Friday, December 13, 2013

Get Out the Fine Cutlery

We don't see an awful lot of western powers at the Field House - that's just the way it goes. We don't even really see a lot of eastern powers at the Field House either with the notable exceptions of Boston University and New Hampshire, a pair of teams that have made fairly regular appearances.

Besides the Terriers (and Cornell, who has to show up every year), consider when the last time teams that have won multiple national championships since the 1960s have been to Troy.

Lake Superior State: 1997-98 (not counting the 2009-10 RPI tournament, where they did not face RPI)
Boston College: 1994-95
Maine: 1994-95
Denver: 1981-82
North Dakota: 1981-82 (not counting the NCAA tournament appearance in 1984)
Michigan: 1976-77
Wisconsin: 1970-71
Michigan Tech: 1967-68
Minnesota: 1962-63
Michigan State: 1958-59

So... yeah, it just doesn't happen very frequently.

Now, that could all be changing in the near future. We do know that Michigan is coming to the Capital District for a game against both RPI and Union in 2015-16, so that's kind of exciting. With the new quality win bonus giving extra props for winning on the road, we may see some of these teams sooner rather than later.

But for now, it's still the first opportunity to see RPI play a team outside of Cornell and BU with multiple national titles since the Kennedy assassination... at home.

Denver also will be the first opponent from the new NCHC, which is exciting as well. Throw in the return of former RPI assistant Jim Montgomery (who also coached Luke Curadi and Milos Bubela in Dubuque), Seth Appert competing against his former team (and the team against which he earned his first win as a head coach), and the backdrop of the ECAC potentially having one of the highest non-conference records of all the conferences this season, and it's some pretty fun stuff.

Oh, and just for even more excitement for the fans, it's a three-night hockey weekend as the Engineers play an exhibition against the US Under-18 team on Sunday.

Give us no excuses. Get yourself to the Field House. And turn your speakers up so we can drop some bass.


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