Hockey East

Last updated
Hockey East Association
Hockey East Association logo.svg
Association NCAA
Founded1984
CommissionerSteve Metcalf
Sports fielded
Division Division I
No. of teams12
Headquarters Amesbury, Massachusetts, U.S.
Region New England
Official website http://www.hockeyeastonline.com
Locations
Map - College Hockey - Hockey East states.svg

The Hockey East Association, also known as Hockey East, is a college ice hockey conference which operates entirely in New England. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. [1]

Contents

Hockey East came into existence in 1984 for men's hockey when most of its current members split from what is today known as ECAC Hockey, after disagreements with the Ivy League members. [2] The women's league began play in 2002. [3] [4]

On October 5, 2011, the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish (an ACC member outside football) announced they would be joining Hockey East as the conference's first non-New England school in 2013 after the CCHA folded. [5] On March 22, 2016, Notre Dame subsequently announced their men's hockey team would leave Hockey East for the Big Ten Conference at the start of the 2017–2018 season. [6] The University of Connecticut (UConn) and Hockey East jointly announced on June 21, 2012, that UConn's men's team, then in Atlantic Hockey, would join the school's women's team in Hockey East in 2014. [7] On October 24, 2013, Merrimack College, already a member of the Hockey East men's league, announced that it would upgrade its women's team from club level to full varsity status effective in 2015 and join the Hockey East women's league. [8]

On May 2, 2017, the College of the Holy Cross announced that it would join Hockey East for women's hockey only starting in 2018–19. [9]

Members

There are currently 12 member schools, with 11 participating in the men's division and 10 in the women's division. [10] [11]

InstitutionLocationFoundedAffiliationEnrollmentEndowmentPrimary ConferenceNickname (men's)Nickname (women's)Colors
Boston College Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 1863Private/Catholic (Jesuit)14,640$3,827,000,000 ACC Eagles Eagles    
Boston University Boston, Massachusetts 1839Private/Non-sectarian (formerly Methodist)31,766$3,401,000,000 Patriot League Terriers Terriers    
University of Connecticut Storrs, Connecticut 1881Public32,669$799,000,000 Big East Huskies Huskies    
College of the Holy Cross Worcester, Massachusetts 1843Private/Catholic (Jesuit)2,787$1,043,000,000 Patriot League n/a Crusaders  
University of Maine Orono, Maine 1865Public11,222$444,900,000 America East Black Bears Black Bears      
University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst, Massachusetts 186327,269$507,000,000 Atlantic 10
(MAC in 2025)		 Minutemen n/a   
University of Massachusetts Lowell Lowell, Massachusetts 189418,369$149,000,000 America East River Hawks n/a     
Merrimack College North Andover, Massachusetts 1947Private/Catholic (Augustinian)5,418$53,601,816 NEC Warriors Warriors    
University of New Hampshire Durham, New Hampshire 1866Public14,761$475,000,000 America East Wildcats Wildcats      
Northeastern University Boston, Massachusetts 1898Private/Non-sectarian20,749$1,446,000,000 CAA Huskies Huskies    
Providence College Providence, Rhode Island 1917Private/Catholic (Dominican)4,816$234,200,000 Big East Friars Friars      
University of Vermont Burlington, Vermont 1791Public11,999$835,000,000 America East Catamounts Catamounts    

    Former member

    InstitutionLocationNicknameJoinedLeftConference left forCurrent conferenceColors
    University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, Indiana Fighting Irish (Men)20132017 Big Ten (affiliate)   

    Membership timeline

    Holy Cross Crusaders women's ice hockeyNotre Dame Fighting Irish men's ice hockeyVermont Catamounts men's ice hockeyUConn Huskies men's ice hockeyUMass Minutemen ice hockeyMerrimack Warriors men's ice hockeyProvidence Friars men's ice hockeyNortheastern Huskies men's ice hockeyNew Hampshire Wildcats men's ice hockeyMaine Black Bears men's ice hockeyUMass Lowell River Hawks men's ice hockeyBoston University Terriers men's ice hockeyBoston College Eagles men's ice hockeyHockey East

      Men    Women    Both  

    Conference records

    Men's

    Team's records against current conference opponents.

