Game Notes | RPI Lines | Tournament Central

THE FACEOFF
Rensselaer visits South Bend, Indiana, for the Icebreaker Tournament to start the 2014-15 season. The Engineers face the host No. 12 Fighting Irish on Friday night, before taking on either No. 1 Minnesota or Minnesota-Duluth on Sunday at noon. RPI  is on the road to start the season for the second straight year.  

THE SERIES
This is the eighth all-time meeting between RPI and Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish lead the series 4-3-0. If the Engineers advance to face Minnesota, it will be the 12th game between the two programs, with the Gophers leading that series, 9-2-0. If Rensselaer faces Minnesota-Duluth, it will mark the 10th time the two schools have played. The Bulldogs hold a 6-3-0 advantage in the series.

SEASON OPENERS
RPI has won its last two season openers, including at 6-0 defeat of Sacred Heart on the road last year. 

SEASON PREVIEW
 The Engineers are coming off a season in which they finished 15-16-6 overall and 8-9-5 in ECAC Hockey. They finished seventh in the regular season and saw their year come to an end in the first round of the league playoffs, 2 games to 1 to Dartmouth. RPI returns 10 forwards, five defensemen and three goaltenders. There are eight newcomers (4 forwards, 3 defensemen, 1 goalie).

THE CAPTAINS
Senior defenseman Curtis Leonard will wear the 'C' for the Engineers, while classmates Luke Curadi, Matt Neal and Mark McGowan are the alternate captains.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Of the 20 teams ranked in the Preseason USCHO.com Poll, Rensselaer will face 10 of them with a chance to play an 11th. Those opponents include No. 1 Minnesota (potentially), No. 5 Union (3x), No. 6 Colgate (2x), No. 8 Michigan (2x), No. 11 Miami (2x), No. 12 Notre Dame, No. 14 Cornell (2x), No. 15, Quinnipiac (2x), No. 18 Denver (2x), No. 19 New Hamphire and No. 20 Boston University.

DRAFTED
Rensselaer has three student-athletes who have been selected in the NHL Entry Draft. Freshman defenseman Mike Prapavessis was selected by the Dallas Stars in the fourth round, 105th overall, of the 2014 draft. Freshman forward Lou Nanne was taken in the seventh round (188th overall) in the 2012 draft by the Minnesota Wild and junior goaltender Jason Kasdorf was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in the sixth round, 157th overall, of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.