Commonwealth Coast Conference adding men’s ice hockey

The Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) will begin sponsoring men’s ice hockey as a championship sport beginning in 2016-2017, and Salve Regina will transition from the Eastern College Athletic Conference to join the new CCC program.

In addition to Salve Regina, nine other institutions will compete during the inaugural season, with regular-season play beginning in November 2016 and culminating with the first-ever CCC championship tournament in March 2017. The conference champion will earn automatic qualification to the NCAA Division III championship.

“The addition of men’s ice hockey demonstrates the commitment of our presidents to strengthen our brand as a true multi-sport conference,” said acting director of athletics Kelly Scafariello. “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.”

Seven current CCC members – Curry College, Endicott College, Nichols College, Salve Regina, 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 in the new program.

“I think it’s great for men’s ice hockey to have an alignment within the same league as our other sports,” said head coach Andy Boschetto. “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.”

The 10 institutions that will compete in the CCC have combined to make 13 NCAA Division III postseason appearances. Wentworth leads the way with six NCAA tournament appearances, while Curry has advanced to NCAA postseason play four times and Nichols has qualified for the NCAA championship three times.