ELMIRA, N.Y. – Entering its 52nd season in program history, Elmira College men’s ice hockey head coach Aaron Saul ’98 has released his teams 2024-25 schedule on Wednesday afternoon. The Soaring Eagles, who come off an NCAA Quarterfinal appearance during the 2023-24 season, will play 13 games at the Murray Athletic Center and 12 on the road during the regular season. Marking Elmira’s last season as a member of the New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) before transitioning to the United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) in 2025-26, the Soaring Eagles will play four of its ten conference home games against first-year NEHC opponents this season in Albertus Magnus and Salve Regina, while playing three non-conference contests at The Domes.
The Soaring Eagles begin the season on November 1 the same way they have for the past three seasons with a non-conference matchup against Nazareth at the Murray Athletic Center. 2024-25 will mark the final season the two will play non-conference matchups, with EC’s transition to the UCHC next season. All-time, Elmira has posted a 19-6-1 record against the opposition, while having lost just one matchup in the last 11 times out.
From there, Elmira hits the road for three straight games, starting on November 2 with another non-conference matchup against Oswego State. Last season, the Soaring Eagles got the best of the nationally-ranked Lakers twice in the first month of the season, posting 7-3 and 7-1 victories, respectively. The following weekend (Nov. 8-9), Elmira begins NEHC play with a pair of games on the road against Southern Maine. This season, the NEHC is adopting the format of back-to-back games against the same opponent, meaning the Soaring Eagles will play just five conference opponents at home this season. Last season, the Purple & Gold were unable to capture victory against the Huskies, dropping a road matchup before posting a 4-4 overtime tie at The Domes.
From there, Elmira welcomes Skidmore to the MAC on November 15-16 to begin its NEHC home slate. In their history, the two teams have both posted 5-5-0 records against one another, with the Thoroughbreds taking two of the three matchup last season, including the NEHC Semifinal matchup.
On November 22, the Soaring Eagles begin back-to-back games against Albertus Magnus at home. New to the NEHC this season, the Falcons have sponsored a men’s ice hockey team since the 2019-20, and November will mark the first time the two schools have squared off.
To begin the month of December, the Soaring Eagles will make the trip up to Geneva, New York on back-to-back nights for a pair of contests against the two-time defending National Champions, Hobart College. The December 6 matchup against the Statesmen will mark the 100th time the two programs have squared off in their illustrious histories, while Hobart has captured victory in 12 of the last 16 matchups dating back to 2016.
Following the holiday break, Elmira plays three non-conference games to begin the second half of the season, starting with a road game against SUNY Potsdam on January 7. Despite matching up 53 times since 1976, the Soaring Eagles and Bears have not played since 2018, and Elmia has won eight of the last nine matchups since 2006.
Elmira returns to The Domes that weekend, with back-to-back contests against SUNY Geneseo (Jan. 10) and SUNY Brockport (Jan. 11). Both the Knights and Golden Eagles will be joining the UCHC in 2025-26, making this the final season of non-conference matchups against schedule staples. In the past three seasons, the road team has captured victory in the Elmira-Geneseo matchup, while EC looks to extend its win streak against Brockport to five games when welcoming the opposition to the MAC.
Starting January 17, Elmira’s schedule will feature exclusively NEHC opponents, beginning with a pair of games on the road against UMass Boston. Since joining the conference, Elmira has posted a 5-1 record against the Beacons, while outscoring the opposition 29-9. From there, the Soaring Eagles will return home for two consecutive weekends, starting with Babson on January 24-25. The following weekend, Elmira will take on Salve Regina for the first time as conference opponents. Elmira last took on the Seahawks during the 2022-23 season as part of the Hockey Helpers Shootout at First Arena in downtown Elmira. The Soaring Eagles dropped that matchup 3-4, while the teams have posted 2-2-0 records against one another in their history which dates back to 2015.
The Purple & Gold will hit the road February 7-8 to take on the Pilgrims from New England College, and will stay on the road the following weekend (Feb. 14-15) against the Cadets from Norwich University, marking the final regular season road games. The Soaring Eagles have posted a 12-4-1 record against the Pilgrims, having lost the first four games of the series before ratting off a 12-0-1 record since 1982.
The regular season wraps up for Elmira on February 21-22, as EC plays host to Vermont State-Castleton at The Domes before starting the NEHC Tournament on March 1. The tournament will take place over two weekends, with the two semifinal matchups and championship game being hosted by the highest remaining seed on the weekend of March 8-9.
To see the full schedule, click here.
