Rensselaer Engineers The Rensselaer Engineers ( commonly referred to as the RPI Engineers ) are a team in the ECAC Hockey League in Men ' s Division I and a Women ' s Division I Independent in Women ' s Division I . In 2006 , the women ' s team will join the ECAC Hockey League . History of Rensselaer Men ' s Hockey . Rensselaer boasts one of the oldest intercollegiate hockey programs in the East , playing its first game in 1902 across the Hudson River in Cohoes , NY , losing to Williams . For the first ten years of the student - run program , the team played very few games on its schedule , and the " home " games were all scheduled in nearby Albany , NY . Early History . In 1912 , the school built an outdoor rink on campus , along what was then known as Avenue B ( today ' s Sage Avenue ) at the site of what is now Anderson Field . The rectangular rink was home to the team for the remainder of its first incarnation . The team had its first official coach in 1917 when Leroy Clark , a professor at the Institute , took the helm . He would coach the team until 1923 . Hockey at Rensselaer remained relatively unprofessional through this era , as the rink was highly susceptible to flooding and there were no seats for spectators to watch games . Marvin Callan was hired to coach the fledgling team in 1925 , but after continued difficulty with ice maintenance , the team was put on hiatus in 1931 . The team was brought back under Callan in 1936 after an independent group of students played a game against Union College , but only officially played one game that year . After a dismal showing in 1938 , the team was again shelved , and appeared to be gone for good after the onset of World War II . The Harkness Era . Following the war , Institute President Livingston Houston , a Rensselaer alumnus and former hockey player , and Ned Harkness , the school ' s lacrosse coach , spurred interest in reviving the hockey program by building an indoor rink on campus to better facilitate rink management . Through a federal grant to assist in veterans ' learning , a Navy warehouse was brought to campus and used to construct the RPI Field House , today known as the Houston Field House , after the man who brought hockey back to Rensselaer . Harkness was named the team ' s new head coach , and after 12 years on the shelf , RPI hockey returned in January 1950 . The team went 4 - 6 - 0 in its first year under Harkness . Later that year , Rensselaer joined Clarkson , Colgate , Middlebury , St . Lawrence , and Williams in creating the Tri - State League in time for the 1950 - 51 season . In 1951 , Harkness helped devise the RPI Holiday Tournament to be held at RPI Field House . Although the format and time of the season in which it is held has changed over the years , it has been held every year since its inception , making it the oldest in - season college hockey tournament in the United States . Harkness used the tournament to attract higher quality teams to play in Troy . Under Harkness ' leadership , Rensselaer became one of the dominating forces early on in the Tri - State League , reaching the 1953 NCAA semifinals in only the fourth year of the team ' s rebirth . The following year , the team took a step further , advancing to the 1954 NCAA semifinals and winning the national championship game as huge underdogs against Minnesota 5 - 4 in the first national title game to go into overtime . The game winning goal in the extra period was scored by Gordie Peterkin , and Abbie Moore would be named the series ' Most Outstanding Player . Among the most noteworthy members of the national championship game was Frank Chiarelli , who set many scoring records that still exist to this day . Rensselaer remained competitive throughout the 1950s and into the early 1960s under Harkness , returning to the NCAA tournament in 1961 . The following year , the Engineers , along with fellow Tri - State teams Clarkson and St . Lawrence , joined the fledgling ECAC , where they remain today . In 1963 , Ned Harkness would leave Rensselaer for Cornell , where he would add to his already legendary status . His replacement was Rube Bjorkman , who led the Engineers to the 1964 NCAA Tournament after posting an 18 - 8 record in the 1963 - 64 campaign . The team ultimately finished in third nationwide , but Bjorkman would leave the Engineers for New Hampshire after his first season at the helm , leaving the team aimless . A New Beginning . Garry Kearns , a five - foot - two forward for the Engineers in the late 1950s , left his architecture practice in the Capital District to return to his alma mater as the head coach . Bjorkman had left the team in shambles with a poor recruiting effort , and for Kearns ' first three years , the team was rather uncompetitive in the ECAC . This led to discussions that the team should drop to a lower classification in order to avoid embarassment . Kearns , however , lobbied to keep the team playing at the highest levels . He began to recruit heavily in Ontario , and when the Engineers ' Doug Hearns scored on the legendary Ken Dryden in overtime to defeat Harkness and his high - flying Cornell team to kick off the 1968 - 69 ECAC season , talk of dropping classification ceased . By the end of Kearns ' tenure in 1969 , he had returned the team to respectability . Kearns ' win - loss record is among the worst among Rensselaer ' s head coaches , but his role in leading the program through the most difficult period in its post - war history was important . He remains the only post - war coach to have attended the Institute . Leon Abbott , Kearns ' replacement behind the bench , led the Engineers for three seasons , eventually restoring the team to their winning ways before leaving to become head coach at