Men's Hockey | 7/2/2019 10:00:00 AM

PITTSBURGH -- The Robert Morris University men's hockey team will play its 16th NCAA Division I season in 2019-20, complete with a Penn State home-and-home and a trip to Arizona State to complement a 28-game Atlantic Hockey Association slate.

The Colonials, who have qualified for a record-tying six consecutive Atlantic Hockey semifinals, will embark upon their 10th season in the 11-team AHA on Oct. 11-12, when they host frequent postseason foe Bentley in a two-game series at the RMU Island Sports Center. RMU eliminated Bentley in three of the past four springs, including an epic three-game set this March in the AHA quarterfinal round.

RMU's new season begins a week earlier, though, when the Colonials will challenge Michigan Tech for the first time in program history. RMU hosts the Huskies of the WCHA on Oct. 5-6, starting the 17-game home schedule on an interesting note. The Colonials have faced 43 of the other active 59 D-I programs, with Michigan Tech set to become the 44th.

Sixteen of RMU's home games will take place at Colonials Arena at the RMU Island Sports Center on Neville Island, plus a contest against Penn State of the Big Ten on Saturday, Jan. 11 at PPG Paints Arena. The matchup will mark the 14th consecutive season the Colonials will skate on the home ice of the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins, with the first four of those showcases taking place at Mellon Arena.

Other matchups of interest include a trip to State College, Pa., to face the Nittany Lions on Friday, Oct. 25; that'll be the third consecutive year RMU will invade 'Hockey Valley' and Pegula Ice Arena. Also, the Colonials will play west of Colorado for just the second time in program history when they take on independent Arizona State in Tempe, Arizona, on Jan. 31-Feb. 1. 

"This is an exciting schedule for our hockey program," said head coach Derek Schooley, the only bench boss in team history. "While we continue our home-and-home series with Penn State with our home game at PPG Paints Arena, with a trip to Arizona State and hosting Michigan Tech, we're getting the opportunity to play new opponents that we haven't had the chance to play before."

The two-game set against the up-and-coming Sun Devils will mark the second straight weekend in which the Colonials battle a 2019 NCAA Tournament team. On Jan. 24-25, RMU will host American International, which defeated the Colonials and Niagara this past March, then went on to upset No. 1 overall seed St. Cloud State in the first round of the NCAAs. The AHA postseason champion has won its first round NCAA game in four of the past five years.

View and download the full schedule here.

On Dec. 13-14 at the Island Sports Center, RMU will host a Hockey Fights Cancer Weekend, with league foe Army West Point providing opposition. More details on that event to come at RMUColonials.com and on the Colonials' official social media channels.

Under Schooley, the Colonials have established a tradition of excellence both on and off the ice. In addition to earning three Atlantic Hockey championships (two regular season, one postseason), an NCAA Tournament berth in 2014 and four other tournament titles, RMU has consistently paced the AHA in the classroom since joining the league.

Also, 70 former Colonials have gone on to compete in professional hockey, while two -- the Class of 2012's Furman South and Brandon Blandina -- have worked in the NHL as referees.