Hockey East

Template:Short description Template:Infobox sports league 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref name="All the way">Template:Citation</ref> The women's league began play in 2002.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Hockey East News, Schedule, Scores, Statistics, Video – NESN.com</ref>

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.<ref>The Associated PressTemplate:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Members

There are currently 12 member schools, with 11 participating in the men's division and 10 in the women's division.<ref>Standings :: USCHO.com :: U.S. College Hockey Online Template:Webarchive</ref><ref>Standings :: USCHO.com :: U.S. College Hockey Online Template:Webarchive</ref> Template:Clear

Template:CollegePrimaryHeader

Template:Sort	Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts	1863	Private/Catholic (Jesuit)	14,640	$3,827,000,000	ACC	Eagles	Eagles	Template:College color boxes
Template:Sort	Boston, Massachusetts	1839	Private/Non-sectarian (formerly Methodist)	31,766	$3,401,000,000	Patriot League	Terriers	Terriers	Template:College color boxes
Template:Sort	Storrs, Connecticut	1881	Public	32,669	$799,000,000	Big East	Huskies	Huskies	Template:College color boxes
Template:Sort	Worcester, Massachusetts	1843	Private/Catholic (Jesuit)	2,787	$1,043,000,000	Patriot League	Template:N	Crusaders	Template:College color boxes
Template:Sort	Orono, Maine	1865	Public	11,222	$444,900,000	America East	Black Bears	Black Bears	Template:College color boxes
Template:Sort	Amherst, Massachusetts	1863		27,269	$507,000,000	MAC	Minutemen	Template:N	Template:College color boxes
Template:Sort	Lowell, Massachusetts	1894		18,369	$149,000,000	America East	River Hawks	Template:N	Template:College color boxes
Template:Sort	North Andover, Massachusetts	1947	Private/Catholic (Augustinian)	5,418	$53,601,816	MAAC	Warriors	Warriors	Template:College color boxes
Template:Sort	Durham, New Hampshire	1866	Public	14,761	$475,000,000	America East	Wildcats	Wildcats	Template:College color boxes
Template:Sort	Boston, Massachusetts	1898	Private/Non-sectarian	20,749	$1,446,000,000	CAA	Huskies	Huskies	Template:College color boxes
Template:Sort	Providence, Rhode Island	1917	Private/Catholic (Dominican)	4,816	$234,200,000	Big East	Friars	Friars	Template:College color boxes
Template:Sort	Burlington, Vermont	1791	Public	11,999	$835,000,000	America East	Catamounts	Catamounts	Template:College color boxes

Former member

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University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, Indiana

Fighting Irish (Men)

2013

2017

Big Ten (affiliate)

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Membership timeline

<timeline> DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:20 Period = from:01/01/1984 till:07/01/2028 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:30 left:0 bottom:50 top:5

Colors =

 id:men      value:rgb(0.6,0.6,1)     legend:men
 id:women    value:rgb(0.5,0.8,0.5)   legend:women
 id:both     value:rgb(0.5,0.8,0.8)   legend:both
 id:line     value:black
 id:bg       value:white

PlotData=

 width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s

 bar:BC  color:men    from:06/01/1984 till:06/01/2002 text:Boston College (men, 1984–present)
 bar:BC  color:both   from:06/01/2002 till:end text:(women, 2002–present)
 bar:BU  color:men    from:06/01/1984 till:06/01/2005 text:Boston University (men, 1984–present)
 bar:BU  color:both   from:06/01/2005 till:end text:(women, 2005–present)
 bar:Low color:men    from:06/01/1984 till:end text:UMass Lowell (men, 1984–present)
 bar:Mne color:men    from:06/01/1984 till:06/01/2002 text:Maine (men, 1984–present)
 bar:Mne color:both   from:06/01/2002 till:end text:(women, 2002–present)
 bar:NH  color:men    from:06/01/1984 till:06/01/2002 text:New Hampshire (men, 1984–present)
 bar:NH  color:both   from:06/01/2002 till:end text:(women, 2002–present)
 bar:Nes color:men    from:06/01/1984 till:06/01/2002 text:Northeastern (men, 1984–present)
 bar:Nes color:both   from:06/01/2002 till:end text:(women, 2002–present)
 bar:Pro color:men    from:06/01/1984 till:06/01/2002 text:Providence (men, 1984–present)
 bar:Pro color:both   from:06/01/2002 till:end text:(women, 2002–present)
 bar:Mer color:men    from:06/01/1989 till:06/01/2015 text:Merrimack (men, 1989–present)
 bar:Mer color:both   from:06/01/2015 till:end shift:(-20) text:(women, 2015–present)
 bar:Mas color:men    from:06/01/1994 till:end text:Massachusetts (men, 1994–present)
 bar:Con color:women  from:06/01/2002 till:06/01/2014  text:UConn (women, 2002–present)
 bar:Con color:both   from:06/01/2014 till:end text:(men, 2014–present)
 bar:Ver color:both   from:06/01/2005 till:end text:Vermont (both, 2005–present)
 bar:ND  color:men    from:06/01/2013 till:06/01/2017 text:Notre Dame (men, 2013–2017)
 bar:HC  color:women  from:06/01/2018 till:end text:Holy Cross (women, 2018–present)

ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:2 start:01/01/1984

</timeline>

Conference records

Men's

Teams' records against current conference opponents.

