ELMIRA, N.Y. – Coming off of its eighth national championship appearance in program history during the 2023-24 season, second-year head coach Greg Haney has released his teams’ 2024-25 regular season schedule on Tuesday afternoon. The schedule, which features 11 contests inside of the Murray Athletic Center and 14 on the road, will mark the final slate as a member of the New England Hockey Conference, as Elmira makes the move to the United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) beginning in 2025-26. In addition, the Soaring Eagles will partake in a pair of in-season tournaments, which includes the Utica University Kickoff Tournament, and the Mustang Cup hosted by Morrisville State.
The season begins on Friday, November 1 as the Soaring Eagles start off the same way as it did a season ago, making the trip to the Nexus Center to take part in the Utica University Kickoff Tournament. Elmira opens its campaign against Wilkes University on Friday, before taking on either Suffolk University or Utica in either the consolation or championship round the following day.
From there, Elmira makes its debut at The Domes, taking on Norwich University on November 8th and 9th in a rematch of the NEHC Championship from two seasons ago. This season, the NEHC is adopting the format of back-to-back games against the same opponent in the same location, meaning the Soaring Eagles will play just six different opponents at home this season. From there, Elmira will stay home and take on the Pilgrims from New England College on the weekend of November 15-16 before traveling for its first NEHC road weekend of the season in late November.
From November 22-23, the Purple & Gold make the trip to Salem, Massachusetts to take on the Vikings from Salem State. Since joining the NEHC, Elmira has posted an impressive 8-0 record against the opposition, allowing just two goals, while scoring 52 of their own for an average of 6.5 goals per game.
On November 26, the Purple & Gold host its lone non-conference game of the season at The Domes, a rematch of the NCAA First Round from a season against SUNY Cortland. Last season, the two teams split during the regular season, as Elmira picked up a 3-0 victory in late November against the then #11 ranked Red Dragons, before falling on the road in January. The teams would then meet again in March, with the Soaring Eagles capturing a 3-1 victory in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament on the road.
From there, Elmira heads north to take on SUNY Potsdam for a midweek game on December 3, as Haney returns to the northern country for the first time since leading the Bears from 2020-23. The Soaring Eagles and Bears have a 19-game history dating back to 2009, having posted a perfect 8-0 record on the road, while dropping just one contest at home back in 2012.
From there, the Soaring Eagles begin another pivotal NEHC weekend at home on December 6, playing back-to-back nights against the Huskies from Southern Maine in a rematch of the 2024 NEHC Championship before the holiday break. In their six matchups since joining the conference, Elmira has posted a 5-1 record with its lone loss coming last year on the road nearing the end of the regular season. In each of the six games, the winner has shut out the opposition.
Following the holiday, Elmira will begin a three-game non-conference road trip, starting on January 3 against Hamilton who qualified for the NCAA Quarterfinals a season ago. Additionally, Elmira will take part in the Mustang Cup, hosted by SUNY Morrisville the following weekend, which features Nazareth, Morrisville, and Western New England. On January 10, Elmira will take on the Golden Flyers from Nazareth before playing either the Mustangs or Western New England College the following day.
Beginning January 17, the remainder of the regular season features only NEHC games, including four against new opponents. On January 17-18, the Soaring Eagles return home to take on UMass Boston, before hitting the road to take on Salve Regina. The 2024-25 season marks the first that the Seahawks will be a member of the New England Hockey Conference, and will mark the first time the two programs have squared off. The Seahawks transitioned from the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC), finishing 8-9-1 in conference play a season ago.
Elmira takes on the Herons from William Smith College on January 31 and February 1 to end its home schedule as part of Athletics Alumni Weekend, before returning to the road the final two weekends of the season to take on Albertus Magnus and Vermont State University (Castleton) on the final weekend of the regular season. Like Salve Regina, the Soaring Eagles have never played the Falcons, as Albertus Magnus’ first season of competition was in 2023-24. The Falcons will play the 2024-25 season in the NEHC, but will remain a common opponent for EC with both teams transitioning to the UCHC in 2025-26.
For the full schedule, click here.
