Women's Hockey | 6/11/2013 11:57:00 AM

Click here for complete 2013-14 schedule

ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT women's hockey team unveiled its schedule for the 2013-14 season on Tuesday, June 11. The Tigers, who enter their second season at the Division I level, will play 34 regular season games and one exhibition contest. RIT will play 16 regular season home games in its final season at Ritter Arena on the campus of RIT and its first outdoor game at Frontier Field.

On Dec. 14, the Tigers make history by playing its first outdoor game in program history, hosting ECAC foe Clarkson, a 2013 NCAA Tournament participant at noon. It is part of a doubleheader, with the men hosting Niagara that evening at 7:05 p.m. On Sept. 28, RIT also opens the regular season by traveling north to play Clarkson.

“We are so excited about the outdoor game in December,” said RIT Head Coach Scott McDonald.  “To have the opportunity to play outside in downtown Rochester is an experience we will never forget.  We are truly blessed to have the support at RIT to play at Frontier Field.”

RIT competes in College Hockey America, alongside Lindenwood, Mercyhurst, Penn State, Robert Morris, and Syracuse. The Tigers will play four games against each opponent, two at home, and two on the road, and is eligible for the postseason tournament. Last season, RIT advanced to the CHA Semifinals.

On Friday, Sept. 27, RIT hosts the Toronto Junior Aeros of the Provincial Women's Hockey League in an exhibition contest at 5 p.m. After traveling to face New Hampshire and Northeastern of Hockey East on Oct. 4-5, the Tigers spend the rest of October at home, with six consecutive non-conference contests.

The Tigers welcome Vermont to Ritter Arena on Oct. 11-12 as part of Brick City Homecoming and Family Weekend.  The following weekend, RIT will be the designated road team against Colgate at the Bill Gray's Regional Iceplex on the campus of Monroe Community College on Oct. 18, then host the Raiders at Ritter Arena the following evening. RIT completes its home stand with a pair of games against Brown on Oct. 25-26.

Other non-conference contests include a trip to Hamden, Conn. Right after Thanksgiving to play in the Quinnipiac Tournament with Quinnipiac, Yale and the University of Connecticut on Nov. 29-30, then ring in 2014 with a pair of road games at ECAC foe Union on Jan. 3-4.

“I think this is another exciting schedule for this upcoming season,” said McDonald, now entering his eighth season at RIT.  “We have a handful of new opponents plus a couple of return games from last season.  Playing new opponents on the road every year will continue to grow our program by seeing different venues, campuses and competing against schools in different conferences.”

RIT plays its final 12 games against conference foes, including four against rival Syracuse in a span of six weeks.  The Tigers host Syracuse for a single game on Jan. 10, then travel to face the Orange on the road a week later before playing a home-and-home to end the regular season on Feb. 21-22. The two teams developed a contentious, competitive rivalry, with all five meetings ending in either a tie or one-goal difference, three ending to overtime.

The Tigers open league play with two games in the central time zone at Lindenwood University on Nov. 8-9, The Lady Lions make the return trip to Rochester for a pair of games on Jan. 24-25. RIT hosts Penn State, also in its second season as a Division I program in a pair of games at Ritter Arena on Nov. 15-16 before traveling to brand new Pegula Ice Arena for two games on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1. RIT defeated Penn State in a pair of hard fought CHA First Round playoff games en route to a 5-0-1 mark against them last season.

The Tigers welcome defending CHA Champion Mercyhurst to Ritter Arena for two games on Nov. 22-23 before making the return trip to Erie for a pair of contests on Feb. 7-8. Mercyhurst is 365-99-30 since becoming a Division I program in 1999. The Lakers have made eight straight NCAA Tournament appearances and are 144-9-9 in CHA play. RIT also heads to Robert Morris for two games on Dec. 6-7, and hosts the Colonials on Feb. 14-15 at Ritter Arena. RIT went 3-0-1 against Robert Morris last season.

The 2013 College Hockey America playoffs begin with a best-of-three series for the third through sixth place finishers from Feb. 28-March 2. The top two teams get a first round bye. The CHA Tournament Semifinals and Championship will be held on March 7-8 at the home of the regular season champion. Mercyhurst was last season's league champion.

RIT is ineligible to compete in the NCAA Tournament until the 2014-15 season due to a mandatory two-year probationary period when moving up from Division III to Division I. RIT enjoyed a very successful first season at the Division I level in 2012-13, finishing with a 16-16-5 record. RIT finished tied for third in the College Hockey America standings and advanced to the conference semifinals.

Beginning in 2014-15, RIT will move to the Gene Polisseni Center, a brand new, state of the arena that will seat 4,500 fans. RIT has played in Ritter Arena since its inception in 1975.

“We have a great upcoming home schedule for the RIT faithful,” said McDonald, who has a 151-38-15 record in seven seasons behind the RIT bench.  “With this being our last season in Ritter Arena, we want to make sure this year is memorable for our alums and community.  Opponents are aware of our great crowds and atmosphere in Ritter Arena and we are seeing more and more schools visiting RIT than any other year. This should be an exciting year to close out our time at Ritter Arena”

Season and single game ticket information will be released at a later date at www.ritathletics.com and www.rithockey.com.