TROY -- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will enter play in the 2011 portion of its hockey schedule as a Top 10 team. The Engineers, winners of four straight games and seven of their past eight, moved up four spots from last week and hold down the No. 10 slot with 496 points in the balloting of national coaches and media done on a 20-19-18-17-16-15-14-13-etc. basis.
It's the first time an RPI team has cracked the Top 10 since the 1999-2000 season.
The Engineers, 11-4-3 overall, lead the nation in scoring defense, permitting just 36 goals, exactly 2.00 per contest.
Rensselaer, 3-3-0 in ECAC Hockey games, returns to league action this weekend, hosting rival Clarkson (4-2-1, 10-6-2) on Friday night and St. Lawrence (3-4-0, 6-8-3) on Saturday night.