NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- The Berkshire Battalion is schedule to open its inaugural season on Friday, Oct. 17, at the Peter W. Foote Vietnam Veterans Memorial Rink.

 

The Federal Hockey League on Thursday announced the schedule for the Battalion's season, which includes 26 home dates out of a 56-game schedule that runs through Sunday, March 8.

 

The FHL is still awaiting confirmation from the Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation that it will be able to use the North Adams rink managed by the state agency. But league officials are confident that they soon will be able to announce a deal for the league-owned franchise to play at the Church Street venue.

 

The team is scheduled to play most of its home games on Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m. It will have seven Sunday afternoon games with 4 p.m. faceoffs.

 

The first Sunday afternoon game will be on Nov. 9.

 

The Battalion's first home game against its expected rival, the Danbury, Conn., Whalers, is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 7.

 

That will kick off Berkshire's longest homestand of the season, with dates against Danville, Ill., on Nov. 8 and 9, and Watertown, N.Y., on Nov. 15 and 16.

 

The Battalion will not play a home game between Dec. 13's game against Danbury and a Jan. 10 contest against Dayton, Ohio. In between, Berkshire will play nine road games.

 

Local fans' first chance for a relatively short (2.5-hour) road trip to see the Battalion at Danbury will be Saturday, Nov. 1, for a 7:35 faceoff at the Danbury Ice Arena.

 

After going on the road most of the month of December, the Battalion does get to finish its sesason with five of its last seven games at home. The last home game is Saturday, March 7, against Watertown. The two teams then head north to play at the Watertown Ice Arena that Sunday afternoon.

 

The entire league schedule can be viewed here.