Boston University . Jim Salfi came to RPI from Penn , where he had successfully taken the Quakers to the varsity level . Salfi took over for Abbott in 1972 and would stay behind the Engineer bench for the remainder of the 1970s . The team stayed competitive during the Salfi years , maintaining the team ' s status as a respected club but not advancing the team to higher levels . It was during Salfi ' s later years that the Big Red Freakout ! was developed . Return to Glory . In 1979 , Salfi left RPI and was replaced by Holy Cross coach Mike Addesa . Addesa almost immediately began lobbying for the Institute to allow athletic scholarships in order to help the small technical university in recruiting against bigger state schools . Scholarships were finally implemented in the early 1980s , and dividends began paying off almost immediately . Rensselaer began securing some of the top talents available , including now famous Engineers such as Adam Oates , Ken Hammond , George Servinis , and Daren Puppa . In the 1983 - 84 season , Addesa led the now juggernaut status Engineers to a 28 - 4 - 0 regular season record en route to the school ' s first ever regular season ECAC championship , a precursor to the team ' s first ECAC title , defeating Boston University 5 - 2 at Boston Garden in the last ECAC tournament before the Hockey East split . The team was favored to make an NCAA tournament run , but were upset by the North Dakota Fighting Sioux in two games at Houston Field House , ending the Engineers season . The next season , however , the powerhouse Engineers blazed a trail through the regular season , losing only once in - conference and only twice all season long , amassing an amazing 35 - 2 - 1 record , including an incredible 30 - game winning streak , ending the season with a 33 - game unbeaten streak and two heart - stopping victories in the 1985 Frozen Four , defeating Brett Hull ' s Minnesota - Duluth Bulldogs 6 - 5 in triple overtime before overcoming Providence in the championship game , 2 - 1 , for Rensselaer ' s second national championship victory . The Engineers kicked off the 1985 - 86 season without many of their stars who had brought them to glory the previous year , but still began the season 5 - 0 - 1 , extending the unbeaten streak to an all - time record of 39 games before losing to Yale at Houston Field House . RPI proceeded to win their next six games after the loss , amassing an outstanding run of 1 loss in 46 straight games played . After the 1985 triumph , the team cooled off quite a bit , falling off from the upper reaches of the ECAC table , but still remaining competitive . The future looked bright with Addesa at the helm and a young forward named Joe Juneau beginning to light up goaltender s , but an incident in 1989 brought Addesa ' s college coaching career to an unfortunate end . It was reported that Addesa directed a racial slur at Graeme Townshend , an Engineer forward who was an African - American . Public and internal outrage over the incident led to Adessa ' s resignation from the team . He was replaced by RIT head coach Buddy Powers . Powers and Fridgen . The Engineers under Powers began returning to the upper reaches of the ECAC . Powers was with the team for the first half of the 1990s , and the team continually improved under his direction , with such players as Juneau , Brad Layzell , Ron Pasco , and Neil Little at his disposal . The team qualified for the ECAC Final Four each year but Powers ' sophomore season behind the bench . In 1994 , the team returned to the ECAC Championship Game and the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1985 , but Powers would leave the team for Bowling Green following the 1993 - 94 campaign . Assistant coach Dan Fridgen was his replacement . In Fridgen ' s first year as head coach , the Engineers won their first ECAC Championship in ten years , winning the 1995 ECAC Tournament and advancing to the NCAA tournament , losing 3 - 0 to Minnesota . Through the remainder of the 1990s , Rensselaer remained one of the premier teams in the ECAC , playing in the Lake Placid tournament five of seven years during the 1990 s . The team was led in the late 1990s by some exceptional players , including Eric Healey , Danny Riva , Brian Pothier , Pete Gardiner , and Joel Laing . The beginning of the 21st century saw the emergence of two local stars , Matt Murley and Marc Cavosie . Along with Brad Tapper , these players made up a spectacular scoring trio . In 2003 , NCAA Proposition 65 threatened to take away the Institute ' s ability to give out athletic scholarships . Together with other small schools , the proposition was successfully defeated , helping to allow the team to remain competitive in the future . Rensselaer is one of five Division III schools competing at the Division I level , the others are Clarkson , Colorado College , St . Lawrence , and Union . Women ' s program . History . Although Ivy League schools were sponsoring varsity women ' s hockey years earlier , Rensselaer ' s women ' s team began as a student - sponsored club team during the 1976 - 77 season , splitting its home games between Houston Field House and the Knickerbacker Arena in North Troy . Rensselaer ' s student body , traditionally mostly male , simply did not have enough women interested or able to play hockey prior to this time . During the 1970s and early 1980s the team often struggled to stay solvent , most often due to lack of interest as the number of women at the Institute was still relatively low . The success of the men ' s varsity team in the mid - 1980s gave the team a shot in the arm as interest increased . Through the remainder of the decade and into the 1990s , the team was increasingly competitive among other