The FGCU Division II club hockey team enters the 2024-25 season with a chip on their shoulder after falling short of the ACHA Men’s Division II National Championship last season. 

For many months, the Eagles stood at the top of the ACHA Southeast Rankings finishing with a record of 26-4-1. They advanced past the ACHA Southeast Regionals, falling to the Miami (OH) University RedHawks 3-2, to finish third in the final ACHA Division II standings.

“I thought we built a lot through the season last year from where we started, it’s where we finished,” Head Coach Eric Mabie said. “And of course, coming up short in that semifinal game was disappointing. We have a lot of guys coming back now that are pretty hungry to get it going.” 

Several seniors departed the green and blue last season, which has left eight spots to be filled over the offseason. To fill these spots, Mabie and his coaching staff set up an evaluation schedule from Sunday, Aug. 25 to Thursday, Sept. 5 to view the potential Eagles they can add to the team.

“I get calls year round, I’d say probably anywhere from 300 to 400 players that reach out to us in terms of wanting to come, not only for the academics, but also to be a part of the hockey program,” Mabie said “The interest is high, but, with that, competition is very high. It’s a good problem to have.”

Throughout the evaluation process, the coaches dwindled hundreds of prospects to their final roster of 25 players. For those who missed out on the team, the next best players will be put on the FGCU Division III club hockey team where they can enhance their skills in the hopes to be brought up to the premier team next season.

“This amount of growth from this program, I think it’s just a testament to the people that started it, and that continue to be a part of it,” Mabie said.

The team was founded in 2002 and has won four titles spanning seven years from 2012 to 2017 led by former FGCU Division II Club Hockey Head Coach Bob Brinkworth. Mabie looks to lead the Eagles to championship glory for the first time under his leadership.

“We haven’t won a championship in the last five years now, four or five seasons, and that’s too long for this program,” Mabie said. “With the last three seasons, we felt like we were extremely close, and we felt like we were the team that kind of had it in our hands and let it fall out of that.”

FGCU will play 31 games over six months. Hertz Arena will host 22 games over the season, bringing collegiate hockey to Southwest Florida. 

The Eagles will face Liberty University’s Division I hockey team to start their season on Friday, Sept. 20 at the LaHaye Ice Center. It will be a true testament for the green and blue as it will be the first time their team will be playing with one another in a game setting against the toughest opponent on the schedule.

Just kind of get into that playoff mindset,” Goalie Keegan Wise said. “Getting into being able to play as a team, playing that hard, physical game and making the sacrifices that need to happen, and just doing that consistently.”

All eyes are on the 2025 ACHA Division II National Championship in St. Louis, Missouri for the Eagles. They will play their first games in front of their home crowd against East Texas Baptist University on Friday, Oct. 4 and Sunday, Oct. 5.

“It’s the place to be on Friday and Saturday nights,” Mabie said. “I think that our success as well has shown that, you know, you want to come watch a team win. You want to come watch a fun environment.”