OPENING WEEKEND: Rensselaer opens its 2015-16 regular season schedule with a pair of games against ranked Hockey East teams, beginning on Friday, when it visits 14th-ranked UMass-Lowell (7:15pm) ... The Engineers then welcome first-ranked Boston College to the Houston Field House for their home opener on Sunday (2pm).

FOLLOWING THE ACTION: All RPI men's hockey games can be heard live on WRPI, 91.5 FM, and on the Internet on www.wrpi.org ... Home games can also be seen – for free – on RPI TV ... The video stream can be found at www.rpitv.org.

EXHIBITION OPENER: The Engineers fell to St. Thomas University (N.B.) in their exhibition opener on Saturday, 3-2,  in overtime ... RPI seniors Milos Bubela and Travis Fulton scored, while netminder Jason Kasdorf stopped all 12 shots he faced, while playing the first two periods.

HOME STARTER: RPI's first regular
season home game is October 11, when nationally first-ranked Boston College visits the Houston Field House ... The non-league game is scheduled for 2pm.

TICKETS: Tickets to all Rensselaer home games are available through the Houston Field House box office or by calling 518-276-6262.

EARLY TESTS: For the second year in a row, the Engineers will face the first-ranked team in the nation in the opening weekend of the regular season ... RPI fell to then-#1 Minnesota, 3-0, in the IceBreaker Tournament last year and hosts current #1 Boston College on October 11 at the Houston Field House (2pm) ... In 2013-14, RPI took on #4 Boston College in its opening weekend and took on #11 Ferris State to begin the 2012-13 season.

TOP RETURNERS: The Engineers return five of their top seven point-getters from a season ago, including sophomore Drew Melanson, who led the team  in both goals (9) and points (20) ... Also back is senior Milos Bubela, who netted eight goals and dished out seven assists for 15 points.

ENGINEERS IN 2014-15: RPI went 12-26-3 overall last season, including an 8-12-2 mark in ECAC Hockey play ... The Engineers won a best-of-three playoff series at Clarkson, two games to one, before bowing out to St. Lawrence in the conference quarterfinals.

SPECIAL TEAMS: The Engineers converted 11.4% (13 for 114) of their power plays last year ...The penalty kill finished at 79.7% (137 for 172).

TOP RETURNERS: Sophomore Drew Melanson led the Engineers with 20 points last season, on nine goals and 11 assists ... Senior Milos Bubela (8 goals, 7 assists) had 15 points, while classmate Mark Miller (7 goals, 7 assists) had 14 points.