    School Boston College Boston University Connecticut Maine Massachusetts Massachusetts Lowell Merrimack New Hampshire Northeastern Providence Vermont Total
    WLTWLTWLTWLTWLTWLTWLTWLTWLTWLTWLTWLTWin%
    Boston College 13113921157272551074234704711762778068161745918121541750188863497114.624
    Boston University 1361282010626855146514778341192228113522116764111115919532410893458123.648
    Connecticut 3132610286415404112738275111615120413324819517225.368
    Maine 5171955681468457251081465722210705612585319675872929854643698.551
    Massachusetts 17744147084318428581036509514582993123757103552832441032256183.376
    Massachusetts Lowell 4569103478112711346815493278141124565186351104962113517847450795.485
    Merrimack 23757229282785227210434684181122880124363123591121819830262794.341
    New Hampshire 667716521132116111567012912712654518802812987117916516822710696534135.559
    Northeastern 55171166416711125053581956341051631063431271981756902030348511763123.410
    Providence 5312114591111913435867748318624911913512659116905620282811567593121.490
    Vermont 164972453108241292984430817358191882782103430828281124637879.406
    Note: Northeastern defeated Boston University in the 2020 Beanpot championship in double overtime. However, due to NCAA rules about non-postseason games, the match is officially recorded as a tie.
    Massachusetts records a loss against Providence on February 9, 1931. The game was actually played against Brown at Providence, Rhode Island.

    Champions

    Men's

    The Hockey East Championship Game has been held in Boston since 1987, first at the Boston Garden and now the TD Garden, [12] since 1996. [13] The first two were held in Providence, Rhode Island at the Providence Civic Center (now the Dunkin' Donuts Center).

    The final game and the semifinal games are held on consecutive nights in mid-March at the Garden. The quarterfinal round takes place the previous weekend. The top eight teams in the league advance to the quarterfinal round: the quarterfinal round series are 2-out-of-3 series with all games played at the higher seed's rink. There have been two cases where the #8 seed won on the #1 team's ice. [14]

    Women's

    The Hockey East Championship was held in Boston from its inception in 2003 until 2007. The event was held at Northeastern's Matthews Arena in 2003 and 2004 before moving to BU's Walter Brown Arena in 2005. The tournament returned to Matthews Arena in 2006, was held at UNH's Whittemore Center in 2007, and at UConn's Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum in 2008. The tournament went back to UNH in 2009, Providence in 2010, and the last campus to host was Boston University in 2011. The tournament moved to Hyannis, Massachusetts in 2012, and Lawler Arena on the Merrimack College campus in North Andover, Massachusetts in 2016.

    Rivalries

    Boston College, Boston University, and Northeastern all take part in the annual Beanpot tournament with Harvard of ECAC Hockey.

    The previously existing rivalry between Boston College and Notre Dame, the Holy War on Ice, became a conference matchup with Notre Dame's arrival in Hockey East. The two are rivals in other sports as well, as both are members of the Atlantic Coast Conference for most sports (though Notre Dame's football team remains independent, they play BC in that sport on a regular basis). Maine also has a rivalry with New Hampshire, often called "The Border War". Providence and UConn also have a rivalry which spills over from the basketball court.

    Rivalry NameTrophyMeetingsBeganLast
    Boston University–Maine men's ice hockey rivalry —13519792024
    Green Line Rivalry —28219182024
    Holy War on Ice Lefty Smith – John "Snooks" Kelley Memorial Trophy4619692024
    Maine–New Hampshire men's ice hockey rivalry —13519792024
    UConn–UMass rivalry 6719292024

    Conference arenas

    Hockey East membership beginning in 2017-18. Holy Cross (in green) joined the women's league in 2018-2019. Map of Hockey East members beginning with 2017-18.png
    Hockey East membership beginning in 2017–18.
    Holy Cross (in green) joined the women's league in 2018–2019.
    SchoolHockey ArenaCapacityOpened
    Boston College Silvio O. Conte Forum 7,8841988
    Boston University Agganis Arena (men)
    Walter Brown Arena (women)    		6,224
    3,806    		2005
    1971
    Connecticut Toscano Family Ice Forum 2,6002023
    Holy Cross Hart Center 1,6001975
    Maine Alfond Arena 5,6411977
    Massachusetts Mullins Center 8,3291993
    Massachusetts Lowell Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell 6,4961998
    Merrimack J. Thom Lawler Arena 2,5491972
    New Hampshire Whittemore Center Arena 6,5011995
    Northeastern Matthews Arena 4,6661910
    Providence Schneider Arena 3,0301973
    Vermont Gutterson Fieldhouse 4,0031963

      Awards

      Men's

      At the conclusion of each regular season schedule the coaches of each Hockey East team vote which players they choose to be on the three All-Conference Teams: [15] first team, second team and rookie team (except for 1985–86 when no rookie team was selected). Additionally they vote to award up to 6 individual trophies to an eligible player at the same time. Hockey East also awards a Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player and names a tournament all-star team, which are voted on at the conclusion of the conference tournament. Four of these awards have been bestowed every year that Hockey East has been in operation. [16] In addition, the Scoring Champion and Goaltending Champions are named based solely on statistics the players made during the season.

