Syracuse ice hockey finalizes 2026-27 schedule
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Syracuse ice hockey announced its 2026-27 nonconference schedule Tuesday. The slate adds six home games and four road contests to round out the Orange’s 34-game (18 home, 16 away) schedule. Syracuse released its Atlantic Hockey America matchups in late May.
Former head coach Britni Smith stepped down in April after four years to spend time with family. In her stead, enters Brian Idalski, who SU announced as its new coach on July 14. Most recently the coach of the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s Vancouver Goldeneyes, he has 25 years of women’s ice hockey coaching experience.
Idalski and Co. open the season at Tennity Ice Pavilion against Stonehill on Sept. 25 and 26 before facing their first AHA opponent, Mercyhurst, which terminated Syracuse’s 2024-25 season, on Oct. 2 and 3.
The Orange return home the next weekend to host a two-game series with Penn State, which ended their season in last year’s AHA Semifinals. All eight of Syracuse’s October contests are AHA battles, and it continues that run with a road weekend series at Robert Morris on Oct. 16 and 17, a home set against Delaware two weeks after. The conference stretch ends at Lindenwood on Nov. 6 and 7.
Then, it’s a home-and-home slate against RPI on Nov. 13 and 14, first traveling to Troy, New York, before hosting the Red Hawks. SU remains at home against Colgate on Nov. 17. SU matches up with RIT and Clarkson for a pair of home-and-homes to close out November, which includes a five-day stretch with three games.
Syracuse travels to Penn State, the only team on the schedule to qualify for the 2026 NCAA Tournament, on Dec. 4 before concluding its nonconference schedule against Union in a home-and-home beginning on Jan. 1, 2027. The Orange then complete their series at Colgate four days later.
Conference play resumes at home against Mercyhurst on Jan. 8 and 9, 2027, and hits the road at Delaware the following weekend. Syracuse returns to Tennity Ice Pavilion to host Lindenwood on Jan. 22 and 23, 2027.
The Orange play a home-and-home series against RIT in the final weekend of January. SU won’t play for another 13 days, when it’ll close the regular season at home against Robert Morris on Feb. 12 and 13, 2027.
In both years of AHA’s existence, Syracuse has made the postseason. Idalski aims to build past SU’s 15-18-4 record from last year, which tied the 2024-25 season as its winningest season under Smith.
