Commonwealth Coast Conference adding men's ice hockey in 2016-17
Official release from the Commonwealth Coast Conference
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Board of Directors is pleased to announce that the CCC will begin sponsoring men's ice hockey as a championship sport beginning in 2016-17. The addition of men's hockey increases the number of CCC championship sports to 16 and marks the first new CCC championship sport since the addition of men's golf in 2013-14.
"As the CCC Chair, I am very excited that we are adding men's hockey as a varsity sport," stated Dr. Zorica Pantić, President of Wentworth Institute of Technology and Chair of the CCC Board of Directors. "This will make the Commonwealth Coast Conference even stronger."
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"This is a very important day for Salve Regina University's department of athletics. The "I think it's great for men's ice hockey to have an alignment within the same league as our |
announcement of adding men's ice hockey under the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) is a game changer. The addition of men's ice hockey within the CCC demonstrates the commitment of our presidents to strengthen our brand as a true multi-sport conference. The strength and past successes of our CCC men's ice hockey programs will continue to bring regional and national recognition to our institutions and positively enhance the brand of the Commonwealth Coast Conference." – 
other sports. Also, as we continue to grow the strength of our current league with the additions of Endicott this year and UNE next year, it is exciting to think of the future of the CCC as we look to continue to grow our national reputation within Division III ice hockey." - A total of 10 institutions will compete during the inaugural season of CCC men's hockey, with regular-season play beginning in November 2016 and culminating with the first-ever CCC men's hockey championship tournament in March 2017. The CCC men's hockey champion will earn automatic qualification to the NCAA Division III men's hockey championship.
Seven current CCC members Curry College, Endicott College, Nichols College, Salve Regina University, University of New England, Wentworth Institute of Technology and Western New England University will be joined by Becker College, Johnson and Wales University and Suffolk University, each of which will be joining the CCC as associate members in the sport of men's ice hockey in 2016-17.
"The addition of men's ice hockey as the Commonwealth Coast Conference's 16th championship sport is a proud moment for our conference, each of our full member institutions, and the institutions that will be joining us as our first-ever associate members," stated CCC Commissioner Gregg M. Kaye. "This exciting decision is a testament to the leadership and engagement of the CCC's presidents, each of whom is committed to enhancing the role that athletics plays in the student-athlete experience at their institution. By bringing men's hockey under the CCC umbrella, our conference can ensure that an entirely new group of student-athletes will enjoy the same competitive and championship experiences as so many of their peers have enjoyed in the CCC for more than 30 years."
Curry, Endicott, Nichols, Salve Regina, Wentworth and Western New England currently compete with Becker, Johnson & Wales and Suffolk as members of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Northeast Hockey League, while University of New England is a member of the ECAC East Men's Hockey League.
The 10 men's hockey-playing institutions that will be competing in the CCC have combined to make 13 NCAA Division III men's hockey postseason appearances. Wentworth leads the way with six NCAA tournament appearances (2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2012, 2013), joining Curry which has advanced to NCAA postseason play four times (2004, 2005, 2010, 2011) and Nichols which has qualified for the NCAA championship three times (2009, 2014, 2015).