Men's Hockey | 8/25/2010 2:50:24 PM
ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT men's hockey team will play the Robert Morris Colonials on Thursday, December 30 at 3 p.m. at the Consol Energy Center, brand new home of the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins. This contest will replace the game that was originally scheduled on Friday, February 18 at Robert Morris and is part of the Penguins' weeklong celebration of hockey in the week leading up to the 2011 Bridgestone Winter Classic.
The Penguins will the Washington Capitals in the 2011 Bridgestone Winter Classic at Heinz Field, home of the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, January 1. The RIT-Robert Morris game will be part of a doubleheader at Consol Energy Center, as the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins take on the Hershey Bears in an American Hockey League contest at 7:30 p.m.
The Atlantic Hockey Association contest will pit defending conference champion RIT against Robert Morris, who joins the league for the 2010-11 season. It will be the second of three meetings between the two schools, as RIT hosts the first contest at Ritter Arena on October 29, and Robert Morris hosts on February 19.
“This is a great opportunity and I am very proud that our program is able be a part of the Winter Classic,” said RIT Head Coach
Wayne Wilson, winner of the 2010 Spencer Penrose Award as the Division I Coach of the Year. “We play a very good team in Robert Morris in a brand new, state-of-the-art arena, which will be a great experience for us.”
RIT fans can not only see their favorite current Tigers in action on December 30, but also a pair of popular former players to wear the Orange and Black, as
Steve Pinizzotto (Mississauga, ON/Oakville Blades) and
Jared DeMichiel (Avon, CT/) could be in the lineup for Hershey. Pinizzotto has played the past three seasons for the Bears, helping lead the squad to back-to-back Calder Cup Championships. DeMichiel signed with the Bears last month and will vie for a spot on the roster.
Wilson has a direct connection to a pair of executives on each NHL team playing in the Winter Classic. Wilson played with Capitals Vice President and General Manager George McPhee and Director of Player Personnel Brian MacLellan at Bowling Green. In addition, Wilson coached Pittsburgh Head Coach Dan Bylsma and Assistant Coach Todd Reirden, as an assistant at Bowling Green.
RIT, now in its sixth season at the Division I level, won the 2010 Atlantic Hockey Championship, NCAA East Regional, and made an historic run to the NCAA Frozen Four, setting a team record with 28 wins.
Robert Morris finished the 2009-10 season with a 10-19-6 record, including a 6-9-3 mark in College Hockey America. The Colonials advanced to the CHA Semifinals.
“This is the first of a series of events we'll be announcing to celebrate all levels of hockey in the week leading up to the Winter Classic,” said James Santilli, the Penguins' vice president of marketing. “The doubleheader is a great way to showcase AHL hockey and NCAA hockey and give those players the opportunity to play in a new NHL arena.”
One ticket will allow fans to attend both games of the doubleheader. Ticket pricing and an on-sale date will be announced in the near future.
The $320 million Consol Energy Center is the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold-certified NHL arena. The Consol Energy Center opened on August 18 with a performance by Paul McCartney. For hockey, the capacity is 18,087.
In addition, the Consol Energy Center will also host the 2013 NCAA Frozen Four. The Penguins will open the arena with a preseason game against the Detroit Red Wings on September 22. The first regular season game will be on October 7 against the Philadelphia Flyers.
