ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's ice hockey team, which will begin its first year of competition inside the newly formed United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC), released its 2017-18 schedule this afternoon, as announced by head coach Aaron Saul '98. The 2017-18 docket includes 25 regular season games, 13 of which will take place on EC's home ice at the Murray Athletic Center, located in Pine Valley, New York.
 
Elmira's opponents feature 11 teams that qualified for their respective conference tournaments, including four that reached the championship game. Of those four teams, Hobart (Oct. 27), who won the ECAC West Conference title a year ago, and Oswego State (Oct. 28) went on to the play in the 2017 NCAA Division III Championships.
 
EC's home schedule is balanced nicely throughout the season with eight games at the MAC before the 2018 calendar year and another five after the New Year. Of the 11 tournament-qualifying teams, Elmira will see seven of them on its home ice: Hobart (Oct. 27), Manhattanville (Nov. 4), SUNY Geneseo (Nov. 25), Buffalo State (Jan. 13), Nazareth (Jan. 26), Utica (Jan. 27), Stevenson (Feb. 2) and Neumann (Feb. 3).
 
The road portion of Elmira's schedule will pit the Purple and Gold against a slew of talented teams throughout the region, including SUNYAC runner-up and NCAA Tournament qualifier Oswego State (Oct. 28), as well as a trip to Boston, Massachusetts, to play in the Boston Landing Collegiate Invitational, hosted by Nichols. Elmira will face the Camels of Connecticut (Jan. 5) in the opening round and will face either Commonwealth Coast Conference semifinalist Nichols or MIAC second-place finisher St. Thomas the following day. Both games will be played at the Warrior Ice Arena, the new training and practice facility for the NHL's Boston Bruins.
 
Elmira opens the 2017-18 campaign on its home ice in Pine Valley, New York, as the Soaring Eagles renew one of their oldest rivalries with Hobart on Friday, October 27 at 7:00 p.m. The outcome will not count towards EC's conference record, as Hobart will compete under the NEHC banner during the upcoming season.
 
The Soaring Eagles will continue to face high-quality competition the following night in Oswego, New York, as the Elmira men travel to take on the Lakers of Oswego (Oct. 28). Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. inside Oswego's Marano Campus Center Arena, the home site of the 2017 SUNYAC Tournament championship game and the opening round of last year's national tournament.
 
Following the brief trip to Central New York, Elmira returns to the Southern Tier for a pair of home games on November 3 and November 4, as the Purple and Gold play in their first-ever UCHC contests. The 2017-18 conference opener will see the Soaring Eagles take on first-year program King's (Pa.) on November 3, before squaring off with former ECAC West rival and current UCHC member, Manhattanville, the following night. Both contests are scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m.  
 
Elmira will then embark on a season-long four-game road trip, all of which will take place against UCHC opposition. The road tour begins with a stop in to Rochester, New York, for a 7:00 p.m. tilt versus the Golden Flyers of Nazareth (Nov. 10), and is followed by a trip to the Utica Memorial Auditorium, the home site of the 2017 NCAA Division III Championships, to face the Pioneers of Utica (Nov. 11). Utica ended the 2016-17 campaign with a runner-up finish in the ECAC West Tournament.
 
Play within the UCHC continues the following weekend with an excursion south of the New York State border to Maryland and Pennsylvania. EC faces second-year program Stevenson (Nov. 17) at the Reisterstown Sportsplex, before heading to Aston, Pennsylvania, to take on the Knights of Neumann (Nov. 18) at the IceWorks Skating Complex. Both games are slated for 7:00 p.m.
 
Elmira will snap a 17-day streak without a home game just three days after its matchup with the Knights, as the Soaring Eagles welcome SUNY Potsdam to the Domes for a 7:00 p.m. tilt on Tuesday, November 21. The matchup against the Bears of Potsdam marks the beginning of a five-game homestand, which includes a pair of UCHC contests.
 
Non-conference action continues on Saturday, November 25, as the Knights of SUNY Geneseo head into Pine Valley, New York, for a 4:00 p.m. afternoon bout. Elmira will then take on the likes of first-year program Chatham and Lebanon Valley in back-to-back days on December 1 and 2, respectively. Both conference games are scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m.
 
Elmira closes out the month, and the 2017 calendar year, on Tuesday, December 5, with a 7:00 p.m. showdown against Bryn Athyn, which became a full-time Division III member this summer. The Lions fielded an ice hockey team last season, which competed at the club level and reached the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division III Frozen Four a season ago.
 
The final 12 games of the 2017-18 season will feature four non-conference matchups, three of which will be played away from home, and eight league bouts, including four at the MAC. Elmira opens 2018 with a trip to Beantown for the Boston Landing Collegiate Invitational on January 5-6. The Elmira men will face Connecticut in the opening round of the tournament, and will challenge either the host Bison of Nichols or the Tommies of St. Thomas the following day. 
 