      Women's

      The award for the top HEA player each year is the Cammi Granato Award, awarded since 2009. The NCAA Division I Women's Ice Hockey Player of the year, the Patty Kazmaier Award, has been won by HEA players Brooke Whitney (Northeastern) in 2002, Alexandra Carpenter (Boston College) in 2015, Kendall Coyne (Northeastern) in 2016, Daryl Watts (Boston College) in 2018, and Aerin Frankel (Northeastern) in 2021.

      Television rights

      Since the 2019–2020 season, Hockey East games have aired regionally on NESN and are available in the rest of the United States and in Canada on Paramount+ and SportsLive. [17] [18] [19]

      Games previously aired nationally on NBCSN through the 2016 Hockey East Championship game, [20] [21] and on American Sports Network prior to the service's closure. [22]

      On April 6, 2022, Hockey East reached a six-year media rights agreement with ESPN and ESPN+ that will bring games to ESPN's television and streaming platforms; [23]

      Related Research Articles

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">ECAC Hockey</span> American collegiate ice hockey conference

      ECAC Hockey is one of the six conferences that compete in NCAA Division I ice hockey. The conference used to be affiliated with the Eastern College Athletic Conference, a consortium of over 300 colleges in the eastern United States. This relationship ended in 2004; however, the ECAC abbreviation was retained in the name of the hockey conference. ECAC Hockey is the only ice hockey conference with identical memberships in both its women's and men's divisions. Cornell has won the most ECAC men's hockey championships with 13, followed by Harvard at 11. Quinnipiac, which joined the league in 2005, already has 7 regular season championships. ECAC Hockey teams have won 10 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championships, most recently in 2023.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament</span>

      The 2008 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament involved 16 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college ice hockey. The tournament began on March 28, 2008, and ended with the championship game on April 12.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament</span>

      The 2004 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament involved 16 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college ice hockey. It began on March 26, 2004, and ended with the championship game on April 10. A total of 15 games were played. This was the first season in which the Atlantic Hockey sent a representative to the tournament. Atlantic Hockey assumed possession of the automatic bid that had been the possession of the MAAC after it collapsed and all remaining ice hockey programs formed the new conference.

      The UConn Huskies women's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents the University of Connecticut. The Huskies compete in the Hockey East conference. The Huskies play in the Toscano Family Ice Forum.

      The 2010–11 Hockey East women's ice hockey season marked the continuation of the annual tradition of competitive ice hockey among Hockey East members.

      In the 2011–12 Maine Black Bears women's ice hockey season they will attempt to win their first NCAA Women's Frozen Four title. Head coach Maria Lewis returns for her second season. Lewis led the Black Bears to the Hockey East Tournament in the previous season and helped the Black Bears double their win total from the previous season. The Black Bears return 14 letterwinners for the season. Dawn Sullivan will serve as the Black Bears captain. In the past season, she registered eight goals and nine assists for 17 points.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">Merrimack Warriors women's ice hockey</span> College ice hockey team

      The Merrimack Warriors women's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I women's college ice hockey program. The Warriors are a new member of Hockey East. They play at the 2,549-seat J. Thom Lawler Arena in North Andover, Massachusetts.

      The 1999 Hockey East Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was the 15th Tournament in the history of the conference. It was played between March 11 and March 20, 1999. Quarterfinal games were played at home team campus sites, while the final four games were played at the Fleet Center in Boston, Massachusetts, the home venue of the NHL's Boston Bruins. By winning the tournament, Boston College received the Hockey East's automatic bid to the 1999 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament.

      The 2000 Hockey East Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was the 16th Tournament in the history of the conference. It was played between March 9 and March 18, 2000. Quarterfinal games were played at home team campus sites, while the final four games were played at the Fleet Center in Boston, Massachusetts, the home venue of the NHL's Boston Bruins. By winning the tournament, Maine received the Hockey East's automatic bid to the 2000 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament.

      The 2001 Hockey East Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was the 17th Tournament in the history of the conference. It was played between March 8 and March 17, 2001. Quarterfinal games were played at home team campus sites, while the final four games were played at the Fleet Center in Boston, Massachusetts, the home venue of the NHL's Boston Bruins. By winning the tournament, Boston College received the Hockey East's automatic bid to the 2001 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament.

      The 2002 Hockey East Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was the 18th Tournament in the history of the conference. It was played between March 7 and March 16, 2002. Quarterfinal games were played at home team campus sites, while the final four games were played at the Fleet Center in Boston, Massachusetts, the home venue of the NHL's Boston Bruins. By winning the tournament New Hampshire received the Hockey East's automatic bid to the 2002 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament.

      The 2003 Hockey East Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was the 19th Tournament in the history of the conference. It was played between March 6 and March 17, 2003. Quarterfinal games were played at home team campus sites, while the final four games were played at the Fleet Center in Boston, Massachusetts, the home venue of the NHL's Boston Bruins. By winning the tournament New Hampshire received the Hockey East's automatic bid to the 2003 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament.

