,600 marked a franchise low, and the second-lowest in the league for the season. The Barons lost two of their next three, including a 5–4 win over San Antonio on October 25 in which Omark scored four goals, one of which a successful penalty shot against goaltender Dov Grumet-Morris. It was Omark's second career game with four or more goals.

November

File:Ilya Bryzgalov 2012-04-13.JPG

Goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov made his AHL debut with the Barons on November 15.

As a result of the continued Edmonton injuries trickle-down effect, the Barons started November with few veterans and nine skaters who had played for the ECHL last season. Oklahoma City suffered their second shutout loss of the season on November 1 with a 6–0 loss to the Chicago Wolves, one of the worst losses in the franchise's four-year history. They responded with a 4–2 victory over Chicago the next day. Goalie Olivier Roy, who was pulled from the net after allowing five goals in the first 21 shots in the first game, made 31 saves in the rematch. Lander was reassigned to the Barons after Ryan Hamilton was reactivated by the Oilers. Oklahoma City struggled with inconsistency problems due to the turnover with Edmonton: they had scored an average of about four goals in their five wins of the season thus far, but only about 1.1 in their seven losses. The Oilers signed a goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov to a $1.7 million contract on November 8, and he began practicing with the Barons. Goalie Tyler Bunz made 34 saves in his first AHL start against San Antonio on November 9, but the team fell 3–2 after the Rampage scored two shootout goals and only Ryan Hamilton scored for Oklahoma City. The Barons defeated San Antonio by the same score on November 12, with Omark getting the game-winner after sliding the pick behind his back and between his legs before scoring against goalie Jacob Markström. The goal generated a great deal of attention, becoming the most-viewed video on the Oklahoma City Barons website with over 75,000 views in the first 24 hours, and making ESPN SportsCenter's top ten plays, a rarity for the AHL.

Bryzgalov made his AHL debut on November 15 in a 5–4 loss against the Abbotsford. He allowing five goals on 24 shots, including two goals within 59 seconds of each other. Center Ben Street recorded a hat-trick against Oklahoma City, with two of his three goals scored 27 seconds apart. Bryzgalov fared better the next day, making 25 saves in a 4–1 win over the Heat. Forward C. J. Stretch scored two goals for the Barons to help end Abbotsford's nine-game winning streak, the longest in the league. Arcobello was returned to the Barons by Edmonton, who in turn recalled both Bryzgalov and Klefbom. Oklahoma City started a five-game road trip with a 6–1 loss against San Antonio, with Martin Marinčin scoring the team's only goal in 37 shots. Bunz was replaced by goaltender Laurent Brossoit, acquired in a recent trade from the Calgary Flame, after allowing the first four goals against.

Standings

Divisional standings

#	West Division	GP	W	L	OTL	SOL	Pts	GF	GA
1	Abbotsford Heat (CAL)*	21	15	5	0	1	31	72	62
2	Texas Stars (DAL)	19	9	6	2	1	21	63	51
3	San Antonio Rampage (FLA)	17	8	8	0	1	17	47	46
4	Oklahoma City Barons (EDM)	17	7	8	0	2	16	41	52
5	Charlotte Checkers (CAR)	16	5	10	0	1	11	39	53

After games of November 20, 2013

Conference standings

 y–  indicates team has clinched division and a playoff spot
 x–  indicates team has clinched a playoff spot
 e–  indicates team has been eliminated from playoff contention

#	Western Conference	Div	GP	W	L	OTL	SOL	Pts	GF	GA
1	*y– Texas Stars (DAL)	WT	76	48	18	3	7	106	274	197
2	*y– Chicago Wolves (STL)	MW	76	45	21	5	5	100	239	191
3	*y– Toronto Marlies (TOR)	NT	76	45	25	2	4	96	223	202
4	x– Grand Rapids Griffins (DET)	MW	76	46	23	2	5	99	238	187
5	x– Abbotsford Heat (CGY)	WT	76	43	25	5	3	94	237	215
6	x– Milwaukee Admirals (NSH)	MW	76	39	24	6	7	91	215	199
7	x– Rochester Americans (BUF)	NT	76	37	28	6	5	85	216	217
8	x– Oklahoma City Barons (EDM)	WT	76	36	29	2	9	83	239	256
9	e– Rockford IceHogs (CHI)	MW	76	35	32	5	4	79	234	262
10	e– Utica Comets (VAN)	NT	76	35	32	5	4	79	187	216
11	e– Charlotte Checkers (CAR)	WT	76	37	36	1	2	77	228	241
12	e– Lake Erie Monsters (COL)	NT	76	32	33	1	10	75	197	232
13	e– Hamilton Bulldogs (MTL)	NT	76	33	35	1	7	74	182	224
14	e– San Antonio Rampage (FLA)	WT	76	30	37	3	6	69	206	235
15	e– Iowa Wild (MIN)	MW	76	27	36	7	6	67	169	235

* = Division leaders are seeded 1, 2, and 3 in Conference standings.
The top eight teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs.

