Northeast Collegiate Hockey League

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ConferenceACHA
Founded2007
CommissionerSteve Hurtubise
Sports fielded
Northeast Collegiate Hockey League
ConferenceACHA
Founded2007
CommissionerSteve Hurtubise
Sports fielded
DivisionDivision I
No. of teams6
HeadquartersNew Brunswick, New Jersey
RegionNortheast
Most recent
champion		Oswego State Lakers (3rd title)
(2024–25)
Most titlesNiagara Purple Eagles (5)
Official websiteLeague website
Locations
Location of teams in {{{title}}}

The Northeast Collegiate Hockey League is an ACHA Division I Hockey League consisting of seven teams in the Northeastern United States. A majority of members are located in New York with additional teams coming from New Jersey.

The league was announced on July 19, 2007 with plans to begin its first season later that year.[1] The league's first seven members were Binghamton University, Ithaca College, Penn State Berks, Rutgers University, St. Bonaventure University, SUNY Cortland, and SUNY Oswego. Andy Gojdycz was named the NECHL's first commissioner.

Ahead of the 2010–11 season, Syracuse University joined the NECHL from the Eastern Collegiate Hockey League.[2] By 2013, the Orange were joined by four more former ECHL schools; Niagara University, Rochester Institute of Technology, University at Buffalo, and Canisius University.[3]

The College of New Jersey jumped from ACHA Division II and joined the NECHL for the 2022–23 season.[4]

Buffalo was unable to field a team for the 2024–25 season, leaving the NECHL with five teams.[5][6] However, the Bulls remained members of the conference officially. Oswego announced it would leave the conference following the 2024–25 season and join the Atlantic Coast Collegiate Hockey League's new ACHA Division I conference.[7]

In November 2025, it was announced Farmingdale State College and Sacred Heart University would join the NECHL for the 2026–27 season, with the former jumping up from ACHA Division II.[8]

Format

Teams play a 15 game league schedule, playing each of the other five teams three times in the regular season. At the conclusion of the regular season the league holds a post season tournament hosted by one of the member schools. The tournament is held over three days at a single venue with top-seeded teams receiving first round byes. The Memorial Cup and an automatic bid to the ACHA Men's Division I National Championship Tournament is awarded to the winner of the tournament.

Membership

School Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Primary conference
University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY 1846 Public 28,192 Bulls Mid-American Conference (D-I)
Canisius University Buffalo, NY 1870 Private/Roman Catholic 5,152 Golden Griffins Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (D-I)
Rochester Institute of Technology Henrietta, NY 1829 Private/Non-sectarian 13,861 Tigers Empire 8 (D-III)
Rutgers University New Brunswick, NJ 1766 Public 67,556 Scarlet Knights Big Ten Conference (D-I)
The College of New Jersey Ewing, NJ 1855 Public 7,340 Lions New Jersey Athletic Conference (D-III)

Note: Canisius and RIT also field NCAA Division I hockey teams.

Former Members

Membership timeline

The College of New JerseyCanisius UniversityUniversity at BuffaloRochester Institute of TechnologyNiagara UniversitySyracuse UniversityCornell UniversityCornell UniversityState University of New York College at OswegoState University of New York College at CortlandSt. Bonaventure UniversityRutgers UniversityEastern States Collegiate Hockey LeagueRutgers UniversityPenn State BerksIthaca CollegeBinghamton University

Conference Arenas

School Hockey Arena Capacity
Buffalo Northtown Center 1,800
Canisius LECOM Harborcenter 1,900
RIT Frank Ritter Memorial Ice Arena 2,100
Rutgers ProSkate Ice Arena 1,500
TCNJ Tsai Field House

