Complete Schedule

TROY, N.Y. – The 2012-13 schedule for the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's hockey team has been finalized. The Engineers, who will play 36 games, open their 111th season on October 6 in their first of 17 contests at the Houston Field House on the RPI campus.

Highlights of the Engineers' slate include playing eight games against schools that played in the NCAA Tournament last spring, including national runners-up Ferris State, and Frozen Four participant Union College. The Engineers play three non-league opponents in Troy, including a pair of games each with the Bulldogs and Mercyhurst, as well as six non-league road games. Among them is a pair of two-game trips at Minnesota State-Mankato and St. Cloud State. There is also a neutral site non-league contest scheduled with Union, at the Times Union Center.

“We are looking forward to the challenge of another demanding schedule both in ECAC Hockey and non-nonference play,” said seventh-year head coach Seth Appert. “I am excited to have my alma mater [Ferris State] open our season at home. Another game that should be of great interest to our fans is our game against Union at the Times Union Center.  We are striving to make that game a huge draw and create energy and excitement for both programs, fan bases and alumni groups.”

RPI's season opener is an exhibition game against Acadia on October 6 with the regular season beginning six days later as Ferris State visits the Houston Field House for games on October 12-13. The Engineers then embark on a brief road trip to Minnesota State (Oct. 19-20), before returning home to host the front end of a one-and-one ECAC Hockey series with area-rival Union for Black Friday (Nov. 2). After traveling to Schenectady the following day, the Engineers visit league foes Dartmouth and Harvard (Nov. 9-10).

Rensselaer then plays four straight at the Houston Field House in a three-week span, beginning with a non-league series against Mercyhurst (Nov. 16-17), and concluding with two ECAC Hockey contests with Princeton (Nov. 30) and Quinnipiac (Dec. 1). The team the first half of schedule at Yale and Brown (Dec. 7-8).

Following a 19-day lay-off for winter break, the Engineers travel to St. Cloud State for two non-conference games (Dec. 27-28), before traveling home for a single contest against Sacred Heart three nights later (Dec. 31).

RPI spends the next weekend visiting Hockey East combatants Boston University (Jan. 4) and New Hampshire (Jan. 6), before concluding its road trip at ECAC Hockey foes Quinnipiac and Princeton (Jan. 11-12).

The Engineers are then Capital Region bound for five straight contests, opening with league games against Colgate and Cornell (Jan. 18-19). The team's final non-league contest is the final regular season match-up with Union at the Times Union Center in Albany (Jan. 26), with the homestand closing out against Harvard and Dartmouth (Feb. 1-2). Saturday's bout with the Big Green will be the 36th Annual Big Red Freakout!

Rensselaer makes its North Country trip to St. Lawrence and Clarkson (Feb. 8-9), before returning home to face Brown (Feb.15) and Yale for White Out! (Feb. 16). The Engineers close the month of February with their final two regular season road contests at Cornell and Colgate (Feb. 22-23), before completing the home portion of their schedule the following weekend against Clarkson and St. Lawrence (March 1-2). The match-up with the Saints will mark Senior Night.

The ECAC Hockey Playoffs begin the next weekend and continue to March 23. The NCAA Tournament runs from March 29 to April 13, with the Frozen Four taking place in Pittsburgh, Penn.

The 2011-12 Engineers posted a 12-24-3 overall record, including a 7-12-3 mark in ECAC Hockey play.

All of RPI's games are broadcast live on WRPI, 91.5 FM, and www.wrpi.org. All home games are webcast by America One at www.rpiathletics.com/webcasts and live statistics for every game at the Houston Field House are available at www.rpiathletics.com/livestats.

Season tickets are on sale now through the Houston Field House box office. More information is available by calling 518-276-6262.

NOTES: All home games begin at 7pm, except for a New Year's Eve match-up with Sacred Heart, which will be a 4pm start … RPI has three road contests with 4pm puck-drops … The Engineers only schedule neutral site game is against Union at the Times Union Center … The regular season opener against Ferris State marks only the fourth-ever meeting between the two schools … They played a two-game series in Big Rapids, Mich., last season … RPI head coach Seth Appert played goaltender for the Bulldogs … RPI will play teams from all five conferences: Atlantic Hockey (3 games), CCHA (2 games), ECAC Hockey (23 games), Hockey East (2 games) and WCHA (4 games) … All dates and times are subject to change.