RIT Men's Ice Hockey Schedule 2011-2012
ROCHESTER, NY – The three-time defending Atlantic Hockey Association regular season champion RIT men’s hockey team unveiled its
2011-12 schedule on Monday. The Tigers, now entering their seventh season at the Division I level, will play 34 regular season games and one exhibition contest. RIT, just two years removed from a Frozen Four Appearance in 2010, will play 16 regular season home games at Ritter Arena on the campus of RIT and one regular season contest at the Blue Cross Arena in downtown Rochester.
The Tigers will play ECAC rival St. Lawrence University at Blue Cross Arena during Brick City Homecoming and Family Weekend on Saturday, October 15 at 7:05 p.m. It is the third straight year RIT will be home during its annual homecoming weekend. Last year, RIT drew a sellout crowd of 10,556 fans during Brick City Weekend against UMass Lowell. It was the largest regular season crowd RIT has ever played in front of and just the fourth sellout at Blue Cross Arena for any sporting event since 1995.
On Saturday, October 1, RIT hosts Brock University of Ontario in an exhibition contest at 7:05 p.m.
RIT jumps right into Atlantic Hockey Association regular season play with a home contest against rival Niagara on October 8 at Ritter Arena, starting at 7:05 p.m.
RIT will host its annual Skate With the Tigers event on October 29 at 5 p.m.
The Tigers will play AHA western pod foes Air Force, Canisius, Mercyhurst, Niagara, and Robert Morris three times, and play two games apiece against eastern teams American International, Army, Bentley, Connecticut, Holy Cross, and Sacred Heart. In all, 27 of RIT’s 34 games will be against Atlantic Hockey Association opponents.
Out of conference, The Tigers host ECAC foes Union on Oct. 22 and Rensselaer on Nov. 25. Both teams appeared in the 2011 NCAA Division I Tournament. RIT travels to Burlington, Vermont on December 29-30 to play in the prestigious Catamount Cup hosted by the University of Vermont. There, RIT will play CCHA foes Lake Superior State and Ferris State for the first time.
RIT will ring in 2012 with two games against Wisconsin of the WCHA on January 6-7, at the Kohl Center, which holds 15,237 fans. It will be the first meeting between the two schools since Wisconsin ended RIT’s dream season at the Frozen Four in 2010 in front of 34,954 fans at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. RIT could play in front of its largest regular season crowd in program history that weekend.
RIT plays one game at Ritter Arena against Air Force, the defending Atlantic Hockey Champions on November 11 at 7:05 p.m. The Tigers then travel west to play two games at Air Force on February 3-4. The Tigers play rival Canisius in Buffalo on October 20 and February 9, and conclude the season series at home on February 11. The Tigers play single road games at Mercyhurst, Niagara, and Robert Morris, while hosting each team twice at Ritter Arena.
RIT plays its final 14 games against conference foes. The Tigers host AHA competitors Army, Holy Cross, and American International, and travel to Connecticut, Sacred Heart, and Bentley. The two games against Sacred Heart on January 14-15 will be played at Harbor Yard at Bridgeport, home of the American Hockey League’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
The Atlantic Hockey Association playoffs begin with a best-of-three series for the fifth through twelfth place finishers from March 2-4. The top four teams get a first round bye. Quarterfinal action will be held at the top-four sites from March 9-11. The Atlantic Hockey Association Tournament Semifinals and Championship will be held on March 16-17 at the Blue Cross Arena for the sixth straight season.
RIT will look to earn its second berth in the NCAA Tournament as a Division I program. The 2012 NCAA Division I Tournament begins on March 23, and ends with the Frozen Four on April 5 and April 7 at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida. The Tigers are just two seasons removed from a magical run to the 2010 Frozen Four.
Season and single game ticket information will be released at a later date at
www.ritathletics.com.
From RIT Sports Information