Schedule and results

2013–14 Game Log – Regular season
October: 4–5–0–1 (Home: 2–2–0–1 ; Road: 2–3–0–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Gamesheet 1 October 4 Charlotte 3–2 Oklahoma City Bachman 3,008 0–1–0–0 0 Gamesheet 2 October 5 Charlotte 3–2 Oklahoma City Bachman 2,682 0–2–0–0 0 Gamesheet 3 October 12 Oklahoma City 0–1 Iowa Bachman 10,213 0–3–0–0 0 Gamesheet 4 October 13 Oklahoma City 4–2 Iowa Roy 4,217 1–3–0–0 2 Gamesheet 5 October 15 Texas 1–2 Oklahoma City OT Bachman 1,805 2–3–0–0 4 Gamesheet 6 October 18 Abbotsford 3–4 Oklahoma City Bachman 2,680 3–3–0–0 6 Gamesheet 7 October 19 Abbotsford 2–1 Oklahoma City SO Bachman 2,783 3–3–0–1 7 Gamesheet 8 October 23 Oklahoma City 1–4 Texas Bachman 4,488 3–4–0–1 7 Gamesheet 9 October 25 Oklahoma City 5–4 San Antonio Bachman 6,237 4–4–0–1 9 Gamesheet 10 October 26 Oklahoma City 2–4 San Antonio Roy 5,113 4–5–0–1 9 Gamesheet
November: 5–5–0–2 (Home: 4–2–0–0 ; Road: 1–3–0–2) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Gamesheet 11 November 1 Chicago 6–0 Oklahoma City Roy 2,328 4–6–0–1 9 Gamesheet 12 November 2 Chicago 2–4 Oklahoma City Roy 2,626 5–6–0–1 11 Gamesheet 13 November 9 Oklahoma City 2–3 San Antonio SO Bunz 6,440 5–6–0–2 12 Gamesheet 14 November 12 San Antonio 2–3 Oklahoma City Bunz 6,771 6–6–0–2 14 Gamesheet 15 November 15 Abbotsford 5–4 Oklahoma City Bryzgalov 3,098 6–7–0–2 14 Gamesheet 16 November 16 Abbotsford 1–4 Oklahoma City Bryzgalov 3,163 7–7–0–2 16 Gamesheet 17 November 19 Oklahoma City 1–6 San Antonio Bunz 12,127 7–8–0–2 16 Gamesheet 18 November 21 Oklahoma City 6–1 Lake Erie Brossoit 3,277 8–8–0–2 18 Gamesheet 19 November 22 Oklahoma City 3–5 Lake Erie Brossoit 8,770 8–9–0–2 18 Gamesheet 20 November 27 Oklahoma City 1–2 Texas LaBarbera 5,206 8–10–0–2 18 Gamesheet 21 November 29 Oklahoma City 2–3 San Antonio SO LaBarbera 7,037 8–10–0–3 19 Gamesheet 22 November 30 San Antonio 1–3 Oklahoma City Brossoit 3,271 9–10–0–3 21 Gamesheet
December: 2–7–1–2 (Home: 1–2–1–0 ; Road: 1–5–0–2) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Gamesheet 23 December 3 Texas 5–4 Oklahoma City Brossoit 2,393 9–11–0–3 21 Gamesheet 24 December 6 Oklahoma City 2–5 Milwaukee Brossoit 4,427 9–12–0–3 21 Gamesheet 25 December 7 Oklahoma City 5–2 Chicago Rimmer 8,049 10–12–0–3 23 Gamesheet 26 December 8 Oklahoma City 4–5 Chicago SO Rimmer 4,684 10–12–0–4 24 Gamesheet 27 December 12 Oklahoma City 0–4 Milwaukee Bachman 2,627 10–13–0–4 24 Gamesheet 28 December 13 Oklahoma City 3–4 Rockford Brossoit 3,359 10–14–0–4 24 Gamesheet 29 December 14 Oklahoma City 4–5 Rockford SO Bachman 4,738 10–14–0–5 25 Gamesheet 30 December 20 Texas 0–2 Oklahoma City Bachman 2,808 11–14–0–5 27 Gamesheet 31 December 21 Texas 7–2 Oklahoma City Bachman 5,400 11–15–0–5 27 Gamesheet 32 December 27 Oklahoma City 1–5 Abbotsford Bachman 2,931 11–16–0–5 27 Gamesheet 33 December 28 Oklahoma City 2–4 Abbotsford Bachman 2,149 11–17–0–5 27 Gamesheet 34 December 31 Texas 6–5 Oklahoma City OT Bachman 3,804 11–17–1–5 28 Gamesheet
