| Current: | 2023–24 RPI Engineers men's ice hockey season |
| Team Name: | RPI Engineers |
| Team Link: | |
| University: | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute |
| Sex: | men's |
| First Year: | 1901–02 |
| Conference: | ECAC Hockey |
| Conference Short: | ECAC |
| Location: | Troy, New York |
| Coach: | Dave Smith |
| Coach Year: | 7th |
| Coach Wins: | 75 |
| Coach Losses: | 131 |
| Coach Ties: | 17 |
| Arena: | Houston Field House |
| Ncaachampion: | 1954, 1985 |
| Ncaafrozenfour: | 1953, 1954, 1961, 1964, 1985 |
| Ncaatourneys: | 1953, 1954, 1961, 1964, 1984, 1985, 1994, 1995, 2011 |
| Conference Tournament: | 1984, 1985, 1995 |
| Conference Season: | 1952, 1953, 1954, 1984, 1985 |
| Uniform Image: | ECAC-Uniform-RPI.png |
The RPI Engineers men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). The Engineers are a member of ECAC Hockey conference and play their home games at Houston Field House in Troy, New York.[1] [2]
Men's ice hockey at RPI dates back to 1901 and is one of the oldest programs in the United States.[3] The team played as an independent NCAA Division I team from its inception in 1901 through 1938.[3] The team resumed after World War II for the 1949–50 season, and in the following season Rensselaer joined Clarkson, Colgate, Middlebury, St. Lawrence, and Williams to form the Tri-State League for the 1950–51 season.[3] The next three seasons, the 1952–1954 team won the Tri-State League season championships. RPI's first NCAA tournament berth in 1953, coming in third, and the following season in 1954 the team won its first NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Championship.[3] After a six-year drought the program again made the NCAA tournament in 1961, finishing fourth.[3] The 1960–61 season would be the last season RPI competed in the Tri-State League, as RPI and fellow Tri-State League members Clarkson and St. Lawrence joined the new ECAC Hockey League.[4]
Depending on how the rules are interpreted, the RPI men's ice hockey team may have the longest winning streak on record for a Division I team; in the 1984–85 season it went undefeated for 30 games, but one game was against the University of Toronto, a non-NCAA team. Continuing into the 1985–86 season, RPI continued undefeated over 38 games, including two wins over Toronto.[5] Adam Oates and Daren Puppa, two players during that time, both went on to become stars in the NHL. Joe Juneau, who played from 1987 to 1991, also spent many years in the NHL. Graeme Townshend, who also played in the late 1980s, had a brief NHL career. He is the first person of Jamaican ancestry to play in the National Hockey League.
The hockey team plays a significant role in the campus's culture, drawing thousands of fans each week to the Houston Field House during the season. The team's popularity even sparked the tradition of the hockey line, where students lined up for season tickets months in advance of the on-sale date. Today, the line generally begins a week or more before ticket sales.[6] Another tradition since 1978 has been the "Big Red Freakout!" game held close to the first weekend of February. Fans usually dress in the schools colors Red and White, and gifts such as tee-shirts are distributed en masse.From 1995 to 2009, RPI's Division III teams were known as the Red Hawks. However the hockey, football, cross-country, tennis, and track and field teams all chose to retain the longstanding Engineers name. The Red Hawks name was, at the time, very unpopular among the student body; a Red Hawk mascot was frequently taunted with thrown concessions and chants of "kill the chicken!" This was a major factor behind "Engineers" being restored for all teams in 2009.
The official hockey mascot, The Puckman–an anthropomorphic hockey puck with an engineer's helmet–has always been popular.
The RPI Engineers men's ice hockey typically plays between 35 and 42 regular season games per season in the ECAC Hockey Conference. They also usually play one exhibition game against a Canadian college hockey team from Ontario, Nova Scotia, or Quebec. During the season, RPI will play 22 conference games against the other 11 teams in the ECAC. RPI will play each team home game at the Houston Field House and each away game at the respective university's campus. The conference games are typically played on Friday and Saturday nights, with the ECAC scheduling reflecting the Ivy League scheduling of having traveling partners. RPI's travel partner has been Union College since they joined the league in the 1991-92 season. They also play 10-12 non-conference games against teams not in the ECAC. These games typically take place at the beginning of the season in October and around the Thanksgiving and New Year holidays. RPI also plays one non-conference game against their Capital District geographic rival, Union, at the Times Union Center, typically on the last Saturday of January in what has become known as the Mayor's Cup. RPI has opened ECAC Hockey conference play on the last weekend of October against Union since the 2012–13 season. The first conference home game is known as Black Friday or Black Saturday which alternates each year. Other highlights of the season include the Big Red Freakout, which is played on the last or second to last Saturday home game in February.
At the conclusion of the regular season the team will play a minimum of two postseason games in the ECAC Hockey men's ice hockey tournament in the beginning of March. If RPI wins the ECAC Tournament or is invited to the NCAA tournament as an at-large team, they would then play at least one postseason game in late March in the single elimination tournament. RPI last played in the NCAA tournament in 2011.
