Big Red Freakout
| Teams |  RPI Engineers men's ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Location | Houston Field House |
| Time | February |
| Began | 1978 |
| RPI Streak | 2 wins |
The Big Red Freakout is an annual home hockey game held by the RPI men's ice hockey team, typically in the month of February and usually as one of the last home games of the season. Freakout is something of a homecoming game, with many alumni returning to support the team.
The first Freakout, held in February 1978, was against the University of New Hampshire where the Engineers won 6-5 in overtime. Since then, RPI has a 26-16-6 record during Freakout games, including a streak from 1991-2007 where the Engineers didn't lose once (either winning or tying).
Gifts are given out by the Athletic Department to all in attendance. In 1987, the gift (a horn), resulted in the Brown coach complaining to the NCAA about the noise fans made with them during the game (an 8-3 RPI win). After this, the NCAA ruled that artificial noisemakers could not be brought into Division 1 hockey games (a statute known to some as the RPI Rule).