Earlier this month the ECHL released their 2024-25 schedule for all its member clubs. It’s important to know before we start discussing the schedule that teams only have a small amount of input as to what their final schedule is, and that’s usually limited to the dates they can host games and the dates of special events that teams want to ensure they have home games for. Teams also get a say about long road trips, with the “where” usually predetermined by the locations they played in the previous couple of seasons and the dates teams can make those trips.
The reason why it’s important for fans to understand all of that is so they’ll know that for the most part, the Worcester Railers carry almost no blame for what is a schedule that can most professionally be called “sub-par”. If one were to be unprofessional about it, it would best be described as “hot garbage”.
The Railers will play 55 of their 72 games against North Division rivals Trois-Rivieres (15:6H,9A), Maine (11:5H,6A), Reading (9: 6H,3A); Adirondack (8:5H,3A), Norfolk (8:5H,3A), and Wheeling (4:2H,2A). The Nailers take the spot of the Newfoundland Growlers, who were disbanded late last season for various reasons including non-payment of funds to the league. Twenty-nine of those 55 games will be at the DCU Center, so Worcester gets a slight edge there.
Once again, we’ll make fun of the ECHL for placing a team in the North Division, Wheeling, and then having that team play less than half of their games against teams in the division. While the Nailers play Reading 11 times, they face off against Norfolk just twice and Maine only three times. As mentioned, the Railers see Wheeling four times, while Trois-Rivieres matches up with the Nailers six times, and Adirondack and Wheeling meet five times.
It’s an absolute joke.
Continuing with the Railers’ schedule, they face off against South Carolina four times (2H,2A). Every other team Worcester plays is either all home or road games. They face Allen and Wichita three times on the road, and Savannah twice. Atlanta comes to the DCU Center for three contests and expansion Bloomington comes in for two games.
Looking at the home portion of the schedule, it’s not too bad. The Railers have moved the start times of Saturday games at the DCU Center to 6:05pm, which they believe will allow families with smaller children to be able to stay until the end of the game. This writer often sees families leaving at the end of the second period, usually close to 8:30pm, so now with an earlier start time they should be able to make it through to the end of the game.
There are also fewer three-in-three weekends than in previous seasons, with one in November, January, and March. The third one is an oddity as the games aren’t the usual Friday-Saturday-Sunday series but instead, the Railers will face off against Norfolk on Thursday-Friday-Saturday in March. Worcester has one school day matinee currently on the schedule, November 13th at 10am against South Carolina. Fans should keep an eye on that Thursday game against Norfolk as that could easily become a second morning game for the team.
For the road portion of the schedule, if you’re a fan who likes to take in the occasional game in another team’s building, as this writer is, you’re likely very unhappy with the upcoming season’s schedule. Worcester doesn’t play any weekend series at the Cool Insuring Arena against Adirondack, a favorite road venue for many Worcester fans. The Railers play one Friday night game there, but the next two are at the DCU Center, meaning fans would need to dash back home for the next game as opposed to enjoying a visit to Glens Falls.
Worcester’s February road trip is a killer next season, with them playing seven games in ten days. After a trip to Allen to play three over a weekend, Worcester then faces a 1,100-mile journey to face off against the South Carolina Stingrays on Wednesday morning. Then it’s a two-hour bus ride to Savannah for two against the Ghost Pirates on Friday and Saturday before a late-night return journey to North Charleston for a Sunday game against South Carolina. So, in a couple week’s time, it’s those seven games plus almost 4,000 miles of travel.
Gee, thanks ECHL.
Looking at the schedule for what this writer calls “mad dashes”, where Worcester has to spend a long time on a bus between games on consecutive games, there’s one in late December where the Railers and Royals play in Reading on Friday and then Worcester on Saturday. Both teams have to make that trip, so no issue there. It’s the same for Adirondack and Worcester in April. In both cases the second game is at the DCU Center, so a slight edge goes to the Railers in each.
It’s a different story in November when Worcester hosts South Carolina on Friday and then has to make the almost six-hour journey to Trois-Rivieres. That Friday night the Lions host Maine, so at least they have to play a game, but the advantage is obviously with Trois-Rivieres there.