      The 2004 Hockey East Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was the 20th Tournament in the history of the conference. It was played between March 11 and March 20, 2004. Quarterfinal games were played at home team campus sites, while the final four games were played at the Fleet Center in Boston, Massachusetts, the home venue of the NHL's Boston Bruins. By winning the tournament Maine received the Hockey East's automatic bid to the 2004 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament.

      The 2005 Hockey East Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was the 21st Tournament in the history of the conference. It was played between March 10 and March 19, 2005. Quarterfinal games were played at home team campus sites, while the final four games were played at the Fleet Center in Boston, Massachusetts, the home venue of the NHL's Boston Bruins. By winning the tournament Boston College received the Hockey East's automatic bid to the 2005 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament.

      The 2007 Hockey East Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was the 23rd Tournament in the history of the conference. It was played between March 8 and March 17, 2007. Quarterfinal games were played at home team campus sites, while the final four games were played at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, the home venue of the NHL's Boston Bruins. By winning the tournament Boston College received the Hockey East's automatic bid to the 2007 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament</span>

      The 2022 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament was the national championship tournament for men's college ice hockey in the United States scheduled for on April 7–9, 2022. The tournament involved 16 teams in single-elimination play to determine the national champion at the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the highest level of competition in college hockey. The tournament's Frozen Four—the semifinals and finals—were hosted by Hockey East at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.

      The 2020–21 UConn Huskies men's ice hockey season was the 61st season of play for the program, the 23rd at the Division I level, and the 7th season in the Hockey East conference. The Huskies represented the University of Connecticut and were coached by Mike Cavanaugh, in his 8th season.

      The 2022–23 Northeastern Huskies Men's ice hockey season was the 91st season of play for the program and 39th in Hockey East. The Huskies represented Northeastern University in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, were coached by Jerry Keefe in his 2nd season, and played their home games at Matthews Arena.

      References

      1. ↑ "BU nabs spot in Hockey East semis; Maine next – ESPN Boston". ESPN. March 15, 2010. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
      2. ↑ He Could Go All the Way, U.S. College Hockey Online
      3. ↑ "Maine news, sports, politics and obituaries — Bangor Daily News". Archived from the original on 2012-07-15. Retrieved 2010-09-14.
      4. ↑ Hockey East News, Schedule, Scores, Statistics, Video – NESN.com
      5. ↑ The Associated Press
      6. ↑ Connelly, Jim (March 22, 2016). "Sources: Notre Dame leaving Hockey East for Big Ten in 2017". USCHO.com. Retrieved 2016-03-23.
      7. ↑ "UConn Men's Hockey to Join Hockey East in 2014–2015" (Press release). Hockey East. June 21, 2012. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
      8. ↑ "Merrimack College Women's Ice Hockey to Join Division I, Hockey East Ranks in 2015–16" (Press release). Merrimack College Athletics. October 24, 2013. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
      9. ↑ Horgan, Candace (2017-05-02). "Holy Cross to join Women's Hockey East for 2018-19". USCHO.com. Archived from the original on 2017-06-10. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
      10. ↑ Standings :: USCHO.com :: U.S. College Hockey Online Archived 2012-09-18 at archive.today
      11. ↑ Standings :: USCHO.com :: U.S. College Hockey Online Archived 2012-09-14 at archive.today
      12. ↑ New England Hockey Journal: Hockey East playoff bracket set
      13. ↑ Eagles bear down in OT, win Hockey East title – The Boston Globe
      14. ↑ He Could Go All the Way :: USCHO.com :: U.S. College Hockey Online
      15. ↑ "UMaine's Abbott named Hockey East Player of the Year, Hobey Baker finalist". The Maine Campus. 2012-03-15. Archived from the original on 2013-11-02. Retrieved 2013-08-15.
      16. ↑ "Hockey East Awards". College hockey Historical Archive. Retrieved 2013-08-15.
      17. ↑ "Hockey East and CBS Interactive Announce Multi-Year Partnership" (PDF). Hockey East. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
      18. ↑ "Hockey East and NESN Announce Multi-Year Partnership". Hockey East. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
      19. ↑ "2019-2020 Hockey East Association Men's And Women's Game Schedule: Watch Live On CBS All Access". CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
      20. ↑ "NBCSN and Hockey East Sign Multi-Year Extension" (PDF). Hockey East. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
      21. ↑ "NBCSN to Televise Hockey East Championship Weekend" (PDF). Hockey East. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
      22. ↑ "Hockey East League Television Package Announced" (PDF). Hockey East. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
      23. ↑ "HOCKEY EAST ANNOUNCES SIX-YEAR MEDIA RIGHTS AGREEMENT WITH ESPN AND ESPN+". Hockey East. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
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