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Men's Championships

The Hockey East Championship Game has been held in Boston since 1987. Originally held at the Boston Garden, it moved to TD Garden<ref>New England Hockey Journal: Hockey East playoff bracket set</ref> in 1996.<ref>Eagles bear down in OT, win Hockey East title – The Boston Globe</ref> Prior to moving to Boston, the first two men's Hockey East championships were held in Providence, Rhode Island at the Providence Civic Center.

The semifinal and final games are held on consecutive nights in mid-March at TD Garden. The quarterfinal round takes place the previous weekend. The top eight teams in the league advance to the quarterfinal round, which is a best 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.

Championships, Frozen Fours, and NCAA Tournament Appearances

School	Template:Small	Template:Small	Template:Small	Template:Small	Template:Small	Template:Small
Boston College	5 Template:Small	7 Template:Small	26 Template:Small	38 Template:Small	22 Template:Small	14 Template:Small
Boston University	5 Template:Small	7 Template:Small	25 Template:Small	40 Template:Small	22 Template:Small	17 Template:Small
Connecticut				1 Template:Small		1 Template:Small
Maine	2 Template:Small	3 Template:Small	11 Template:Small	19 Template:Small	3 Template:Small	6 Template:Small
Massachusetts	1 Template:Small	1 Template:Small	2 Template:Small	6 Template:Small	1 Template:Small	2 Template:Small
Massachusetts Lowell			1 Template:Small	9 Template:Small	2 Template:Small	3 Template:Small
Merrimack				3 Template:Small
New Hampshire		2 Template:Small	7 Template:Small	22 Template:Small	8 Template:Small	3 Template:Small
Northeastern			1 Template:Small	8 Template:Small	1 Template:Small	4 Template:Small
Providence	1 Template:Small	1 Template:Small	5 Template:Small	16 Template:Small	3 Template:Small	4 Template:Small
Vermont			2 Template:Small	6 Template:Small	1 Template:Small

Women's Championships

Template:Main 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.

Championships, Frozen Fours, and NCAA Tournament Appearances

School	Template:Small	Template:Small	Template:Small	Template:Small	Template:Small	Template:Small
Boston College		1 Template:Small	7 Template:Small	11 Template:Small	5 Template:Small	3 Template:Small
Boston University		2 Template:Small	2 Template:Small	7 Template:Small	2 Template:Small	6 Template:Small
Connecticut				1 Template:Small	2 Template:Small	1 Template:Small
Holy Cross
Maine
Merrimack
New Hampshire			2 Template:Small	5 Template:Small	4 Template:Small	5 Template:Small
Northeastern		1 Template:Small	3 Template:Small	6 Template:Small	6 Template:Small	9 Template:Small
Providence				2 Template:Small	1 Template:Small	5 Template:Small
Vermont

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.

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Boston University-Maine men's ice hockey rivalry		135	1979	2025
Green Line Rivalry		282	1918	2025
Holy War on Ice	Lefty Smith - John "Snooks" Kelley Memorial Trophy	46	1969	2024
Maine-New Hampshire men's ice hockey rivalry		135	1979	2025
UConn-UMass rivalry		71	1929	2025

Conference arenas

Hockey East membership beginning in 2017-18.
Holy Cross (in green) joined the women's league in 2018-2019.

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style="Template:NCAA color cell"| Boston College	Silvio O. Conte Forum	7,884	1988
style="Template:NCAA color cell"| Boston University	Agganis Arena (men) Walter Brown Arena (women)	6,224 3,806	2005 1971
style="Template:NCAA color cell"| Connecticut	Toscano Family Ice Forum	2,600	2023
style="Template:NCAA color cell"| Holy Cross	Hart Center at the Luth Athletic Complex	1,600	1975
style="Template:NCAA color cell"| Maine	Harold Alfond Sports Arena	5,641	1977
style="Template:NCAA color cell"| Massachusetts	William D. Mullins Memorial Center	8,329	1993
style="Template:NCAA color cell"| Massachusetts Lowell	Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell	6,496	1998
style="Template:NCAA color cell"| Merrimack	Merrimack Athletics Complex	2,549	1972
style="Template:NCAA color cell"| New Hampshire	Whittemore Center Arena	6,501	1995
style="Template:NCAA color cell"| Northeastern	Matthews Arena	4,666	1910
style="Template:NCAA color cell"| Providence	Schneider Arena	3,030	1973
style="Template:NCAA color cell"| Vermont	Albert L. Gutterson Fieldhouse	4,003	1963

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:<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In addition, the Scoring Champion and Goaltending Champions are named based solely on statistics the players made during the season. Template:Col-start

All-Conference Teams

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First Team	1984–85
Second Team	1984–85
Third Team	2016–17
Rookie Team	1984–85
All-Tournament Team	1985

Individual awards

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Player of the Year	1984–85
Rookie of the Year	1984–85
Bob Kullen Coach of the Year Award	1984–85
Len Ceglarski Sportsmanship Award	1991–92
Best Defensive Forward	1996–97
Best Defensive Defenseman	1998–99
Three-Stars Award	2000–01
Goaltending Champion	1984–85
Scoring Champion	1984–85
William Flynn Tournament Most Valuable Player	1985

Team Awards

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Lamoriello Trophy	1988
Charlie Holt Team Sportsmanship Award	1991-92

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, Alex 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Games previously aired nationally on NBCSN through the 2016 Hockey East Championship game,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and on American Sports Network prior to the service's closure.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

• 300 games per season with all contests available on ESPN+.
• 3 games per season that will air on ESPNU.

External links

• Hockey East home page