club teams . In 1992 , senior undergraduate Ryan Stone took over as the team ' s head coach and stayed on as he remained at the Institute to attend graduate school . Under Stone , the team reached new heights . Rensselaer participated in the 1994 AWCHA championships and won the national club title . The team would host the 1995 AWCHA championships , but lost in the semifinals to Minnesota before defeating Colgate to finish the tournament in third place , the team ' s last game as a club team . In 1995 , the team was elevated to the varsity level , competing in Division III . Division III . Stone remained at the helm as the team made the transition to varsity status . The first few years in Division III were difficult , but the team continued to stay competitive , attaining a winning overall record in the 1997 - 98 and reaching the playoffs in 1998 - 99 . In that year , forward Bridget LaNoir became the first woman in RPI history to be named a hockey All - American . During the late 1990s , the team was among the best in the ECAC North , vying with Middlebury for the top of the division . The team was led by forwards LaNoir ( who would later return as an assistant coach ) , Cindy Acropolis , and Talia Acampora , all of whom still hold team scoring records , and supported in net by Nina Lynch , who still owns records for career victories and shutouts . Stone finished his doctorate studies left the team after the 1999 - 2000 season , and was replaced by men ' s assistant Bill Cahill . Cahill had formerly been the interim men ' s coach following the departure of Mike Addesa , and had been the head coach of the men ' s program at Norwich , his alma mater , before returning to RPI in 1995 . Cahill ' s first season was difficult , as the team lost Acropolis , Acampora , and Lynch to graduation , and the Engineers finished near the middle of the pack in the ECAC rather than near the top as had become the norm . When the ECAC was split following the 2000 - 01 season , the Engineers were placed in the ECAC East league . The 2001 - 02 season was a year of improvement , but the team again finished in the middle of the smaller league . The 2002 - 03 season was a breakthrough for the team , as Cahill ' s style and recruitment classes began to set in . The team went 17 - 3 - 0 in the ECAC East and won 20 games for the first time in Division III . The team advanced to the ECAC East Championship game against Manhattanville , but lost a close game , just missing out on the NCAA tournament . With Cahill behind the bench , the team seemed to be ready to take the next step , but Cahill ' s sudden death in October 2003 from a heart attack dealt a blow to a team on the way up . Again , the Institute turned to a men ' s assistant to fill the void , this time choosing John Burke . The team bounced back very well , again finishing near the top of the ECAC East , reaching the ECAC East Championship game for the second straight year , again losing to Manhattanville . On January 12 , 2004 , following the defeat of Proposition 65 , the Institute announced that the team would be elevated to the Division I level in time for the 2005 - 06 season , which had been one of Cahill ' s major goals for the team . The team spent its last season in Division III during the 2004 - 05 season , which was very similar to its previous two campaigns , playing well and being among the best teams in the nation , but ultimately being unable to solve Manhattanville . Among the noteworthy players during the Engineers ' last years in Division III were Sara Riel and Lane Dielwart on defense , forwards Christin Sauca , Katie Woodward , Julie Welte , and Julie Aho , and the goaltending platoon of Julie Vallarelli and Rosina Schiff . The Engineers final season in Division III was the 2004 - 05 season . In that season , the Engineers qualified to the championship game of the ECAC East Tournament . It was their second consecutive season in the championship . That season , RPI had 21 wins , comparted to only six losses . Their league record was 17 - 2 - 0 . In addition , the Engineers were ranked second in the nation in scoring defense ( allowing only 1 . 22 goals per game ) . Nationally , the Engineers were fourth in power play percentage and eighth in scoring offense . The star of the team was sophomore Julie Aho . She was selected as an AHCA National All - America , and led the team in scoring in each of her first two seasons . Division I . In 2005 - 06 , RPI was a Division I independent . The club won 18 games , lost 6 and tied 2 . During that season , the school notched wins over Colgate , Northeastern , Connecticut and Boston University . Despite being an independent , the Engineers were ranked fourth in the NCAA in winning percentage ( . 731 ) and seventh in scoring offense ( 3 . 23 goals per game average ) . Senior goaltender Rosina Schiff would become the program ’ s all - time leader in wins with 40 ( since broken ) and games played with 65 ( since broken ) . In its second season in Division I ( 2007 - 08 ) , Rensselaer won 13 games , compared to 15 losses and 5 ties . In the ECAC , its conference record was 6 - 12 - 4 . The Engineers matched the single season record for ties , including its first - ever point over then nationally - ranked Dartmouth in a 1 - 1 draw in Hanover . The record for most wins in one season is 19 , which was set in 2008 - 09 ( 19 - 14 - 4 ) . On February 28 , 2010 , Rensselaer made NCAA history . The Engineers beat Quinnipiac , 2 - 1 , but it took five overtimes . It is now the longest college hockey game in NCAA history . Senior defenseman Laura Gersten had the game winning goal . She registered it at 4 : 32 of the fifth overtime session to not only clinch the win , but the series victory .