TROY, N.Y. – The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's hockey team will play 34 regular season games during the 2019-20 season, including 15 at the Houston Field House. The schedule features 10 games against 2019 NCAA Tournament teams, including two with national runners-up University of Massachusetts. Rensselaer will also face Canisius College for the first time in program history."I am excited for our 2019-20 season and the challenges that every new season brings," said head coach. "We have a balanced schedule that has us playing top programs from top conferences. Every year we try to go east and west so we can experience all of college hockey. Our players are excited for the special games such as the Mayors Cup, Blackout and The Big Red Freakout. Every non-conference game helps prepare us for the battle within ECAC Hockey."The Engineers host Brock University in an exhibition game on Saturday, October 5, before opening regular season play on October 11 at national runners-up UMass. RPI then heads to the University of Connecticut the following night for the first of back-to-back meetings with the Huskies.UConn comes to the Houston Field House on October 18 for the home opener and Family Weekend at RPI, followed by the first ever meeting between the Engineers and Canisius the following night.Rensselaer then drops the puck on ECAC Hockey play at area-rival Union College (Oct. 25), before concluding that home-and-home series in Troy (Oct. 26). The Engineers, who captured the Capital Skates for the third time in five years last season, then welcome St. Lawrence University and Clarkson University to town the following weekend to complete one of their two three-game homestands on the year.A road trip to Princeton University and Quinnipiac University follows on November 15 and 16. A split home-and-away weekend follows with the Engineers hosting league-foe Harvard University on Friday (Nov. 22), before visiting the Golden Griffins on Saturday (Nov. 23).The Engineers close out the month of November with a non-league trip to UMass Lowell (Nov. 29) and Merrimack College (Nov. 30). The meeting with the Warriors will be the first since the 2005-06 season. RPI finishes the first half with a pair of ECAC Hockey home games against Yale University (Dec. 6) and Brown University (Dec. 7).Rensselaer hosts the Minutemen to begin the second half (Dec. 29), before making its annual North Country trip to take on the Golden Knights (Jan. 3) and Saints (Jan. 4) the next weekend.Cornell University and Colgate University come to Troy on January 10 and 11, respectively, before the Engineers head to Brown and Yale the next weekend. The eighth edition of the Mayor's Cup is scheduled for Saturday, January 25 at the Times Union Center, where the Dutchmen hold a three-game unbeaten streak (2-0-1).After a home league matchup with Dartmouth (Jan. 31), RPI will host the University of Vermont in the 43rd Annual Big Red Freakout! the next night. The Engineers and Catamounts have tied all three previous meetings in the event, including their most recent matchup on February 3, 2001.RPI embarks on its final non-league road trip on February 7 and 8, traveling to Western Michigan University for a two-game series. The Engineers then wrap up a four-game road trip at the Raiders (Feb. 14) and Big Red (Feb. 15).The 2019-20 home schedule concludes the next weekend, with Quinnipiac (Feb. 21) and Princeton (Feb. 22) coming to town. Saturday will be Senior Night for the Class of 2020. Visits to Harvard (Feb. 28) and Dartmouth (Feb. 29) close out the regular season.ECAC Hockey Tournament play begins on March 6 and run through March 21 with the semifinals and championship set for Lake Placid.Rensselaer will play seven games against Hockey East schools, two against teams from the NCHC and two from Atlantic Hockey.