A midseason turnaround led the ice hockey team to great success, beating the No. 1 seed team in the division during their first-ever playoff game.
At one of his first Elon Club Hockey games, Mason Esworthy ‘25 distinctly remembers wondering if the team would succeed. One year later, the Elon Club Ice Hockey Team has made its mark in the Atlantic Coast Collegiate Hockey League after an impressive season.
Going into the 2022-2023 season, Esworthy, the current vice president and assistant captain of the team, was unsure if the team was set up for success. He and Eagan Callahan ‘23, the club president at the time, took matters into their own hands last summer, scheduling practices and games and hiring a new head coach.
Despite beginning the season with a losing streak, resulting in the team being placed last, the entire season turned around after Winter Break. In the 2023 portion of the regular season, the team was undefeated, which secured them the final spot in the playoffs, a feat the club had never accomplished.
In their first playoff game, Elon Club Hockey, the eight seed, played against St. Joseph’s, the number one seed in the tournament. The game had an incredible turnout, with more than 200 Elon students, staff, faculty, and community members in attendance to cheer on the Phoenix.
“Playoffs were way more way more exciting than the regular season. The energy was there; the atmosphere was different. We felt like we had something to play for,” Esworthy said.
Although the odds were against them, the Elon team played a fantastic game, pulling out a 3-2 win. Simply making the playoffs was an unlikely achievement for this year’s team, and the upset of St. Joseph’s was the biggest win in the club’s history.
Their season has since concluded with a loss in the second round, but the team is already preparing for next year. Club members constantly recruit new players that contribute to the team’s sense of community. Team members come from different backgrounds, have varying experience levels, study across many departments, and are involved in various Greek and non-Greek organizations on campus. Esworthy is the incoming team president and captain and has high hopes for the upcoming season.
If you are interested in joining the team, please get in touch with Mason Esworthy at jesworthy@elon.edu