ECAC Northeast
# ECAC Northeast

The ECAC Northeast was an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III as a hockey-only conference. For many years it was one of the three men's hockey conferences that operated under the umbrella of the Eastern College Athletic Conference; the others were the ECAC East (now the New England Hockey Conference), and the ECAC West (soon to be the United Collegiate Hockey Conference). Member institutions were located in the New England region of the United States, in the states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Unlike the ECAC East and ECAC West, there was no women's division of the ECAC Northeast. Most ECAC Northeast schools did not sponsor women's ice hockey; the two that did (Nichols & Salve Regina) played in the ECAC East.

The ECAC Northeast dissolved in 2016 when The Commonwealth Coast Conference, a Division III all-sports conference and the primary conference of most ECAC Northeast members, decided to sponsor men's ice hockey as a varsity sport. Becker, Johnson and Wales, and Suffolk joined the CCC as associate members for ice hockey, while CCC member University of New England moved their men's team from the ECAC East to play in the CCC league.

## History

The foundation of the ECAC Northeast was laid in 1971 when ECAC 2, the college division of the ECAC created a third conference called ECAC 3. When the NCAA created Division III in 1973 ECAC 3 was placed at that level and remained there for the rest of its existence. In 1985, as a result of the NCAA beginning a Division III Tournament, ECAC 2 was reorganized into two separate conferences, ECAC East and ECAC West, with each becoming D-III leagues. To prevent confusion, ECAC 3 was renamed as ECAC North/South with all members split into North and South divisions (similar to how ECAC 2 had been divided into East and West divisions). This arrangement continued until 1992 when ECAC North/South was rearranged into three divisions (North, South and Central) and renamed ECAC North/South/Central. Over the course of the 1997–98 season the South Division lost 6 of its 8 teams, mostly to Division I, but rather than return to a two-division arrangement the league rebranded as ECAC Northeast. A year later the four member schools who were from Division II schools began playing in a separate tournament which allowed the other programs to play in an NCAA-sanctioned D-III conference tournament for the first time. As a result, ECAC Northeast got its first automatic bid to the tournament in 2000. In 2009 the nine schools whose primary conference was either MASCAC or Northeast-10 left when those two leagues began sponsoring ice hockey. The remaining teams stayed on for another seven years but in 2016 the Commonwealth Coast Conference, the primary conference for seven of the nine member teams, began sponsoring ice hockey. All nine teams joined CCC as either full or associate members and the ECAC Northeast was dissolved.

## ECAC Northeast Tournament

Upon its founding, ECAC 3 instituted a tournament. Originally only a single game the championship slowly expanded along with the league.

## Members

There were nine member schools as of the conference's final season in 2015–16.

