RPI Engineers men's ice hockey

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 (ECACH). They play at the Houston Field House in Troy, New York.[2][3]

"Puck man" redirects here. For The video game originally known as PUCKMAN, see Pac-Man.
RPI Engineers
Current season
UniversityRensselaer Polytechnic Institute
ConferenceECAC
First season1901–02
Head coachDave Smith
3rd season, 33–65–9 (.350)
Captain(s)Will Reilly
Patrick Polino
Chase Zieky
T. J. Samec
Shane Bear
ArenaHouston Field House
Capacity: 4,800
Surface: 200' x 85'
LocationTroy, New York
ColorsCherry and White[1]
         
NCAA Tournament championships
1954, 1985
NCAA Tournament Frozen Four
1953, 1954, 1961, 1964, 1985
NCAA Tournament appearances
1953, 1954, 1961, 1964, 1984, 1985, 1994, 1995, 2011
Conference Tournament championships
1984, 1985, 1995
Conference regular season championships
1952, 1953, 1954, 1984, 1985
Current uniform
The RPI starting lineup before a November 2014 game against Michigan

History

Men's ice hockey at RPI dates back to 1901 and is one of the oldest programs in the United States.[4] The team played as an independent NCAA Division I team from its inception in 1901 through 1938.[4] 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.[4] 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.[4] After a six-year drought the program again made the NCAA Tournament in 1961, finishing fourth.[4] 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.[5]

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.[6] 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.

Traditions

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.[7] 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.

Season

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.

Season-by-season results[8]
Main article: List of RPI Engineers men's ice hockey seasons

Records vs. Current ECAC Hockey Teams

As of the completion of 2018–19 season[9]

School Team Away Arena Overall Record Win % Last Result
Brown University Bears Meehan Auditorium 63–30–9 .662 0-3 L
Clarkson University Golden Knights Cheel Arena 51–97–11 .355 2-5 L
Colgate University Raiders Class of 1965 Arena 65–63–5 .508 1-2 L (OT)
Cornell University Big Red Lynah Rink 38–63–11 .388 3-2 W
Dartmouth College Big Green Thompson Arena 46–42–11 .520 2-5 L
Harvard University Crimson Bright-Landry Hockey Center 37–58–8 .398 1-3 L
Princeton University Tigers Hobey Baker Memorial Rink 69–37–11 .637 6-2 W
Quinnipiac University Bobcats People's United Center 7–17–9 .348 1-2
St. Lawrence University Saints Appleton Arena 60–83–7 .423 6-5 W
Union College Dutchmen Achilles Rink 53–40–11 .563 0-0 T
Yale University Bulldogs Ingalls Rink 57–52–6 .522 0-4 L

Head coaches

As of the completion of 2019–20 season[10]

Tenure Coach Years Record Pct.
1901–1904, 1906–1917, 1923–1924No Coach1514–34–3.304
1917–1923Leroy Clark63–17–1.167
1924–1925W. J. Cook12–2–0.500
1925–1931, 1936–1937Marvin Callan86–20–2.250
1949–1963Ned Harkness14176–96–7.643
1963–1964Rube Bjorkman118–8–0.692
1964–1969Garry Kearns544–63–4.414
1969–1972Leon Abbott341–31–4.566
1972–1979Jim Salfi7103–94–7.522
1979–1989Mike Addesa10186–124–9.597
1989–1994Buddy Powers594–63–13.591
1994–2006Dan Fridgen12211–193–38.520
2006–2017Seth Appert11152–221–48.418
2017–PresentDave Smith333–65–9.350
Totals 13 coaches 101 seasons 1083–1031–145 .512

