POTSDAM -- An 18-game home slate, a pair of weekend non-conference series against NCAA powerhouses, another trip to the Adirondack Mountains for a non-league battle against its archrival and the always competitive 22-game ECAC Hockey campaign highlight the 2012-13 schedule for the Clarkson University Hockey team.

Guided by second-year head coach Casey Jones and assistants Phil Roy and Andy Jones, the Golden Knights will look to continue their rise back towards the elite of college hockey when they embark upon the 91st season of Clarkson Hockey this winter.

Clarkson travels to Colorado Springs on Oct. 12-13 to take on Colorado College, a traditional force in the WCHA, in a two-game series at the World Arena to officially open the 34-game NCAA campaign.

College hockey returns to Cheel Arena Oct. 20 when the Green and Gold host Holy Cross to open a three-game home stand. Following a weekend series in Potsdam against Niagara Oct. 26-27, Clarkson travels to Buffalo on Nov. 3-4 for a two-game matchup against Canisius to close out a stretch of five consecutive games against Atlantic Hockey foes.

Clarkson’s battle for the Cleary Cup begins on Nov. 9 when the Knights travel to New Haven, Conn. to face off against Yale to begin the ECAC Hockey campaign.

For the third consecutive season, Clarkson will take on archrival St. Lawrence in a non-league contest at the 1980 Rink Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid on Dec. 8. The previous two seasons over 10,000 fans have watched the Knights and Saints face off in the Adirondacks.

Other non-conference dates on the schedule include games against Atlantic Hockey powers. The Knights are at Rochester Institute of Technology on Nov. 23, and play Mercyhurst in Potsdam on Dec. 15 to close out the 2012 portion of the schedule. Clarkson will host 2012 NCAA Tournament participant UMass Lowell of Hockey East in a weekend series to open the New Year on Jan. 4-5.

Along with the non-league matchup against St. Lawrence in Lake Placid, the Green and Gold will battle their archrival in two ECAC Hockey games, in Canton on Dec. 5 and in Potsdam on Jan. 19.

Prior to the official start of the 2012-13 campaign, Clarkson will host Carleton University in exhibition contest on Sunday, Oct. 7 in the first of 18 games at Cheel Arena this season.

Playoff hockey begins March 8 with the first round of the ECAC Hockey tournament, while the quarterfinal round will be held March 15-17. The league's championship weekend will return to Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. March 22-23.

NCAA postseason play concludes on Saturday, April 13 with the 66th Annual Frozen Four at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pa.