| | Location | Athletic nickname | Founded | Joined | Left | Current $Conference^†$ |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Amherst College | Amherst, Massachusetts | Lord Jeffs | 1821 | 1972 | 1992 | NESCAC |
| Assumption College | Worcester, Massachusetts | Greyhounds | 1904 | 1973 | 2009 | Northeast–10 |
| Becker College | Worcester, Massachusetts | Hawks | 1784 | 2006 | 2016 | CCC |
| Bentley University | Waltham, Massachusetts | Falcons | 1917 | 1977 | 1998 | Atlantic Hockey |
| Bryant College | Smithfield, Rhode Island | Bulldogs | 1863 | 1973 | 1975 | Dropped Program |
| Canisius College | Buffalo, New York | Golden Griffins | 1870 | 1980 | 1982 | Atlantic Hockey |
| Clark University | Worcester, Massachusetts | Cougars | 1887 | 1978 | 1981 | Dropped Program |
| Connecticut College | New London, Connecticut | Camels | 1794 | 1980 | 1991 | NESCAC |
| Curry College | Milton, Massachusetts | Colonels | 1879 | 1983 | 2016 | CCC |
| Endicott College | Beverly, Massachusetts | Gulls | 1939 | 2015 | 2016 | CCC |
| Fairfield University | Fairfield, Connecticut | Stags | 1942 | 1974 | 1998 | Dropped Program |
| Fitchburg State University | Fitchburg, Massachusetts | Falcons | 1894 | 1975 | 2009 | MASCAC |
| Framingham State University | Framingham, Massachusetts | Rams | 1839 | 1972 | 2009 | MASCAC |
| Franklin Pierce University | Rindge, New Hampshire | Ravens | 1962 | 2002 | 2009 | Northeast–10 |
| Gordon College | Wenham, Massachusetts | Fighting Scots | 1889 | 1974 | 1981 | Dropped Program |
| Hawthorne College | Antrim, New Hampshire | Hilanders | 1962 | 1984 | 1988 | College Closed |
| Hobart College | Geneva, New York | Statesmen | 1822 | 1978 | 1983 | NEHC |
| Iona College | New Rochelle, New York | Gaels | 1940 | 1977 | 1998 | Dropped Program |
| Johnson & Wales University | Providence, Rhode Island | Wildcats | 1914 | 1997 | 2016 | NEHC |
| Keene State College | Keene, New Hampshire | Owls | 1909 | 1983 | 1986 | Dropped Program |
| Lebanon Valley College | Annville, Pennsylvania | Flying Dutchmen | 1866 | 1998 | 2004 | UCHC |
| Lehigh University | Bethlehem, Pennsylvania | Mountain Hawks | 1865 | 1971 | 1986 | Dropped Program |
| University of Massachusetts Boston | Dorchester, Massachusetts | Beacons | 1964 | 1980 | 1982 | NEHC |
| University of Massachusetts Dartmouth | Dartmouth, Massachusetts | Corsairs | 1895 | 1974 | 2009 | MASCAC |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Cambridge, Massachusetts | Engineers | 1861 | 1971 | 1975 | Dropped Program |
| Massachusetts Maritime Academy | Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts | Buccaneers | 1891 | 1975 | 1978 | Dropped Program |
| Nasson College | Springvale, Maine | Lions | 1914 | 1972 | 1974 | College Closed |
| City College of New York | New York, New York | Beavers | 1847 | 1976 | 1977 | Dropped Program |
| Nichols College | Dudley, Massachusetts | Bison | 1914 | 1971 | 2016 | CCC |
| North Adams State College | North Adams, Massachusetts | Mowhawks | 1894 | 1971 | 1975 | Dropped Program |
| Plymouth State University | Plymouth, New Hampshire | Panthers | 1871 | 1973 | 2009 | MASCAC |
| Queens College | New York, New York | Knights | 1847 | 1976 | 1980 | Dropped Program |
| Quinnipiac University | Hamden, Connecticut | Braves | 1929 | 1976 | 1998 | ECAC Hockey |
| Ramapo College | Mahwah, New Jersey | Roadrunners | 1969 | 1976 | 1981 | Dropped Program |
| Rochester Institute of Technology | Henrietta, New York | Tigers | 1829 | 1972 | 1980 | Atlantic Hockey |
| Roger Williams University | Bristol, Rhode Island | Hawks | 1956 | 1983 | 1998 | Dropped Program |
| Sacred Heart University | Fairfield, Connecticut | Pioneers | 1963 | 1993 | 1998 | Atlantic Hockey |
| Saint Michael's College | Colchester, Vermont | Purple Knights | 1904 | 1982 | 2001 | Northeast–10 |
| Salve Regina University | Newport, Rhode Island | Seahawks | 1934 | 1997 | 2016 | CCC |
| University of Scranton | Scranton, Pennsylvania | Royals | 1888 | 1985 | 1991 | Dropped Program |
| Skidmore College | Saratoga Springs, New York | Thoroughbreds | 1903 | 1983 | 1998 | NEHC |
| University of Southern Maine | Gorham, Maine | Huskies | 1878 | 1972 | 1995 | NEHC |
| Southern New Hampshire University | Manchester, New Hampshire | Penmen | 1932 | 1977 | 2009 | Northeast–10 |
| St. John's University | New York, New York | Red Storm | 1870 | 1980 | 1992 | Dropped Program |
| Stonehill College | Easton, Massachusetts | Skyhawks | 1948 | 1978 | 2009 | Independent |
| Suffolk University | Boston, Massachusetts | Rams | 1934 | 1980 | 2016 | NEHC |
| Trinity College | Hartford, Connecticut | Bantams | 1823 | 1974 | 1991 | NESCAC |
| Tufts University | Medford, Massachusetts | Jumbos | 1852 | 1986 | 2001 | NESCAC |
| Upsala College | East Orange, New Jersey | Vikings | 1893 | 1979 | 1988 | College Closed |
| Villanova University | Radnor Township, Pennsylvania | Wildcats | 1842 | 1982 | 1998 | Dropped Program |
| Wentworth Institute of Technology | Boston, Massachusetts | Leopards | 1904 | 1992 | 2016 | CCC |
| Wesleyan University | Middletown, Connecticut | Cardinals | 1831 | 1971 | 1995 | NESCAC |
| Western New England University | Springfield, Massachusetts | Golden Bears | 1919 | 1980 | 2016 | CCC |
| Westfield State University | Westfield, Massachusetts | Owls | 1874 | 1974 | 1978 | MASCAC |
| Worcester State University | Worcester, Massachusetts | Lancers | 1874 | 1971 | 2009 | MASCAC |

† as of 2018

* ↑ Amherst's original, unofficial nickname for its teams, the Lord Jeffs, was retired in 2016 due to controversy over the propriety of honoring Lord Jeffrey Amherst.
* ↑ Framingham State played in ECAC 2 from 1979 thru 1982.
* ↑ Franklin Pierce was known as 'Franklin Pierce College' until 2007.
* ↑ Massachusetts Dartmouth was known as Southeastern Massachusetts University until 1991.
* ↑ Southern Maine Suspended its program from 1975 thru 1985 and changed its name from University of Maine at Portland-Gorham in the interim.
* ↑ Southern New Hampshire was known as New Hampshire College until 2001.
* ↑ Westfield State returned to ECAC Northeast for 1 season in 2008–09.
* Assumption, Franklin Pierce, Southern New Hampshire, and Stonehill are Division II schools; and were not allowed to participate in the ECAC Northeast playoffs after 1999, nor were they eligible for the Division III national tournament.
