Coming off its first-ever league championship and a program-record 19 wins in 2011-12, RMU's schedule will pose challenges if the Colonials hope to top that record figure in the upcoming season. Robert Morris will face off on the road with a pair of non-conference foes that both finished among the nation's top 10 last season and will also embark on the longest roadtrip in CHA history.

The Colonials will also meet Penn State for the first time in school history as part of their 20-game conference schedule. Robert Morris will meet its five CHA foes for four games each during the season, and all half-dozen league squads will participate in the 2013 CHA Tournament, which will be hosted by the league's regular-season champion.

RMU will have a chance to compete against outside opponents before the regular season begins as it will host four exhibition games against three Canadian foes on two separate weekends. Robert Morris will play Guelph Friday, Sept. 28, and Saturday, Sept. 29, with both games starting at 7:35 p.m. The Colonials will also meet Cambridge (Oct. 13) and Oakville (Oct. 14) for exhibition matchups.

Robert Morris' 2012-13 season commences in earnest Friday, Oct. 19, as it hosts Yale at 7:05 p.m. The following afternoon RMU will welcome Princeton for a 4:05 p.m. matinee. The two contests represent the first two home games in school history against Ivy League opponents.

After opening its slate at home, Robert Morris will hit the road for an extended record-setting stretch. Since the league was formed in 2002, no CHA team has ever played more than nine consecutive games away from home in a single season, but that's exactly what RMU will do. The Colonials will play 10 straight true road games, against six different teams in four distinct states, from Oct. 26 - Dec. 1.

RMU will embark on its daunting trip with two top-tier opponents on the final weekend of October. The Colonials will play at Northeastern Friday, Oct. 26, at 7:00 p.m. The Huskies went 15-3-3 in Hockey East play a year ago to win the league's regular-season title and finished the year ranked among the top 10. Robert Morris will then travel across town to take on Boston University Saturday at 3:00 p.m. The Terriers qualified for their third-consecutive NCAA Tournament last season after winning the Hockey East Tournament and finished the season ranked No. 5 nationally.

Robert Morris will open November the following weekend as it plays a pair of games at Vermont (Nov. 3-4). The Colonials will be returning to the site of the first victory in program history and will also be taking on the Catamounts for the first time since 2006.

After having just six non-conference games under its belt, RMU will open the defense of its CHA title by meeting Penn State for a two-game series Saturday, Nov. 10, and Sunday, Nov. 11. Although the Colonials downed the Nittany Lions in an exhibition contest a season ago, these games will mark the first time the two programs have met in regular-season action.

The Colonials will continue their grueling roadtrip by traveling to RPI for the second straight year as the squads play a two-game set Friday, Nov. 16, and Saturday, Nov. 17. As a result of this series, RPI will become the only non-conference opponent that Robert Morris has played in at least seven of its first eight seasons of existence.

After taking Thanksgiving weekend off, the Colonials will conclude their slate by playing 18 of their final 20 games within conference play. This stretch will start Friday, Nov. 30, and Saturday, Dec. 1, as RMU concludes its record roadtrip by heading to Syracuse for a pair of games.

With its extensive trip in the rearview mirror, Robert Morris will return home for a highly anticipated series against league rival Mercyhurst. The pair of games, Friday, Dec. 7, and Saturday, Dec. 8, will not only serve as RMU's home CHA openers, but will also mark the first meetings between the two squads since the Colonials dethroned the nine-time defending champion Lakers in the CHA Championship last March.

RMU will then take some time off to break for final exams and the holidays before resuming action in 2013 by hosting two new conference foes back-to-back.

Robert Morris will welcome RIT Friday, Jan. 4, and Saturday, Jan. 5, before entertaining Lindenwood Friday, Jan. 11, and Saturday, Jan. 12.

The Colonials will close out their eight-game homestand by finishing non-conference action as they host Quinnipiac for a two-game set Friday, Jan. 18, and Saturday, Jan. 19. It will be the first time Robert Morris has hosted the Bobcats since 2006.

RMU will close the season by playing another two-game series against each of its five league foes on five straight weekends.

The Colonials will travel to RIT Jan. 26 and Jan. 27 before opening February by hosting Syracuse (Feb. 1-2). Robert Morris will travel to Mercyhurst (Feb. 8-9) and Lindenwood (Feb. 15-16) on back-to-back weekends before closing out its regular season by hosting Penn State Friday, Feb. 22, and Saturday, Feb. 23.

By competing on each of the four weekends in January and February, RMU will play on at least eight consecutive weekends for the first time since the 2006-07 season.

With its regular-season schedule complete, Robert Morris will compete in the 2013 CHA Tournament in early March. The tournament will be reformatted for the upcoming season as all six conference squads will take part in the event.

The top two teams with the best records in the regular season will receive byes to the semifinal round while the four remaining squads compete against one another in the first round. The third seed will host the sixth seed and the fourth seed will host the fifth seed in best-of-three series Friday, March 1, through Sunday, March 3.

Teams will be reseeded after the first round, and the regular-season champion will then host the semifinals and championship Friday, March 8, and Saturday, March 9.

Robert Morris' 2012 CHA Tournament title capped a landmark season in which the Colonials broke the school records for wins, longest unbeaten streak, longest winning streak and most league points. Despite being picked to finish last in the league, RMU posted a 13-win turnaround in 2011-12, which was the largest such improvement nationally, leading Colontino to be selected as USCHO's National Coach of the Year.