Championship results

Season Date Winner Score Runners–up Venue Regular season winner Source(s)
2007–08 February 4, 2008 Oswego Lakers 4–2 Rutgers Scarlet Knights Campus Center Ice Arena Rutgers Scarlet Knights [9]
2008–09 March 1, 2009 Cornell Big Red 5–3 Penn State Berks ProtecHockey Ponds Penn State Berks
Rutgers Scarlet Knights		 [10]
2009–10 February 21, 2010 Binghamton Bearcats 4–0 Rutgers Scarlet Knights Body Zone Sports Complex Rutgers Scarlet Knights [11]
2010–11 February 20, 2011 Syracuse Orange 8–4 Rutgers Scarlet Knights Campus Center Ice Arena Rutgers Scarlet Knights [12][13]
2011–12 February 19, 2012 Cornell Big Red 4–3 (OT) Syracuse Orange Tennity Ice Skating Pavilion Rutgers Scarlet Knights [14]
2012–13 February 24, 2013 Buffalo Bulls 8–7 (2OT) Niagara Purple Eagles Northtown Center Niagara Purple Eagles [15]
2013–14 March 2, 2014 Niagara Purple Eagles 6–5 Canisius Golden Griffins Northtown Center Syracuse Orange [16][17][18]
2014–15 February 22, 2015 Niagara Purple Eagles 5–4 Buffalo Bulls Tennity Ice Skating Pavilion Niagara Purple Eagles [19]
2015–16 February 21, 2016 Syracuse Orange 6–3 Niagara Purple Eagles Tennity Ice Skating Pavilion Syracuse Orange [20]
2016–17 February 26, 2017 Niagara Purple Eagles 9–1 Canisius Golden Griffins Harborcenter Syracuse Orange [21]
2017–18 March 4, 2018 Buffalo Bulls 5–2 RIT Tigers The Rink (Ithaca, NY) Buffalo Bulls [21]
2018–19 March 3, 2019 Buffalo Bulls 2–1 Canisius Golden Griffins North Buffalo Ice Rink Buffalo Bulls [21]
2019–20 March 1, 2020 Niagara Purple Eagles 4–3 Oswego Lakers North Buffalo Ice Rink Niagara Purple Eagles [21]
2020–21 Not played due to the COVID-19 Pandemic
2021–22 February 27, 2022 Niagara Purple Eagles 3–2 Oswego Lakers Dwyer Arena Niagara Purple Eagles [22]
2022–23 February 26, 2023 Buffalo Bulls 4–3 Canisius Golden Griffins Tsai Field House RIT Tigers [23]
2023–24 February 18, 2024 Oswego Lakers 5–2 Canisius Golden Griffins Deborah F. Stanley Arena Oswego Lakers [24]
2024–25 February 23, 2025 Oswego Lakers 11–0 RIT Tigers LECOM Harborcenter Oswego Lakers [25]

ACHA National Tournament results

Year Round NECHL Team Score Opponent Opponent Conference Reference
2009 First Round #16 Penn State Berks 2–14 #1 Lindenwood Lions CSCHL [26]
Consolation CXL #12 Kent State Golden Flashes CSCHL [27]
2010 First Round #16 Rutgers Scarlet Knights 3–8 #1 Lindenwood Lions CSCHL [28]
Consolation 5–6 (OT) #15 SUNY Canton Kangaroos ECHL [29]
2011 First Round #15 Rutgers Scarlet Knights 1–12 #2 Davenport Panthers GLCHL [30]
Consolation 6–8 #16 Slippery Rock CHMA [31]
2012 Play-in Round #16 Rutgers Scarlet Knights 1–5 #17 West Virginia Mountaineers CHMA [32][33]
2013 Play-in Round #19 Niagara Purple Eagles 0–1 (OT) #14 Central Oklahoma Bronchos WCHL [34]
2014 Play-in Round #19 Syracuse Orange 1–6 #14 Oakland Golden Grizzlies GLCHL [35][36]
2015 Play-in Round #17 Buffalo Bulls 3–4 #16 Colorado Buffaloes WCHL [37]
Play-in Round #15 Niagara Purple Eagles 7–2 #18 Robert Morris Colonials CHMA [38]
First Round 1–4 #3 Central Oklahoma Bronchos WCHL [39]
2016 Play-in Round #18 Syracuse Orange 5–3 #15 Illinois Fighting Illini CSCHL [40][41]
First Round 2–3 #3 Stony Brook Seawolves ESCHL [42]
2017 Play-in Round #18 Syracuse Orange 3–4 #15 Midland Warriors Independent [43][44]
2018 Play-in Round #19 Buffalo Bulls 1–8 #14 Davenport Panthers GLCHL [45]
2019 Play-in Round #19 Buffalo Bulls 1–4 #14 Missouri State Ice Bears WCHL [46]
2020 Play-in Round #20 Niagara Purple Eagles CXL[a] #13 Central Oklahoma Bronchos WCHL [48]
2021[b] First Round #14 Canisius Golden Griffins 0–10 #3 Lindenwood Lions CSCHL [49]
2022 Play-in Round #18 Niagara Purple Eagles 3–7 #15 Ohio Bobcats CSCHL [50]
2023 Play-in Round #20 Buffalo Bulls 3–8 #13 Grand Valley State Lakers GLCHL [51]
2024 First Round #24 Oswego Lakers 4–1 #9 Niagara Purple Eagles ESCHL [52]
Round of 16 #24 Oswego Lakers 3–4 (OT) #8 Ohio University Bobcats Independent [53]
2025 First Round #20 Oswego Lakers 3–2 (OT) #13 Indiana Tech Warriors WHAC [54]
Round of 16 #20 Oswego Lakers 3–6 #4 Liberty Flames Independent [55]

NECHL team tournament records

Teams that no longer participate in the Northeast Collegiate Hockey League are in italics.

Name P W L OTL GS GA %W
Oswego State Lakers 42111313050.00
Penn State Berks 1010214000.00
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 50411639000.00
Niagara Purple Eagles 41211114025.00
Syracuse Orange 41301116025.00
Buffalo Bulls 4040824000.00
Canisius Golden Griffins 1010010000.00

Notes

References

External links

See also

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