Once again Worcester ends its season on the road, with two in Reading. Whispers say that the DCU Center was not made available for the Railers that weekend. If that’s true, that’s a problem, one that needs to be addressed by owner Cliff Rucker.
| DATE | OPPONENT | TIME |
| Sat, Oct 19 | Reading | 6:05 PM |
| Sun, Oct 20 | Reading | 3:05 PM |
| Fri, Oct 25 | at Trois-Rivières | 7:00 PM |
| Sun, Oct 27 | at Maine | 3:00 PM |
| Wed, Oct 30 | at Norfolk | 7:05 PM |
| Fri, Nov 1 | at Norfolk | 7:05 PM |
| Sun, Nov 3 | at Norfolk | 3:05 PM |
| Fri, Nov 8 | Maine | 7:05 PM |
| Sat, Nov 9 | Maine | 6:05 PM |
| Sun, Nov 10 | Norfolk | 3:05 PM |
| Wed, Nov 13 | South Carolina | 10:05 AM |
| Fri, Nov 15 | South Carolina | 7:05 PM |
| Sat, Nov 16 | at Trois-Rivières | 7:00 PM |
| Sun, Nov 17 | at Trois-Rivières | 3:00 PM |
| Wed, Nov 20 | at Maine | 7:00 PM |
| Sat, Nov 23 | Trois-Rivières | 6:05 PM |
| Sun, Nov 24 | Trois-Rivières | 3:05 PM |
| Wed, Nov 27 | at Wichita | 6:05 PM |
| Fri, Nov 29 | at Wichita | 7:05 PM |
| Sat, Nov 30 | at Wichita | 7:05 PM |
| Wed, Dec 4 | at Adirondack | 7:00 PM |
| Fri, Dec 6 | Maine | 7:05 PM |
| Sun, Dec 8 | Norfolk | 3:05 PM |
| Wed, Dec 11 | Reading | 7:05 PM |
| Fri, Dec 13 | Trois-Rivières | 7:05 PM |
| Sat, Dec 14 | Trois-Rivières | 6:05 PM |
| Sat, Dec 21 | Maine | 6:05 PM |
| Sun, Dec 22 | Maine | 3:05 PM |
| Fri, Dec 27 | at Reading | 7:00 PM |
| Sat, Dec 28 | Reading | 6:05 PM |
| Sun, Dec 29 | Adirondack | 3:05 PM |
| Tue, Dec 31 | at Adirondack | 3:00 PM |
| Fri, Jan 3 | Reading | 7:05 PM |
| Sat, Jan 4 | Reading | 6:05 PM |
| Sat, Jan 11 | at Wheeling | 7:10 PM |
| Sun, Jan 12 | at Wheeling | 4:10 PM |
| Fri, Jan 17 | Adirondack | 7:05 PM |
| Sat, Jan 18 | Wheeling | 6:05 PM |
| Sun, Jan 19 | Wheeling | 3:05 PM |
| Fri, Jan 24 | at Maine | 7:15 PM |
| Sat, Jan 25 | at Maine | 6:00 PM |
| Fri, Jan 31 | Adirondack | 7:05 PM |
| Sun, Feb 2 | at Maine | 3:00 PM |
| Wed, Feb 5 | Atlanta | 7:05 PM |
| Fri, Feb 7 | Atlanta | 7:05 PM |
| Sat, Feb 8 | Atlanta | 6:05 PM |
| Fri, Feb 14 | at Allen | 7:10 PM |
| Sat, Feb 15 | at Allen | 7:10 PM |
| Sun, Feb 16 | at Allen | 2:10 PM |
| Wed, Feb 19 | at South Carolina | 10:30 AM |
| Fri, Feb 21 | at Savannah | 7:30 PM |
| Sat, Feb 22 | at Savannah | 7:00 PM |
| Sun, Feb 23 | at South Carolina | 3:05 PM |
| Fri, Feb 28 | Bloomington | 7:05 PM |
| Sat, Mar 1 | Bloomington | 6:05 PM |
| Fri, Mar 7 | at Trois-Rivières | 7:00 PM |
| Sat, Mar 8 | at Trois-Rivières | 7:00 PM |
| Sun, Mar 9 | at Trois-Rivières | 3:00 PM |
| Thu, Mar 13 | Norfolk | 7:05 PM |
| Fri, Mar 14 | Norfolk | 7:05 PM |
| Sat, Mar 15 | Norfolk | 6:05 PM |
| Fri, Mar 21 | at Maine | 7:15 PM |
| Sat, Mar 22 | Trois-Rivières | 6:05 PM |
| Sun, Mar 23 | Trois-Rivières | 3:05 PM |
| Fri, Mar 28 | at Trois-Rivières | 7:00 PM |
| Sat, Mar 29 | at Trois-Rivières | 7:00 PM |
| Sun, Mar 30 | at Trois-Rivières | 3:00 PM |
| Fri, Apr 4 | at Adirondack | 7:00 PM |
| Sat, Apr 5 | Adirondack | 6:05 PM |
| Sun, Apr 6 | Adirondack | 3:05 PM |
| Fri, Apr 11 | at Reading | 7:00 PM |
| Sat, Apr 12 | at Reading | 7:00 PM |
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