Men’s, women’s hockey programs joining New England Hockey Conference in 2024

The New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) announced the addition of Salve Regina as the league’s newest member. Both the men’s and women’s ice hockey teams will join the conference and begin league play during the 2024-2025 season.

“The NEHC is excited to welcome Salve Regina as the league’s newest member,” said NEHC commissioner Katie Boldvich. “The Seahawks have long shown their stability and success in the ice hockey community. Their commitment to the growth of the sport, overarching goals as a department and geographic footprint made them an ideal member for the conference.”

Sean Sullivan, athletic director at Salve Regina, said the move to the NEHC marks a visible commitment to the continued growth of the Seahawks’ ice hockey programs.

“By joining one of the premier hockey conferences in the country, Salve Regina ice hockey student-athletes will now be challenged by and benefit from playing against other Division III programs of the highest caliber,” Sullivan said. “Our hockey partners in the Commonwealth Coast Conference have prepared us well and we are ready to step up our dedication to hockey even further. We are thrilled about the prospects of what the 2024-2025 season and beyond will bring to Newport.”

The men’s team, two-time CCC regular-season champions, concluded their 2022-2023 season with a 15-10-1 overall record. Qualifying as the fourth seed in the conference tournament, the Seahawks advanced following a 5-2 win over Western New England before being eliminated in the semifinals 5-4 by top seed Endicott. Forward Joseph Kile was tied at the top of regular season conference goal-scoring list with 16 goals scored.

The season was also highlighted by Johnny Mulera and Mitch Walinski representing the United States and winning silver medals at the 2023 FISU World University Games. This was the United States’ first men’s ice hockey medal at the games since 1972, when it won bronze.

“This is an exciting time for the future of the Salve men’s ice hockey program,” said head coach Zech Klann. “We are very happy to be joining the NEHC and the strong traditions within the conference. We look forward to competing alongside these well-established programs.”

The women’s team has been competing at the Division III level for 20 years and concluded its 2022-2023 season with an 11-13 overall record. Individual accomplishments included Sydney Baxter earning goaltender of the week honors, Emma Periera (defense) being named player of the week, Riley Esposito (forward) named three times as rookie of the week and Livia Krzywulak (goaltender) earning rookie of the week honors.

“We are excited to be joining the NEHC for the 2024-2025 season,” said head coach David Lun. “Its prestige and level of competition precedes itself. Salve’s women’s hockey program is poised to re-establish itself and this move to the NEHC is a significant step to bolster that process. In addition, it demonstrates a commitment from the University to support its hockey programs for future success.”

The NEHC prides itself on being one of the premiere conferences for NCAA Division III men’s and women’s hockey in the country. The league and its members are committed to promoting the sport of hockey, recognizing the student-athletes, and promoting fair play and sportsmanship while maintaining a high level of competition. The conference boasts a unique geographic footprint and utilizes a travel partner scheduling model which allows for meaningful conference competition across the northeast. The ability to travel to desirable cities, hockey towns and rinks makes for a high-quality student-athlete experience for its teams.