Eastern University is set to add both men’s and women’s ice hockey in the 2026-2027 academic school year, the same year Eastern will also be adding Men’s and Women’s Wrestling to the list of athletics. The idea to add ice hockey to Eastern athletics is to be more aligned with other schools in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) and offer more athletic opportunities for students on campus. Eastern will be the ninth team in the Middle Atlantic Conference to include ice hockey in its athletics program.
This will also be an opportunity for fall and spring athletes to get more involved in the winter season. More specifically, Eastern’s ice hockey program hopes to recruit athletes from the field hockey team. Eastern is known to have many dual-sport athletes and hopes that by adding ice hockey it will increase the number of multisport athletes on campus. Recruitment is open now for anyone who is interested in joining, as training will begin during the spring 2026 semester. Recruits do not necessarily need to have ice hockey experience, but should have some ice-skating skill set prior to trying out for the team.
You may be wondering where the facilities will be placed for this new athletic addition. After gathering inspiration from watching many people attempt to ice skate on the large pond located behind Kea & Guffin residence halls, Eastern has decided to put that pond to use as the location for the university’s home ice hockey rink. Construction is set to begin in fall 2025 and is estimated to last the entire 2025-2026 academic school year, making it available for the beginning of the 2026-2027 school year. However, there is no way to officially predict how long the rink construction will take.
While most ice hockey facilities are indoors, Eastern has decided to take a more artistic approach to maintain the integrity of the original landscape by being the first team in the MAC to have an outdoor ice hockey rink. The new facility will include a 200 feet standard NCAA regulation ice rink, men’s and women’s locker rooms, and even heated bleachers for spectators. This will also add another Federal Work Study opportunity for students. A Zamboni driver will be needed daily to maintain the ice at the new facilities, and Eastern has decided to open this job up to students. As of right now a Zamboni license is not required to apply for the position, but there will be a driving test given as a part of the Zamboni driver hiring process.
The cost of this new program is projected to cost roughly $20 million, including the cost of construction of the rink, locker rooms, uniforms, equipment, and the hiring process of coaching staff. The project will be funded by rising tuition costs as well as a sizable grant the school has received from the Philadelphia Flyers to help fund more ice hockey programs in the Greater Philadelphia Area.
An issue that has been raised about the construction of the ice hockey rink is the overflow of geese that live in the pond behind KG. Beginning construction on the ice hockey rink will result in an abscess of geese migrating to other locations on Eastern’s campus. While the geese population has not imposed a huge issue thus far, matters could get out of hand if these geese don’t have a large pond to reside in.
We asked students how they felt about Eastern adding another sport to the athletic program. While some students were hopeful for the new addition, others found it quite controversial. Some students said that they would be disappointed that the pond behind KG would no longer be a place they could go to stroll around the trail or go fishing. Others said they were thrilled that Eastern was making use of the pond and expanding the campus athletics departments. In addition to this feedback, six out of ten students said they would consider joining a Eastern ice hockey team, and nine out of ten students said they would attend ice hockey games. Overall, the student response this new addition was mainly positive.
The ribbon cutting ceremony for the new facility will take place in fall of 2026 for the ice hockey rink and the addition of the Eastern University Ice Hockey program. The ribbon will be cut by four-time Stanley Cup winner and former Philadelphia Flyer Wayne Gretzky. Eastern looks forward to seeing you at ice hockey games to support the future of Eastern Athletics. Fly Eagles Fly!
Colin Tomczak 
Eva Whited