Moon Township, Pa. – The RMU Department of Athletics announced Wednesday it has reached an agreement with Bauer Hockey, Inc., the world's largest manufacturer of hockey equipment. The multi-year partnership secures Bauer as the official supplier of equipment for the RMU men's and women's hockey programs.
"As we continue to build momentum for the men's and women's hockey programs to return to competition in 2023-24, coming to agreement with Bauer Hockey as our supplier for hockey equipment is another significant step of re-establishing the identity of RMU hockey," RMU Vice President & Director of Athletics
Chris King '94 said. "We're thrilled to initiate an important partnership for both our men's and women's hockey programs."
The RMU men's program is led by
Derek Schooley, the only head coach in program history. He owns an overall record of 275-275-68 (.500) and has guided the Colonials to two Atlantic Hockey regular-season championships (2015, 2016), the 2021 Atlantic Hockey Western Pod title as well as the 2014 Atlantic Hockey Tournament crown. The 2014 tournament championship earned RMU a bid to the 2014 NCAA Tournament, its first appearance in program history.
"The men's hockey program is excited to start our relationship with Bauer, the preeminent equipment supplier in hockey," said Schooley. "This agreement allows us to provide RMU student-athletes with the highest quality, safest and best equipment available on the market."
Logan Bittle, a 2008 graduate of RMU who spent 10 years with the women's program, including the last six as associate head coach, will enter his first season as head coach of the Colonials in 2023-24. Bittle was instrumental in turning RMU into a national power, as over his five seasons as associate head coach from 2016 to 2021, the Colonials compiled an overall record of 97-47-1 (.651), including a 66-22-11 (.722) ledger in College Hockey America (CHA). RMU claimed three consecutive CHA regular-season championships (2017, 2018, 2019) and appeared in a pair of NCAA Tournaments (2017, 2021).
"We're truly excited to be working with Bauer," Bittle said. "We've had a wonderful experience working with the company in the past, and this deal solidifies that we will continue to provide our student-athletes with top-of-the-line equipment and service."
RMU will open the home portion of its 2023-24 campaign with a doubleheader at Clearview Arena Saturday Oct. 7, 2023, at the RMU Island Sports Center on Neville Island. The women will host Saint Anselm, while the men will welcome Bowling Green. Season tickets for the 2023-24 season are on sale now and can be
purchased by using the following link. There are a limited number of season tickets available, so make sure to purchase yours today.
ABOUT BAUER HOCKEY, Inc. (Bauer.com)
Bauer Hockey is the world's most recognized designer, marketer and manufacturer of hockey equipment. Founded in Kitchener, Ontario, in 1927, Bauer Hockey developed the first skate with a blade attached to a boot, forever changing the game of hockey. Since then, Bauer Hockey has continued to develop the most sought after products in the industry, including a widely successful SUPREME®, VAPOR® and NEXUS® lines of products. Performance Sports Group Ltd., the parent company of Bauer Hockey, is a publicly-traded company on the New York Stock Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange whose affiliates market products under the BAUER, MISSION, MAVERIK, CASCADE, INARIA, COMBAT and EASTON brand names. For more information, visit Bauer Hockey's website at
www.BAUER.com.
ABOUT RMU ATHLETICS (RMUColonials.com)
From its fertile beginning as a men's basketball junior college powerhouse to one of the most diverse athletic programs in the Pittsburgh tri-state area, RMU offers 17 intercollegiate athletic programs, including the only NCAA Division I men's and women's hockey and men's lacrosse teams in the region. Over the last 46 years, the Colonials have claimed 53 conference regular season and 54 league tournament titles. RMU joined the Horizon League in 2020 for 10 of its 17 athletic programs, while football joined the Big South as an associate member. The RMU women's lacrosse program accepted an invitation to join the Mid-American Conference (MAC) as an affiliate member in 2020, and men's lacrosse joined the ASUN in 2021. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) serves as the home for RMU rowing, women's hockey is a member of College Hockey America (CHA) and the men's hockey program competes in Atlantic Hockey.
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