Current roster

As of January 26, 2021.[11]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1 Linden Marshall Senior G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1998-07-21 Victoria, British Columbia Trail (BCHL) —
2 Simon Kjellberg Sophomore D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2000-02-17 Nashville, Tennessee Dubuque (USHL) NYR, 163rd overall 2018
3 Lauri Sertti Freshman D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1999-07-11 Espoo, Finland Amarillo (NAHL) —
4 Mason Klee Sophomore D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1999-10-04 Morrison, Colorado Sioux Falls (USHL) —
6 Brady Ferner Junior D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1997-08-27 Dakota Dunes, South Dakota Sioux City (USHL) —
7 Nick Bowman Junior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1997-12-19 Shelby, Michigan Coulee Region (NAHL) —
8 James McIsaac Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1999-04-29 Winnipeg, Manitoba Brooks (AJHL) —
10 Dylan Davies Freshman D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2001-02-09 Traverse City, Michigan Sioux Falls (USHL) —
11 Ottoville Leppänen Junior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1998-06-18 Espoo, Finland Blues U20 (Nuorten SM-liiga) —
12 Henri Schreifels Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2000-07-01 Newbury Park, California Victoria (BCHL) —
13 Tommy Lee Junior F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 160 lb (73 kg) 1997-12-07 Calgary, Alberta Chilliwack (BCHL) —
14 Zach Dubinsky Sophomore F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2000-03-14 Highland Park, Illinois Lincoln (USHL) —
15 Altti Nykänen Freshman F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2001-09-26 Vihti, Finland Bishop's College (CISAA) —
16 Rory Herrman Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1999-03-16 Poway, California Fargo (USHL) —
17 John Beaton Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2000-10-30 Stittsville, Ontario Youngstown (USHL) —
18 Daniel DiGrande Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1997-08-05 Macomb, Michigan Green Bay (USHL) —
19 Ture Linden Junior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1997-07-06 Great Falls, Virginia Lone Star (NAHL) —
20 Billy Jerry Senior F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1997-11-21 River Falls, Wisconsin Madison (USHL) —
21 Louie Helsen Sophomore D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1998-06-08 Dallas, Texas Amarillo (NAHL) —
22 Cory Babichuk Sophomore D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1998-09-28 Edmonton, Alberta Spruce Grove (AJHL) —
23 Jake Johnson Junior D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1998-08-13 Bloomington, Minnesota Cedar Rapids (USHL) —
24 Jack Brackett Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2000-12-31 Manassas, Virginia Powell River (BCHL) —
25 Ryan Mahshie Sophomore F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1999-04-05 Stoney Creek, Ontario Brooks (AJHL) —
26 Shane Sellar Graduate F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1997-06-14 Carlisle, Pennsylvania Dartmouth (ECAC) —
27 Jake Gagnon Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1999-11-04 Pointe-Claire Wellington (OJHL) —
28 Kyle Hallbauer Junior D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1997-03-02 Howell, New Jersey Lone Star (NAHL) —
30 Brett Miller Freshman G 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-04-26 Northville, Michigan Austin (NAHL) —
38 Alec Calvaruso Senior G 6' 2" (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1998-07-09 Livonia, Michigan Sioux Falls (USHL) —
39 Jakub Lacka Junior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1998-11-20 Bratislava, Slovakia Central Illinois (USHL) —

Statistical Leaders[12]

Career points leaders
Player Years GP G A Pts PIM
Frank Chiarelli 1951–1955 80 155 110 265 43
John Carter 1982–1986 131 117 108 225 207
Adam Oates 1982–1985 98 66 150 216 52
Bob Brinkworth 1961–1964 71 110 106 216 20
Joé Juneau 1987–1991 124 69 144 213 157
Paul Midghall 1956–1959 63 93 118 211 118
Abbie Moore 1951–1954 61 102 104 206 22
Bryan Richardson 1992–1996 141 80 113 193 146
Jerry Knightley 1962–1965 71 90 97 187 99
Mark Jooris 1982–1986 117 84 99 183 70

Career Goaltending Leaders

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
Owen Savory2018–Present492839182451076.9292.26
Jason Kasdorf2012–2016885025383792007.9202.39
Allen York2008–2011834898373482024.9142.47
Nathan Marsters2000–200411566385750628210.9172.55
Bryce Merriam2009–2013563102183051343.9032.59

Statistics current through the start of the 2020–21 season.

Awards and honors

Individual Awards

All-Americans

AHCA First Team All-Americans

AHCA Second Team All-Americans

Individual Awards

All-Conference

First Team All-ECAC Hockey

Second Team All-ECAC Hockey

Third Team All-ECAC Hockey

  • 2005–06: Keith McWilliams, D; Kevin Croxton, F
  • 2006–07: Jake Luthi, D
  • 2010–11: Allen York, G

ECAC Hockey All-Rookie Team

Engineers in the NHL[15]
= NHL All-Star Team = NHL All-Star[16] = NHL All-Star[16] and NHL All-Star Team = Hall of Famers

References
  1. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Brand Style Guidelines (PDF). Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  2. "RPI Engineers – Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Athletics Facilities".
  3. "Inside College Hockey – Rensselaer Engineers".
  4. "Statistics". USCHO.com.
  5. "ECAC Hockey" (PDF).
  6. "RPI Hockey FAQ". Retrieved 2010-03-03.
  7. "at the beginning of the Hockey Line". RPI History Revealed. 2009-09-08. Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
  8. "Rensselaer Men's Hockey Results by Season" (PDF). RPI Engineers. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  9. "Rensselaer Men's Hockey Record vs. Opponents" (PDF). RPI Engineers. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  10. "Rensselaer Men's Hockey Head Coaches" (PDF). RPI Engineers. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  11. "RPI Engineers – 2020–21 Men's Hockey Roster".
  12. "Rensselaer Men's Hockey Career Records" (PDF). RPI Engineers. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  13. "Legends of Hockey". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
  14. "United States Hockey Hall of Fame". Hockey Central.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
  15. "Alumni report for R.P.I." Hockey DB. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  16. Players are identified as an All-Star if they were selected for the All-Star game at any time in their career.
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