Men's Hockey | 5/29/2014 11:40:00 AM

Click here for complete 2014-15 season schedule

ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT men's hockey team unveiled its 2014-15 schedule on Thursday, May 29. The Tigers will play 34 regular season games and one exhibition contest in their 10th Division I season. RIT will play 16 regular season home games in its inaugural season at the 4,200-seat Gene Polisseni Center on the campus of RIT, and one contest at Blue Cross Arena in downtown Rochester in addition to 17 away games.

On Saturday, Oct. 4, RIT opens the Gene Polisseni Center by hosting Brock University of Ontario in an exhibition contest at 7:05 p.m. The following weekend, the Tigers begin regular season play at the brand new building, as longtime ECAC foes St. Lawrence and Clarkson visit on Oct. 10-11.
 
"We are really excited to play in the Polisseni Center," said RIT head coach Wayne Wilson, who is entering his 16th season behind the bench. "We will miss Ritter Arena, but are thrilled to be moving into such a big-time facility. The players went on a recent tour and can't wait to begin playing there. St. Lawrence and Clarkson will be great tests for us right away to see where we stand."

The Tigers will play Division I powerhouse, Boston College at Blue Cross Arena during Brick City Homecoming and Family Weekend on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 7:05 p.m. It is the sixth straight year RIT will play downtown during its annual homecoming weekend. RIT has drawn sellout crowds of 10,556 fans each of the last four Brick City Weekends against UMass Lowell, St. Lawrence, Penn State, and Michigan. One of the most sought after tickets in Rochester, last year's game against Michigan sold out 15 days in advance.

Boston College has won three NCAA Championships over the last seven seasons and is coached by Jerry York, college hockey's all-time leader in wins with 963. RIT head coach Wayne Wilson and associate head coach Brian Hills played their collegiate hockey for York at Bowling Green in the early 1980's.
 
"We will have our work cut out for us against Boston College, who has been arguably the top program in college hockey over the last 15 years," said Wilson. "The atmosphere downtown is incredible and we always look forward to this game."

The Tigers also travel to face 2013 NCAA Champion Yale University on Nov. 29 and wrap up their non-conference schedule by playing at historic Mariucci Arena on the campus of the University of Minnesota in the 24th annual Mariucci Classic on Jan. 2-3, 2015. Minnesota, UMass Lowell, and Merrimack will participate in the tournament. The Tigers will find out their opening night opponent in the upcoming weeks.
 
Wilson has a personal connection to Yale, as his son Stu will be a junior forward with the Bulldogs in 2014-15.
 
"Yale will be very tough in their building, having won the NCAA Championship just two seasons ago," said Wilson. "The Mariucci Classic at Minnesota will be a great way for us to get right back into play after the holidays. All three teams are strong and will get us ready for the final push in league play."

RIT will open Atlantic Hockey Association play with back-to-back road trips against Air Force on Oct. 24-25 and 2014 AHA Champion Robert Morris on Oct. 31-Nov. 1.
 
With 11 teams in the league this season, the Tigers will play four games against Robert Morris, Holy Cross, Mercyhurst, and Niagara, and two each versus American International, Air Force, Army, Bentley, Canisius, and Mercyhurst. In all, 28 of RIT's 34 games are against AHA rivals.
 
"Atlantic Hockey is as competitive as it has ever been," said Wilson. "We want to get off to a good start and put ourselves in position to host a quarterfinal series, advance to Blue Cross Arena, and win a league title."
 
The Tigers host Holy Cross for two games on Nov. 7-8 before heading to the brand new Harbor Center in Buffalo for a pair of contests against Canisius the following weekend. RIT hosts Sacred Heart on Nov. 21-22, before competing in a home-and-home series against Niagara on Dec. 12-13.

Upon returning from Minnesota, RIT plays its final 16 games against conference foes. The Tigers host American International on Jan. 9-10 before going to Sacred Heart and Bentley the following two weekends, while RIT is on intersession. The Tigers return home to face Army on Jan. 30-31, before a second home and home series against Niagara on Feb. 6-7. After going back on the road for two games against Holy Cross the next weekend, RIT wraps up the regular season with consecutive home series against Robert Morris on Feb. 20-21 and Mercyhurst on Feb. 27-28.

The Atlantic Hockey Association playoffs begin with a best-of-three series for the sixth through eleventh place finishers from March 6-8. The top five teams get a first round bye. Quarterfinal action will be held at the top four sites from March 13-15.  The Atlantic Hockey Association Tournament Semifinals and Championship will be held on March 20-21 at the Blue Cross Arena for the ninth straight season.

RIT will look to earn its second berth in the NCAA Tournament as a Division I program. The 2015 NCAA Division I Tournament begins on March 27, and ends with the Frozen Four on April 9 and April 11 at the TD Garden in Boston.

The Tigers are 157-110-37 since the start of the 2006-07 season, including an AHA title and NCAA Frozen Four berth in 2010. RIT won 12 games and advanced to the first round of the AHA Tournament last season.

Season and single game ticket information will be released in the upcoming weeks at www.ritathletics.com and www.rithockey.com.