January: 6–5–0–0 (Home: 5–3–0–0 ; Road: 1–2–0–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Gamesheet 35 January 3 Oklahoma City 5–2 San Antonio Pickard 6,618 12–17–1–5 30 Gamesheet 36 January 4 San Antonio 3–5 Oklahoma City Bachman 3,288 13–17–1–5 32 Gamesheet 37 January 8 Utica 2–3 Oklahoma City OT Bachman 1,873 14–17–1–5 34 Gamesheet 38 January 10 Charlotte 5–2 Oklahoma City Pickard 2,967 14–18–1–5 34 Gamesheet 39 January 11 Charlotte 2–1 Oklahoma City Bachman 3,267 14–19–1–5 34 Gamesheet 40 January 17 Rochester 4–3 Oklahoma City Bachman 2,664 14–20–1–5 34 Gamesheet 41 January 18 Milwaukee 1–2 Oklahoma City Bachman 6,196 15–20–1–5 36 Gamesheet 42 January 19 Milwaukee 4–5 Oklahoma City SO Bachman 3,032 16–20–1–5 38 Gamesheet 43 January 23 Oklahoma City 0–4 Charlotte Bachman 5,916 16–21–1–5 38 Gamesheet 44 January 24 Oklahoma City 3–9 Charlotte Pickard 8,160 16–22–1–5 38 Gamesheet 45 January 30 Toronto 3–5 Oklahoma City Bachman 2,576 17–22–1–5 40 Gamesheet
February: 7–2–0–1 (Home: 2–0–0–1 ; Road: 5–2–0–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Gamesheet 46 February 2 Oklahoma City 7–4 Texas Bachman 3,916 18–22–1–5 42 Gamesheet 47 February 4 Oklahoma City 5–2 Texas Bachman 4,256 19–22–1–5 44 Gamesheet 48 February 7 Oklahoma City 8–5 Charlotte Bachman 8,189 20–22–1–5 46 Gamesheet 49 February 9 Oklahoma City 4–3 Charlotte OT Bachman 8,168 21–22–1–5 48 Gamesheet 50 February 14 Lake Erie 1–2 Oklahoma City Bachman 3,067 22–22–1–5 50 Gamesheet 51 February 15 Lake Erie 5–4 Oklahoma City SO Bachman 4,524 22–22–1–6 51 Gamesheet 52 February 21 Oklahoma City 4–2 Grand Rapids Bachman 10,834 23–22–1–6 53 Gamesheet 53 February 22 Oklahoma City 3–4 Grand Rapids Bachman 8,254 23–23–1–6 53 Gamesheet 54 February 23 Oklahoma City 1–4 Toronto Bachman 4,290 23–24–1–6 53 Gamesheet 55 February 28 Rockford 4–5 Oklahoma City OT Bachman 3,853 24–24–1–6 55 Gamesheet
March: 6–3–1–3 (Home: 4–2–0–0 ; Road: 2–0–1–3) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Gamesheet 56 March 1 Rockford 4–5 Oklahoma City Bachman 3,158 25–24–1–6 57 Gamesheet 57 March 2 San Antonio 5–6 Oklahoma City Bunz 2,576 26–24–1–6 59 Gamesheet 58 March 5 Oklahoma City 3–4 Utica SO Bachman 2,808 26–24–1–7 60 Gamesheet 59 March 7 Oklahoma City 2–1 Hamilton Bachman 4,407 27–24–1–7 62 Gamesheet 60 March 9 Oklahoma City 4–5 Rochester OT Bachman 5,202 28–24–1–7 64 Gamesheet 61 March 11 San Antonio 2–5 Oklahoma City Bachman 2,591 29–24–1–7 66 Gamesheet 62 March 14 Grand Rapids 3–2 Oklahoma City Bachman 3,294 29–25–1–7 66 Gamesheet 63 March 15 Grand Rapids 4–3 Oklahoma City Bachman 4,494 29–26–1–7 66 Gamesheet 64 March 21 Oklahoma City 3–4 Texas OT Bachman 5,808 29–26–2–7 67 Gamesheet 65 March 22 Oklahoma City 3–5 Texas Brossoit 6,439 29–27–2–7 67 Gamesheet 66 March 25 San Antonio 1–2 Oklahoma City Bachman 3,070 30–27–2–7 69 Gamesheet 67 March 29 Oklahoma City 2–3 Charlotte SO Bachman 8,232 30–27–2–8 70 Gamesheet 68 March 30 Oklahoma City 4–5 Charlotte SO Bachman 8,011 30–27–2–9 71 Gamesheet
April: 6–2–0–0 (Home: 5–1–0–0 ; Road: 1–1–0–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Gamesheet 69 April 2 Hamilton 4–5 Oklahoma City Bachman 2,852 31–27–2–9 73 Gamesheet 70 April 5 Charlotte 0–1 Oklahoma City Bachman 3,957 32–27–2–9 75 Gamesheet 71 April 6 Charlotte 4–6 Oklahoma City Bachman 3,061 33–27–2–9 77 Gamesheet 72 April 11 Oklahoma City 2–3 Abbotsford Bachman 3,403 33–28–2–9 77 Gamesheet 73 April 13 Oklahoma City 5–4 Abbotsford SO Bachman 5,065 34–28–2–9 79 Gamesheet 74 April 16 Texas 2–1 Oklahoma City Bachman 3,067 34–29–2–9 79 Gamesheet 75 April 18 Iowa 3–4 Oklahoma City OT Bachman 4,344 35–29–2–9 81 Gamesheet 76 April 19 Iowa 2–3 Oklahoma City SO Tuohimaa 4,837 36–29–2–9 83 Gamesheet
Legend:       Win (2 points)       Loss (0 points)       Overtime/shootout loss (1-point)