Elmira opens a home-and-home series with SUNYAC semifinalist Buffalo State six days later, starting with a trip to Western New York on Friday, January 12, at 7:00 p.m. The Bengals of Buffalo State will then head to the Southern Tier to face the Soaring Eagles at the Murray Athletic Center the following night at 7:00 p.m.
 
The final eight games on the schedule will be against teams Elmira will have faced once, as the Soaring Eagles look to solidify a postseason bid with wins against a slew of UCHC teams. The first set of league games will send EC on the road to face King's (Jan. 19) and Manhattanville (Jan. 20). Both are scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
 
The Elmira men will then return to the MAC for four consecutive home games, starting with a Friday, January 26, showdown against Nazareth at 7:00 p.m. Elmira will battle the Pioneers of Utica the following night at 7:00 p.m.
 
One week later, Elmira welcomes Stevenson and Neumann to the Domes as part of EC's annual Athletics Alumni Weekend. Action begins on Friday, February 2, with a 7:00 p.m. tilt against the Mustangs of Stevenson, before wrapping up the weekend's festivities the following night against Neumann, which is also scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m.
 
The 2017-18 regular season concludes with a pair of road trips to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as the Purple and Gold battle Chatham (Feb. 16) and Lebanon Valley (Feb. 17). Start times for the two games are 7:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., respectively.
 
Schedule Highlights

• Elmira's regular season schedule consists of 25 games (13 home; 11 away: 1 neutral).
• EC will host Hobart for its 2017-18 home- and season-opener on Friday, October 27.
• It will be the first time Elmira will play Hobart in a season opener in its 45-year history.
• Eight of the first 12 games of the season will take place on EC's home ice at the MAC.
• The Soaring Eagles will compete in the United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) this season.
• Elmira will face King's in the 2017-18 conference-opener on Friday, November 3.
• Elmira's non-conference opponents combined for a .596 winning percentage in 2016-17.*
• EC will face two first-year programs (Chatham and King's) and a first-year Division III program (Bryn Athyn).
• The Boston Landing Collegiate Invitational will take place at the Warrior Ice Arena, the new training and practice facility for the Boston Bruins of the NHL.
• Non-conference opponent breakdown: CCC (1), NEHC (1), NESCAC (1), MIAC (1), SUNYAC (4).

 
*does not include Bryn Athyn's club season record in 2016-17
 
Games to Watch
Elmira vs. Hobart – Friday, October 27 (7:00 p.m.)
The Soaring Eagles will begin the 2017-18 campaign just as they ended the 2016-17 season: standing toe-to-toe with the Statesmen of Hobart. However, unlike previous seasons, Elmira and Hobart will meet just once instead of the usual three-game series in which fans have become accustom to seeing. Regardless, the season opener provides the Elmira men with a quality opponent that won its conference title a year ago and played in a national tournament game. This year's matchup will be the 88th all-time meeting between the two storied rivals, and with just 48 miles separating the two teams, look for both fan bases to turn up in droves for this one. 
 
Elmira at Nazareth – Friday, November 10 (7:00 p.m.)
Elmira will have two UCHC games under its belt by the time it faces Nazareth; however, this Friday night matchup will serve as the first of four consecutive road games for the Purple and Gold. All four contests during EC's road tour will take place against league opponents, all of which qualified for last season's ECAC West Tournament. A good performance against the Golden Flyers on their home ice could send a strong statement around the league and set Elmira up nicely for a stretch run during the early stages of the season.
 
Elmira vs. Buffalo State – Saturday, January 13 (7:00 p.m.)
Elmira will close out the 2017 calendar year with five straight home games and will play its final home contest during that stretch on December 5. That means EC will not play in front of its own fans for over month until this Saturday night matchup in Pine Valley. The contest will be the second in a home-and-home series with the Bengals, who collected 18 wins a season ago and reached the semifinals of the SUNYAC Tournament. It will also be the only home game for Elmira in the first six games of the New Year.
 
Elmira vs. Neumann – Saturday, February 3 (7:00 p.m.)
The 2017-18 home finale already looks like it could be a thrilling one, especially with it taking place during Elmira's annual Athletics Alumni Weekend event. Previous AAW games on Saturday night have historically been some of the most exciting games in EC's illustrious history, and if this year's matchup is anything like last year's one-goal overtime win for the Soaring Eagles, fans will be in for a treat. Making this contest even more intriguing is that a postseason spot will more than likely be up for grabs, and with just two games remaining on EC's schedule, a win for the Purple and Gold could go a long way in returning to the playoffs.