See main article: List of RPI Engineers men's ice hockey seasons. Source:[7]
As of the completion of 2018–19 season[8]
As of the completion of 2023–24 season[9]
| Tenure | Coach | Years | Record | Pct. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901–1904, 1906–1917, 1923–1924 | No Coach | 15 | 14–34–3 | ||
| 1917–1923 | 6 | 3–17–1 | |||
| 1924–1925 | 1 | 2–2–0 | |||
| 1925–1931, 1936–1937 | 8 | 6–20–2 | |||
| 1949–1963 | 14 | 176–96–7 | |||
| 1963–1964 | 1 | 18–8–0 | |||
| 1964–1969 | 5 | 44–63–4 | |||
| 1969–1972 | 3 | 41–31–4 | |||
| 1972–1979 | 7 | 103–94–7 | |||
| 1979–1989 | 10 | 186–124–9 | |||
| 1989–1994 | 5 | 94–63–13 | |||
| 1994–2006 | 12 | 211–193–38 | |||
| 2006–2017 | 11 | 152–221–48 | |||
| 2017–Present | 6 | 75–131–17 | |||
| Totals | 13 coaches | 104 seasons | 1,125–1,097–153 |
As of September 19, 2023.[10]
Source:[11]
| Player | Years | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951–1955 | 80 | 155 | 110 | 265 | 43 | ||
| 1982–1986 | 131 | 117 | 108 | 225 | 207 | ||
| 1982–1985 | 98 | 66 | 150 | 216 | 52 | ||
| 1961–1964 | 71 | 110 | 106 | 216 | 20 | ||
| 1987–1991 | 124 | 69 | 144 | 213 | 157 | ||
| 1956–1959 | 63 | 93 | 118 | 211 | 118 | ||
| 1951–1954 | 61 | 102 | 104 | 206 | 22 | ||
| 1992–1996 | 141 | 80 | 113 | 193 | 146 | ||
| 1962–1965 | 71 | 90 | 97 | 187 | 99 | ||
| 1982–1986 | 117 | 84 | 99 | 183 | 70 |
GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average
Minimum 30 games
| Player | Years | GP | Min | W | L | T | GA | SO | SV% | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–2021 | 49 | 2839 | 18 | 24 | 5 | 107 | 6 | .929 | 2.26 | |
| 2012–2016 | 88 | 5025 | 38 | 37 | 9 | 200 | 7 | .920 | 2.39 | |
| 2008–2011 | 83 | 4898 | 37 | 34 | 8 | 202 | 4 | .914 | 2.47 | |
| 2000–2004 | 115 | 6638 | 57 | 50 | 6 | 282 | 10 | .917 | 2.55 | |
| 2009–2013 | 56 | 3102 | 18 | 30 | 5 | 134 | 3 | .903 | 2.59 | |
| 1996–2000 | 90 | 5345 | 52 | 31 | 6 | 231 | 13 | .926 | 2.59 | |
Source:[12]
Source:[13]
NCAA tournament Most Outstanding Player
AHCA Second Team All-Americans
Most Outstanding Player in tournament
This is a list of Rensselaer alumni were a part of an Olympic team.
As of July 1, 2023.
| = NHL All-Star team | = NHL All-Star[14] | = NHL All-Star and NHL All-Star team | = Hall of Famers |
| Player | Position | Team(s) | Years | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erik Burgdoerfer | Defenseman | BUF, OTT | 2016–2019 | 8 | 0 |
| John Carter | Left Wing | BOS, SJS | 1985–1993 | 244 | 0 |
| Don Cutts | Goaltender | EDM | 1979–1980 | 6 | 0 |
| Jerry D'Amigo | Left Wing | TOR, BUF | 2013–2015 | 31 | 0 |
| Marty Dallman | Center | TOR | 1987–1989 | 6 | 0 |
| Mike Dark | Defenseman | STL | 1986–1988 | 43 | 0 |
| Tim Friday | Defenseman | DET | 1985–1986 | 23 | 0 |
| Ken Hammond | Defenseman | LAK, EDM, NYR, TOR, BOS, SJS, VAN, OTT | 1984–1993 | 193 | 0 |
| Eric Healey | Left Wing | BOS | 2005–2006 | 2 | 0 |
| Joé Juneau | Center | BOS, WSH, BUF, OTT, PHX, MTL | 1991–2004 | 828 | 0 |
| Jason Kasdorf | Goaltender | BUF | 2015–2016 | 1 | 0 |
| Larry Landon | Left Wing | MTL, TOR | 1983–1985 | 9 | 0 |
| Neil Little | Goaltender | PHI | 2001–2004 | 2 | 0 |
| Player | Position | Team(s) | Years | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike McPhee | Forward | , MNS, DAL | 1983–1994 | 744 | 1 |
| Matt Murley | Left Wing | PIT, PHX | 2003–2008 | 62 | 0 |
| Kraig Nienhuis | Left Wing | BOS | 1985–1988 | 87 | 0 |
| Adam Oates | Center | DET, STL, BOS, WSH, PHI, ANA, EDM | 1985–2004 | 1,337 | 0 |
| Brandon Pirri | Center | CHI, FLA, ANA, NYR, VGK | 2010–2021 | 276 | 0 |
| Brian Pothier | Defenseman | ATL, OTT, WSH, CAR | 2000–2010 | 362 | 0 |
| Daren Puppa | Goaltender | BUF, TOR, TBL | 1985–2000 | 429 | 0 |
| George Servinis | Left Wing | MNS | 1987–1988 | 5 | 0 |
| Steve Stoyanovich | Center | HFD | 1983–1984 | 23 | 0 |
| Brad Tapper | Right Wing | ATL | 2000–2003 | 71 | 0 |
| Graeme Townshend | Right Wing | BOS, NYI, OTT | 1989–1994 | 45 | 0 |
| Allen York | Goaltender | CBJ | 2011–2012 | 11 | 0 |
| Mike Zalewski | Left Wing | VAN | 2013–2017 | 6 | 0 |
Source:[15]