RPI Houston Field House

RPI hockey! Enough said. Great arena. Takes you back to the late 70’s/early 80’s era of hockey. Not to mention top notch hockey games. The band is great, and it’s always a great time.

RPI fieldhouse will always hold a special place in my heart since its my Dads school and he would take me to their tournament game they used to have in December (its since been changed to Thanksgiving) every year starting when I was 9 years old.
The atmosphere is infectious. I would instantly become RPIs biggest fan everytime I went.
I love this place so much I plan on keeping this tradition going with my niece once she’s old enough.

It’s not the plushest hockey arena I’ve seen. It was originally built in Rhode Island as a Navy warehouse, and after World War Two was moved to Troy and retro-​fitted as a hockey arena. The seats are kind of small, there are very few aisles, so you see a lot of folks hurdling over empty seats because its faster than walking over to an aisle. But these are small quibbles when compared to all of the positive features that makes watching an RPI hockey game one of life’s exquisite simple pleasures.
First of all –the Pep Band –these kids are really good and they add so much atmosphere to the game– they peeled off rollicking versions of «I Want to Hold Your Hand» «I’m A Believer» and Gary Glitter’s «Rock and Roll Part One». After the second period, they all left their seats and marched to the center of the arena to play the school alma mater, as the students locked arms and swayed back and forth. If you love traditions, this one will make you weepy.
The sight lines are pretty good, we were in section 14 in a corner and could see pretty much everything except for a guard rail that kind of blocked my vision when I looked to the hard right.
And how is the atmosphere? Between periods there was chuck-​a-​puck, T Shirt tosses, and a cash grab booth. Whenever RPI scores a goal, a college kid grabs a huge RPI flag, and sprints around the arena like a madman. That’s pretty cool. The college crowd is raucous, with their off-​color wise-​ass chants, but hey– they’re college kids, right?
RPI whipped Sacred Heart tonight 7 – 1 and a kid from Connecticut scored a hat trick and he leads the nation in scoring, as of tonight.
We had a great evening.

Full Disclosure — I am a huge fan of college hockey, especially RPI and Wisconsin. I have worked as an EE Professor at RPI since 1974 and my wife and I have attended all but a handful of games. I attended UW, my brother played there (for Bob Johnson) and my parents had tickets from the time the Badgers started playing again in the 60s. We also attend as many Frozen Fours as we can, now basically going to all of them. I will continue to purchase season tickets for RPI hockey and attend as many men’s and women’s games as possible.
Pros: The size is nearly perfect. College hockey arenas should be under 10,000. Probably our favorite is the Dane County Coliseum where the Badgers used to play before moving to the Kohl Center. Our seats are near one of the blue lines so we have great views of both goals. The recently added video display is outstanding as is the support from student-​run RPI TV. The pep band can be either good or bad, but has been quite good of late. It is always enthusiastic, but not always top quality. Of course, we have been spoiled by the amazing UW Band and its charismatic director Mike Lecrone. The tradition of RPI Hockey — the banners and recognition of the exceptional players and coaches from the past add to the overall experience. The fans — the people who go regularly, both from the area and from the student body, know hockey well and provide solid support. Zambonis — there are two and they are usually operated by great people.
Cons: Concessions are terrible. The sound system is wretched and should be an embarrassment for such an outstanding engineering school. The walkway is next to the rink, as noted in another review, which means no one gets to sit next to the ice except the players and the view of the lower rows is blocked by people walking by. It also means that there is no good place to walk around and chat with friends between periods. Lots of compromises were made when the old Field House was remodeled many years ago so that there is actually no aisle to get to the seats behind us. It is necessary to step on the seats in each row to get to the back. This is the case in only a few spots in the arena. It would be nice to see more of a complete exhibit on the history of RPI hockey. The fans — there are not enough of them these days. In the glory days of the 80s, when RPI won its last national championship, were fun for the noise and engagement of the fans and band in the game. Safety — there are no railings by the steps to our seats. ECAC referees — I don’t know where they find them but they are consistently bad.

Houston Field House is a great facility for college hockey. The sightlines are excellent (note the one major exception below), it’s clean, seats are big and comfy, and most everyone is friendly. The student sections (14−15−16) are on the north side, and the locals typically sit on the south side.
The one drawback is that the main walkway around the ice surface is directly in front of the glass boards — so people walking to the restroom or leaving early will be walking right in front of you if you get a seat in the first few rows of most sections. I would suggest getting a seat at least 7 rows back from the first row due to this issue. The only glass seats at HFH are in the high numbered sections directly behind the RPI bench (22−33−44), and these seats are unobstructed since the walkway goes up between these high numbered sections and section 15.
Concessions are fair to poor, but if you’re coming for a game, you’re likely not checking out the food scene, right? Head elsewhere for dinner before the game — there are good choices throughout Troy.