Binghamton University athletic director Jane Marshall said Fox 40 News Wednesday that the school plans to add both NCAA Division I men’s hockey and women’s field hockey for the 2024-25 season.
“We’re working on those as we speak,” Marshall said regarding the timeframe for the programs to start. “We’d like it to be done within the next couple of years. We’re doing it aggressively.”
The school is currently exploring conference options for a hockey team.
It was the idea to add men’s hockey It first came out last summer.
There is no word on where the hockey team will play, but Marshall said it will be in a location that will benefit the local economy.
“I think it will help downtown Binghamton, and even if we have to go to other locations to play across the south tier, I think it will generate a lot of revenue,” said Marshall.
Marshall added that the idea of including hockey in the school’s athletic offerings was the idea of former athletic director Pat Elliott and Binghamton president Harvey Stinger.
“I can’t give credit to Pat Elliott, former athletic director, my good friend, and President Stinger for seeing them through,” said Marshall. “Pat and I still talk a little bit to this day about that and other things. And I think Pat, an old coach, had a good vision of what needed to happen here. I think Chief Stinger knew the same thing. This is a hockey town. This is a field hockey town. And so.” I think this will send the fans into a frenzy. I think it will work, and it will work very well for the community.”