Player statistics

Skaters

Note: GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes
Updated as of November 20, 2013

Regular Season

Player	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM
Linus Omark	17	10	5	15	−8	10
Roman Horák	4	1	4	5	0	2
Derek Nesbitt	17	5	5	10	−6	12
Matthew Ford	16	4	5	9	−2	22
C. J. Stretch	17	3	6	9	−1	10
Anton Lander	12	3	5	8	−2	4
Andrew Miller*	16	2	6	8	−2	4
Philip Larsen‡	7	1	6	7	−4	4
Taylor Fedun	15	1	5	6	−2	16
Martin Marinčin	15	1	3	4	0	2
Brad Hunt	11	0	4	4	1	4
Denis Grebeshkov	10	2	1	3	−1	4
Ryan Martindale	4	1	2	3	−1	4
Tyler Pitlick‡	7	1	2	3	0	2
Martin Gernát*	7	0	3	3	−2	2
Austin Fyten*	12	0	3	3	3	8
Ryan Jones‡	4	2	0	2	−2	2
Ryan Hamilton	5	1	1	2	0	4
Joel Broda‡	8	1	1	2	−3	8
Kyle Kessy*	17	1	1	2	−4	18
Ben Eager	10	1	0	1	−2	24
Mario Lamoureux‡	3	0	1	1	−1	4
Corey Potter‡	6	0	1	1	−5	4
David Musil*	7	0	1	1	−1	4
Brandon Davidson	13	0	1	1	−8	14
Oscar Klefbom*	13	0	1	1	−6	2
Alex Lavoie‡	1	0	0	0	0	0
Nicolas Tremblay‡	1	0	0	0	0	2
Justin Maylan‡	4	0	0	0	−1	2
Erick Lizon	10	0	0	0	−1	9
Travis Ewanyk*	17	0	0	0	−4	17

^†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining team. Stats reflect time with the team only.
^‡Left the team mid-season
^*Rookie

Goaltenders

Note: GP = Games Played; TOI = Time on Ice; W = Wins; L = Losses; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; SV = Saves; SA = Shots Against; SV% = Save Percentage; SO = Shutouts; G = Goals; A = Assists; PIM = Penalty Minutes
Updated as of November 20, 2013

Regular Season

Player	GP	TOI	W	L	GA	GAA	SV	SA	SV%	SO	G	A	PIM
Richard Bachman‡	8	480:17	3	5	19	2.37	235	254	.925	0	0	0	0
Ilya Bryzgalov‡	2	118:57	1	1	6	3.03	44	50	.880	0	0	0	0
Tyler Bunz*	4	171:34	1	2	9	3.15	96	105	.914	0	0	1	0
Olivier Roy	4	218:40	2	2	12	3.19	105	117	.897	4	0	0	0
Laurent Brossoit*	3	127:38	0	1	11	5.17	52	63	.825	0	0	0	0
Totals		1,117:06	7	11	57	3.06	532	589	.903	0	0	1	0

^‡Left the team mid-season
^*Rookie

Milestones

Player	Milestone	Reached
Andrew Miller	1st AHL Goal	October 15, 2013
Tyler Bunz	1st AHL Game	November 9, 2013
Ilya Bryzgalov	1st AHL Game	November 15, 2013
Ilya Bryzgalov	1st AHL Win	November 16, 2013

External links

• Oklahoma City Barons official site