The New England Intercollegiate Hockey League is a defunct NCAA Division I ice hockey-only conference. The league was an early attempt by second-tier programs to form a conference and stabilize their schedules during the Great Depression. The champion of the league received the Donald Sands Memorial Trophy.
History While the upper echelon of college hockey teams had been creating formal leagues for decades, many of the 'lesser' schools were frozen out of these conferences. In the mid-30's, several teams in New England decided to band together and form their own aggregation, the New England Intercollegiate Hockey League. Originally, The league was made up by eight members, however, there were few requirements with regards to participation. All games between league members were counted in the standings, however, teams were not required to play against all of their conference opponents. This loose policy led to an unbalanced schedule and the teams with the superior records not necessarily being the best.
The league continued unaltered until World War II forced several members to suspend operations. In 1942, Hew Hampshire, Colby and Bowdoin were replaced by Tufts and Norwich. The following year, the league was suspended due to most other programs stopping for the duration of the war. The league returned in 1946, once college hockey resumed in full. A year later, the league held its first postseason and became the first unofficial conference to hold a postseason game in over 40 years. In 1949, Boston College became the first league member to win a National Championship.
Unfortunately, despite the successes of some members, the league itself was not in a good position. Because members were not required to play one another, higher-ranked programs could avoid scheduling lower-ranked or 'smaller' opponents, creating an informal tier system within the conference. Additionally, upon the creation of the Tri-State League in 1950, the NEIHL faced external competition as one of three conferences in the Northeast, where it was often regarded as less competitive among the group. The conference continued during the early years of the 1950s. However, after Boston College chose not to attend the conference tournament in 1952, the postseason format was abandoned. In its place, BC, BU and Northeastern joined with Harvard to found the Beanpot the following year. Largely superfluous by then, the league fizzled and was formally dissolved in 1954.
While the conference's demise was unfortunate, most of the league members would eventually help form ECAC Hockey in 1961, a 28-team super-conference. Tufts suspended its program from 1960 to 1986 while Fort Devens State closed its doors in 1949.
Members
Institution Nickname Location Founded Tenure Current conference Colors Yellow Jackets Springfield, Massachusetts 1885 1948–1954 Atlantic HockeyEaglesChestnut Hill, Massachusetts18631936–1954Hockey EastTerriersBoston, Massachusetts18391936–1954Hockey East Polar Bears Brunswick, Maine 17941936–1954NESCAC MulesWaterville, Maine18131936–1954NESCAC Chiefs Ayer, Massachusetts 19461947–1949College closed Engineers Cambridge, Massachusetts 18611936–1954Program Suspended Panthers Middlebury, Vermont 18001936–1954NESCAC WildcatsDurham, New Hampshire18661936–1954Hockey EastHuskiesBoston, Massachusetts18981936–1954Hockey EastCadetsNorthfield, Vermont18191936–1954NEHC Jumbos Medford, Massachusetts 18521942–1954NESCAC
Membership timeline
Champions 1936–37 Boston College 5–1–1 — 1937–38 Boston University 5–1–2 — 1938–39 Boston University 6–0–0 — 1939–40 Boston College 10–0–0 — 1940–41 Boston College 8–0–0 — 1941–42 Boston College 8–0–0 — 1942–43 Northeastern* 7–2–0 — 1946–47 Boston University 11–0–1 — 1947–48 Boston University 12–1–0 Boston College 1948–49 Boston College 9–0–0 Boston College 1949–50 Boston University 8–1–0 Boston University 1950–51 Boston College 6–1–0 Boston University 1951–52 Boston College 7–2–0 Boston University^ 1952–53 Boston College 5–2–1 — 1953–54 Boston College 6–0–0 — * Boston College defeated Northeastern twice during the season and finished with an undefeated record in league play, however, because the Eagles only played 4 games due to issues from the war, they were ruled to have not played sufficient games to qualify for the championship.^ Rather than a conference tournament, the NEIHL held an invitational tournament that included non-conference teams.
See also Beanpot (ice hockey) ECAC Hockey
References