TROY, N.Y. – Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) student-athletes Chase Polacek and Jeff Foss have signed professional contracts with American Hockey League (AHL) teams. Polacek, a forward, joins the Peoria Rivermen, while Foss, a defenseman, will play for the Milwaukee Admirals. Both senior assistant captains, they recently concluded their college careers having played the most games in RPI hockey history (154).

“I am excited to join such a great organization in Peoria to start my professional career,” said Polacek, who will play for the top affiliate of the St. Louis Blues for the remainder of this year and in 2011-12. “Hard work and dedication by myself, my teammates and the coaches have allowed me this opportunity. The past four years have been the best of my life, playing with such tremendous teammates in front of the greatest fans in college hockey. It was such an honor to be able to play at RPI and wear the uniform that has so much history and tradition.”

“It is a great opportunity to prove myself at a very high level,” said Foss, who will play for the Admirals, the top minor league team of the Nashville Predators, the rest of the season. “Attending RPI was the best decision I have made in my life so far. The program is in good hands and I expect it to continue the national success we had. For me, getting a lot of playing time allowed me to gain valuable experience and develop while getting an education at a world-class institution.”

“I am very happy to see both Chase and Jeff get these professional opportunities at the highest level of minor league hockey, just one step away from their dreams of playing in the National Hockey League (NHL),” said RPI head coach Seth Appert. “Both have meant a tremendous amount to our program as players and young men as they led us back to the NCAA Tournament. They will always be a huge part of the RPI Hockey Family and we look forward to watching their professional careers unfold.”

Polacek, who along with Foss played every game over the last four years, leaves Rensselaer as a two-time ECAC Hockey Player of the Year and two-time Hobey Baker Award finalist. The Edina, Minn., native had 65 goals and 95 assists for 160 points to rank in the top 20 in school history in each category.

He had 28 points (7 goals, 21 assists) as a freshman and 32 points (11 goals, 21 assists) as a sophomore. Polacek then had 52 points on 26 goals and 26 assists on his way to earning All-America recognition in 2009-10. This season he tallied 21 goals, including an NCAA-best nine game-winning goals, and 27 assists for 48 points.

Foss, who hails from Moorhead, Minn., concluded his career with eight goals and 30 assists for 38 points. He had a career-high 14 points on three goals and 11 assists this year, in which he helped the Engineers to 20 wins and their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1995. He had nine points (2 goals, 7 assists) as a junior, 11 (2 goals, 9 assists) as a sophomore and four (1 goal, 3 assists) as a freshman.

Following his freshman season, Foss was selected by the Predators in the sixth round, 166th overall, in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. Foss, who typically played against the opposing team's best forwards while with the Engineers, could go head-to-head against Polacek on April 3 and April 9.