Clarkson University Men's Hockey announces its 2017-18 schedule and it looks to be one of the more challenging and exciting seasons in the program's 96-year history. Along with the always demanding 22-game ECAC Hockey campaign, the Golden Knights will take on an aggressive non-league slate.

"I think it is very important to play a challenging schedule, and this season really fits the bill," states seventh-year Clarkson Head Coach Casey Jones. "We have a great line up of opponents for our fans to see us play. Our very tough, opening non-league schedule should fully prepare us for ECAC Hockey action and gives us the opportunity to see where we stand right off the bat."

2017-18 Clarkson men's Hockey Schedule (pdf)

The Knights will jump right into the fire with seven of their first eight games against teams that competed in last year's NCAA Tournament.

Clarkson starts things off in early October with a weekend series at Cheel Arena against a pair of Big 10 programs. Penn State, which made its NCAA Tournament debut last March, will mark the first of 16 regular-season home dates when the Green and Gold face off against the Nittany Lions on October 6. The next night, nine-time National Champion Michigan comes to Potsdam for the first time since 1959 to round out a noteworthy season-opening weekend.

The Knights travel to Kalamazoo, MI on October 13-14 for a pair of games against one of the top teams in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC), 2017 NCAA Tournament participant Western Michigan for the first road trip of the year.

Things won't get any easier when Clarkson returns to Potsdam as it hosts a pair of Hockey East teams, who both participated in the 2017 NCAA Tournament, UMass-Lowell and Providence on October 20-21.

Clarkson closes out the season-opening, non-league portion of the schedule on October 27-28 at Minnesota, another 2017 NCAA Tournament participant.

The ECAC Hockey campaign begins with the Knights hosting long-time rival Rensselaer on November 3 and Union on October 4.

Clarkson will be on the road for the remainder of November, playing league games at Brown, Yale, Colgate and Cornell.

A memorable trip to Northern Ireland will close out the month when Clarkson plays in the Friendship Four Tournament, competing against Rensselaer, Maine and Providence in non-league games over the Thanksgiving Weekend on November 24-25 in Belfast.

"I think it is important for student-athletes to get the experience to travel to different places," said Jones. "It should be an unforgettable trip for all involved. The memories and experiences gained from a tournament like this is a big part of what college athletics is all about. It will be a great event for our players, staff and fans. Hopefully we will have some alumni and fans follow us over there."

Three games in early December will mark the end of the 2017 portion of the schedule. The Knights will travel to Buffalo on December 2 for a game at defending Atlantic Hockey regular-season champion Canisius College before returning to the North Country for a home-and-home series vs. their archrival. Clarkson hosts St. Lawrence on Friday, December 8 and then plays the Saints at Appleton Arena in Canton the following night.

The New Year begins with the second game of the non-league series against Canisius as the Green and Gold host the Golden Griffins at Cheel on Tuesday, January 2. Fourteen consecutive ECAC Hockey games follow, beginning with the trip to New York's Capital District region to face Union and Rensselaer on January 12-13.

The University will celebrate its third annual Cold Out Gold Out (COGO) Weekend on January 26-27 when the Knights host Yale and Brown. The Green and Gold will play their Hockey Alumni Outdoor gme on Saturday afternoon prior to the game against the Bears later that evening at Cheel.

Clarkson, which plays eight of the final 12 league games at home, hosts Princeton and Quinnipiac to close out the regular season on February 23-24.

Playoff hockey begins on March 2-4 with the first round of the ECAC Hockey Tournament, while the quarterfinal round will be held on March 9-11. The league's championship weekend will return to Lake Placid where the tournament title will be decided at the 1980 Rink - Herb Brooks Arena on March 16-17.

NCAA postseason play concludes with the 71st Annual Frozen Four on April 5 and 7 at the Xcel Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The Knights get an early jump to the 34-game regular-season schedule with an exhibition contest against Canadian college foe Trois-Rivieres on Saturday, September 30 at Cheel.

Follow Golden Knights Hockey online with live radio broadcasts, video streaming and livestats at Clarkson Hockey Broadcast Central

Clarkson posts an impressive 1,413-851-154 overall record since the 1920-21 campaign for an all-time winning percentage of .616, among the best in the country. The Knights have posted 72 winning seasons, participated in 20 NCAA Tournaments, including three championship games, won 10 ECAC Hockey Regular Season titles and have skated away with five ECAC Tournament championship trophies during the program's illustrious history.
 
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