New England Hockey Conference (formerly the ECAC East) was a college athletic conference which operated in the northeastern United States. It participated in the NCAA's Division III as a hockey-only conference.
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History The New England Hockey Conference began as ECAC East in 1984 when ECAC 2 was split in two and both new conferences dropped down to Division III. The conference was fairly stable for the first decade but began to grow in the mid 1990s. In 1998 four teams left to become Division I programs in the new MAAC conference. A year later, nine more teams split off to join their primary athletic conference, NESCAC, followed by the women's programs in 2001. Membership numbers held steady over the succeeding 15 years, though several teams came and went. In 2015 the conference rebranded itself as the New England Hockey Conference, but no internal changes occurred. Two years later 6 women's and 2 men's programs left to join a variety of conferences, dropping league membership to 11 schools, the lowest number in conference history.
Splintering and dissolution In 2022, Johnson & Wales University announced that they would join Commonwealth Coast Conference as a full-member starting in 2024-25 and sponsor both men's ice hockey and women's ice hockey. In the summer of 2023, Keene State announced that they would begin sponsoring men's and women's ice hockey starting with the 2024–25 season. This gave the Little East Conference six member schools that supported men's ice hockey, the minimum number required for an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Shortly afterwards, the Little East announced that they would begin sponsoring men's ice hockey as a sport and begin play in the 2025-26 season. In early 2024, New England College was accepted by the Little East as an affiliate ice hockey member, enabling the conference to also support women's hockey. Less than a month later, two more NEHC teams announced that they would be joining the Little East as affiliate members and both Babson and Norwich would be leaving in 2025. The bleeding continued when, in April and May, Hobart, Skidmore and William Smith announced their move to the SUNYAC, while Albertus Magus (who had yet to play a game in the NEHC) and Elmira both announced that they would be leaving to join the UCHC, all in 2025. Salem State also announced that they will leave in 2025 to join their primary conference (MASCAC) and will also start to sponsor women's ice hockey the same year. The final remaining school, Salve Regina, would ultimately play as an independent for the 2025-26 season before joining the Conference of New England as an affiliate ice hockey member in 2026, bringing an end to the NEHC after 40 seasons.
Standings From the time it formally split from ECAC 2 until 1992 all games played between members of ECAC East and ECAC West counted for conference standings. In 1992, after the ECAC West split into two conferences, ECAC East only counted games within their conference for the standings, but because a formal schedule was not yet in place all games between members were still counted. For the 1993–94 season ECAC East had its first official conference schedule with all 18 teams playing each other once. Teams could schedule additional inter-conference games but only one would count in the standings. In 1999, when 9 teams left to form the ice hockey division of the NESCAC, the two conferences continued to count games between one another in their respective standings. This arrangement continued even after the addition of more programs.
NEHC Tournaments
Final members In the NEHC's final season, there were 14 member schools; the men's and women's divisions each had eleven members.
InstitutionLocationFoundedJoinedEnrollmentNicknamePrimary conferenceCurrent hockeyconferenceColors(M)(W)Albertus Magnus CollegeNew Haven, Connecticut19252024 1,961FalconsGreat Northeast Athletic ConferenceUnited Collegiate Hockey Conference Babson CollegeWellesley, Massachusetts191919843,340BeaversNEWMACLittle East ConferenceElmira CollegeElmira, New York18552021768Soaring EaglesEmpire 8United Collegiate Hockey ConferenceHobart CollegeGeneva, New York182220172,337StatesmenLiberty LeagueState University of New York Athletic ConferenceUniversity of Massachusetts BostonDorchester, Massachusetts1964198416,259BeaconsLittle East ConferenceNew England CollegeHenniker, New Hampshire194619844,327PilgrimsGreat Northeast Athletic ConferenceLittle East ConferenceNorwich UniversityNorthfield, Vermont181919842,000CadetsGreat Northeast Athletic ConferenceLittle East ConferencePlymouth State UniversityPlymouth, New Hampshire187120154,491PanthersLittle East ConferenceSalem State UniversitySalem, Massachusetts185420187,242VikingsMassachusetts State Collegiate Athletic ConferenceSalve Regina UniversityNewport, Rhode Island193420242,600SeahawksNew England Women's and Men's Athletic ConferenceConference of New EnglandSkidmore CollegeSaratoga Springs, New York190319982,500ThoroughbredsLiberty LeagueState University of New York Athletic ConferenceUniversity of Southern MaineGorham, Maine187819958,022HuskiesLittle East ConferenceVermont State University CastletonCastleton, Vermont178720042,399SpartansLittle East ConferenceWilliam Smith CollegeGeneva, New York190820212,229HeronsLiberty LeagueState University of New York Athletic Conference
Former members LocationAthletic nicknameColorsFoundedJoined (M)Left (M)Joined (W)Left (W)Current Conference†(M)(W) Springfield, Massachusetts Yellow Jackets 1885 19841998––AHA (NCAA D-I)Amherst, MassachusettsMammoths18211992199919952001NESCACBrunswick, MainePolar Bears17941984199919842001NESCACWaterville, MaineMules181319841999––NESCACStorrs, ConnecticutHuskies188119841998––Hockey East (NCAA D-I)New London, ConnecticutCamels17941991199919972001NESCACRindge, New HampshireRavens1962––20142017NEWHA (NCAA D-I)Clinton, New YorkContinentals17931992199919962001NESCACWorcester, MassachusettsCrusaders18431984199819992017AHA (NCAA D-I)Johnson & Wales UniversityProvidence, Rhode IslandWildcats19142018202420182024CNEPurchase, New YorkValiants1815––19992017UCHCNorth Adams, MassachusettsTrailblazers189419842003––MASCACCambridge, MassachusettsEngineers1861––19842009Dropped ProgramNorth Andover, MassachusettsWarriors194719841989––Hockey East (NCAA D-I)Middlebury, VermontPanthers18001984199919842001NESCACBiddeford, MaineNor'easters18312009201620092018CNEDudley, MassachusettsBison1815––20082017CNETroy, New YorkEngineers1824––19952005ECAC Hockey (NCAA D-I)Henrietta, New YorkTigers1829––19842007CHA (NCAA D-I)Goffstown, New HampshireHawks18891984201720042017Northeast–10 (men) (NCAA D-II)NEWHA (women) (NCAA D-I)Colchester, VermontPurple Knights19042001201720012017Northeast–10 (men) (NCAA D-II)NEWHA (women) (NCAA D-I)Salem, MassachusettsVikings185419842009––MASCACSuffolk UniversityBoston, MassachusettsRams19062018202120182021CNEHartford, ConnecticutBantams18231991199919982001NESCACSchenectady, New YorkDutchwomen1795––19992003ECAC Hockey (NCAA D-I)Middletown, ConnecticutCardinals18311995199919962001NESCACWestfield, MassachusettsOwls187419841989––MASCACWilliamstown, MassachusettsEphs17931984199919942001NESCAC † (as of March 2025)
Membership timeline
See also New England Women's Hockey Alliance
References
External links Men's official web site Women's official web site